The Hockessin Montessori School

7th & 8th Grade

The Middle School Program is an integration of the current research in human development, the trends and issues in education, and the Montessori philosophy.  The mission of the program is to provide opportunities for adolescents to be self-confident and to gain self-knowledge, to belong to a community, to learn to be adaptable, to be academically competent and challenged, and to create a vision for their personal future; thus, to empower the early adolescent.

The adolescent is:
* An active, self-directed learner
* A vital member of the class, school, city, and global community
* A vital member of the teacher-student-parent team
* Responsible for keeping commitments, being honest, and respectful

The teachers are:
* Facilitators for learning
* Consultants for the students
* Creators of a positive climate for learning
* Communicators with parents and community
* Role models

The school structure offers:
* A learner-centered environment
* A developmentally-responsive curriculum and teaching team of Montessori teachers with additional adults as resources
* Parents-teachers-student partnerships
* Multi-aged grouping of 12-15 year olds
* Large blocks of uninterrupted learning time
* Peer and cross-age teaching

The curriculum and instruction includes:
* Trans-disciplinary themes
* Learning "how to learn" strategies
* Personal learning plans
* Mastery, coaching, and exploratory activities
* Long-term cooperative learning projects
* A strong sense of community and social interaction with peers
* Meaningful and challenging work
* Activities for self-expression, self-knowledge, and self-assessment
* Activities that value all nine intelligences and a variety of learning styles
* Activities that foster interdependence
* Activities for learning economic independence
* School and community service projects
* Activities that allow work on and with the land

The middle school year is divided into five thematic cycles.  These cycles are each approximately five weeks long, and they integrate the given theme into all of the disciplines of study.  Since it is a two-year program, seventh and eighth graders work both cooperatively and collaboratively during "Natural World" (the Sciences) and "Social World" (the Humanities).  Grammar and vocabulary studies are separated into two courses (one for each grade level), while mathematics is grouped based upon individual readiness and mastery.  Types of activities target all of the learning modalities, and they are balanced among individual, small group, and class projects, lessons, and/or activities.  Additionally, there is a great emphasis on individual student accountability, organization, and responsibility for work while also fostering the development of a community within the classroom and the need to mutually respect, support, and honor one another.