A Brief Overview...

Students write from a variety of different areas; personal choice, science, social studies and health. With the use of a writing rubric, peers and teachers will evaluate each published piece of writing. Students are working on their fluency while incorporating the 6 Traits of Writing. Students also use the Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop to refine their spelling skills. Students write two research projects a year, daily responses to literature; and are required to publish writing samples of each of the five academic cycles.

Middle School Students read from all genres of literature and text. The students are required to read five assigned novels, five personal choice novels, and five anthologies each year.

Grammar and Sentence Diagramming are addressed through the use of the text Testing Your Grammar, which provides instruction and practice for standardized testing.

Research is a valued part of the Middle School Program. Our research builds on what is presented during the Elementary Program. Students complete two major research projects a year in addition to weekly research for group presentations in history and science. Focus is placed on fluency, presentation skills, and development of content.

Five levels of mathematics are offered in the Middle School Program:

The Botany Curriculum is studied through Practical Life experiences and projects that are incorporated into our Schoolyard Habitat.

Middle School students focus on three areas of study involving the Physical Sciences.

Students work on Land Lab Projects as part of the Middle School Curriculum. Topics learned in the previous programs lay the foundation for applied practice in Middle School.

The Middle School Curriculum focuses on the following topics: World and US Government Studies, Revolutions, The Human Rights Movement, The Industrial Revolution, Peace Education and Future Visions, Native Americans, Immigration, Exploration and Perspectives, Economics and Economic Systems, and Ecology and Future Visions.

An Indepth Look...

The Hockessin Montessori School courses of study reflect an integration of the Delaware requirements of essential elements, the newest research on the developmental needs of early adolescents, the Montessori Philosophy, the state of the art in current learning theory, and the predication of the skills needed for a productive life in the twenty-first century.

The curriculum and instruction is designed as a two-year program in which students earn 16 units of credits. The language, speech, Spanish, physical education, outdoor education, service learning, and fine arts are courses of continuous progress. The science, social studies, geography, health and math are studied by topics or concepts.

Language arts include the study of vocabulary, literature, grammar and mechanics, and writing. Vocabulary is presented across the curriculum and is formally approached by learning word elements and the Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop. Students work on grammar using Testing Your Grammar by Susan Reinhart. This is a constant review of grammatical concepts, with test practice for standardized testing. Literature includes the study of literary elements and the reading of all genres of literature. Each cycle, students read an anthology, a novel focused on a theme, and a personal novel. Literature discussions follow the format of the Socratic Seminar. During each cycle, students attend writing workshop and write in the areas of personal choice, science, social studies, and health. Students write two research papers a year as a part of their independent study. Students write daily responses to literature and must publish writing each cycle. With the use of a writing rubric, peers and teachers will evaluate each published piece of writing.

Speech includes daily communication that focuses on grace and courtesy, listening skills, note-taking, active participation in group discussions by articulating ideas, and making formal presentation. Students learn a variety of communication skills such as ackowledging others, using "I" messages, active listening, goal setting, and group decision making. Students also participate in activities developed from Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teen and The Heroic Journey. Each year the class develops a mission statement or constitution. Students are able to practice communication skills daily by working in community meetings, class committees, small group cooperative projects, and peer and cross-age teaching activities. Students individually give presentations each cycle.

This course includes geography and history. The geography curriclum includes the study of the themes of location, place, movements, regions, and the interaction between people and their environment. The history curriculum focuses on the progress of people and the following topics: Structures (Governments and US Government), Forces (Revolutions), Power (Human Rights Movement), Changes (Industrial Revolution), and Balance (Peace Education and Future Vision). Students do personal and group work in these themes. The focus is on asking large questions and looking for patterns in history and integrating this information into all disciplines. Students develop creative projects and make presentation. In the spring of even years, students become experts in one area of United States of Delaware history and present their research at the History Fair.

This course includes geography and history. The geography curriculum includes the study of the themes of location, place, movements, regions, and the interaction of people and their environment. The history curriculum focuses on the history of people and the following topics: Connections (Native Americans), Exploration and Perspectives, Identity (Immigration), Systems (Economics and Economic Systems), Interdependence (Ecology and Future Visions). Students do personal and group work in these themes. The focus is on asking large questions and looking for patterns in history and integrating this information into all disciplines. Students develop creative projects and make presentation. In the spring of even numbered year, students become experts in one are of United States of Delaware history and present their research at the History Fair.

Math courses that will be offered are the Glencoe Mathematics Program: Mathematics Application and Concepts, Courses 1, 2, & 3. These texts utilize real life experiences to provide critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students must take quizzes for feedback and master comprehensive tests with at least 90% accuracy. Parallel to the textbook work are short courses and lab activities in group problem-solving, mental math, tessellations, compass construction, and logic. There is also math work that is related to the projects. This course may be on a one or two-year schedule.

This math course uses the McDougal Publisher's book Algebra. This text utilizes real life experiences as well as computers and calculators to provide critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students must take quizzes for feedback and master comprehensive tests with at least 90% accuracy. Parallel to the textbook work are short courses and lab activities in group problem solving, mental math, tessellations, compass constructions, and logic. Theres is also math work that is related to theme projects.

The physical science curriculum includes the study of Structures (Nature of Science and the Structure of Matter), Forces (Motion and Four Fundamental Forces), Power (Power, Energy, and Waves), Changes (Work and Machines), and Balance (Chemistry and Future Technology). Students do personal work and group work in these themes. The focus is on asking large questions and looking for patterns in science and integrating this information into all disciplines. Students develop long-term creative projects and make presentation. In the spring of odd numbered years, students become experts in one area of science and present their research at the Science Fair. Outdoor education experiences and the use of machinery are also a part of this study.

The life science curriculum includes the study of Connections (Cells and Living Things), Exploration (Virus, Monera, Protista, and Fungi), Identity (Genetics), Systems (Animal Systems), and Interdependence (Ecosystems and Future Visions). Botany is part of the curriculum in the schoolyard habitat. Students do personal work and group work in these themes. The focus is on asking large questions and looking for patterns in science and integrating this information into all disciplines. Students develop long-term creative projects and make presentations. In the spring of odd numbered years, students become experts in one area of science and present their research at the science fair. Outdoor education experiences and the use of tools and machinery are also part of this study.

The physical education class focuses on team sports, individual sports and aerobic activities. Students also participate in cooperative games. All students are included in all activities. Health is the study of issues pertinent to the needs of early adolescents. Students alternate focusing on The Heroic Journey and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This program has several purposes. One is to provide information about the transition from childhood to adolescence and the journey to adulthood. Another is to provide links between generations to help young people make the journey safely. A third is to create challenging and meaningful experiences, similar to those in the initiation or rites of passage ceremonies. Students explore topics such as belonging, friendships, adolescent development, stress management, self-esteem, peer pressure, drug education, sexuality, nutrition, and balanced-living. There is a time each day in which students spend in personal reflection for development of their intrapersonal skills. Also covered is the DE Health Curriculum for 7th and 8th graders.

Students learn to speak, read, and write Spanish. The textbook, Paso y Paso is used as well as other resources. Students participate in a daily lab and homework in order to obtain continuous practice. Spanish is an elective and students who choose to take Spanish must commit to attending class daily during personal work time and to 1/2 hour of homework each evening.

This computer literacy course includes word processing, spreadsheets, database, graphics, academic programs, and simulation games. All of these activities are integrated into all subject areas. Students also have the opportunity to work with other equipment such as scanners and to use the Internet to gather data and communicate with other schools. As an elective, students create and update the school and class web sites.

Students learn to work on and with the land. Students have the opportunity to work on the land in the Habitat Project, two five-day trips, and a one-week adventure trip in May. At the school location, students plant a garden, compost, and do various horticultural projects. Students work together on building projects, which integrates academic work into real-life activities, which foster learning how to be stewards of the land. In May there is an adventure trip to continue study of one of the science areas more in-depth.

Eighth grade will students spend one week as assistants in a Montessori classroom. Thereafter, students become mentors to that classroom. In the spring, students spend one week doing a service project outside the school. Students do other spontaneous service based on needs and interests. In economics, students run two class businesses, which will be decided on by the class. The students will sell stock for the initial investment, keep records, prepare, purchase and inventory supplies, and sell the product.

Students will have the opportunity to select three areas of exploration. Areas of exploration vary each year with student interest and availability of outside teaching resources. Courses may include the following: computer, photography, architecture, painting, video-making, sculpture, pottery, drama, auto mechanics, music, carpentry, jewelry, T-shirt painting, and cooking.

Each year there are five cycles of work followed by an immersion week for land laboratory for the Delaware Natural Resource Education Center, Habitat for Humanity, drama program, or testing. Each cycle is five weeks. At the beginning of each cycle, students complete a contract identifying the work they are going to accomplish during the cycle. At the end of the fifth week, there is a product presentation and a written self-assessment of the thematic project work. The cycle format is designed to help students learn organizational, decision-making, and time-management skills. Students keep a graph of the work completed each week. If an appropriate amount of work has not been completed (usually 20%) each week, students have the opportunity to catch up in study hall on Friday from 1:00 - 3:00pm, missing extended physical education. If students are not at goal on Friday, they are expected to catch up on their own over the weekend with parental support. If students do not complete their work by the end of the cycle, they may continue to work during the immersion week. If the students have not completed their work, an incomplete will be given. Students must make up the cycle work on the weekend or during the immersion week. Students complete weekly progress reports and graphs for parents to review, sign, and return the following Monday. At the end of the cycle, students complete an assessment form that is mailed home to parents.

The school day is divided into two kinds of work: individual and group work. Individual work is designed to make a match between the skills, abilities and interests of each student; and there are a variety of work choices in every academic area to be done alone or in small, self-chosen groups. Individual work is assessed individually with mastery tests that may be written or oral. There are opportunities to do modified, basic, and advanced work in most areas.

Group work is done in randomly chosen groups in which individuals learn to work together for five weeks. These groups work together on physical tasks such as the class business, physical education, and academic tasks in the thematic units, which integrate all subject areas. Individual written tests, group presentations, and self-assessments of the groups process assess the thematic unit.

Students are expected to keep up with class work and, if necessary, do what they can at home or in tutorials to stay caught up. If a student repeatedly misuses class time or interferes with the work of his/her classmates, a conference is held and an action plan is set up with the family, requiring that the student have an adult at his/her side at school to monitor behavior until a pattern of appropriate behavior is practiced for an agreed upon length of time.

Homework consists of taking home and bringing back binders and all necessary materials, math problems, literature, vocabulary, Spanish, and self-assigned work. The math work involves a math lesson and practice problems. If the students need help on any problems, they are to indicate the problem numbers at the top of the page and ask for assistance the next day. After every four or five lessons, students take a quiz and at the end of each chapter there is a comprehensive test. Math homework should take approximately 30-45 minutes per day. Students should read at least 45 minutes each night and respond in writing to the reading. This includes the anthology, novel and factual information for each subject areas. There is a 15-minute vocabulary lesson each day. There will be 30-minutes of homework daily in Spanish for continuous practice. The independent study homework consists of research and writing.

Parents are asked to support their adolescent by providing a family schedule that allows time and space each evening for schoolwork. For concentrated learning to occur, students should study without the distractions of television and telephones. Student's homework assignments are given out at the beginning of each cycle. Thus, students know their assignments in advance so they can learn to plan ahead and avoid conflicts or late night studying. The first time a student does not complete his/her homework or bring necessary belongings to school, he/she fills out the top of the parent communication and telephones a parent with a plan to complete the assignment. The second time a student does not complete his/her homework or bring necessary belongings to school, he/she fills out the bottom of the parent communication form with a plan to complete the assignment and takes it home to be signed by a parent. The third time a student does not complete his/her homework or bring necessary belongings to school, which makes the time spent in class non-productive, a conference is held and an action plan is initiated. In many cases, the action plan will require that the student be sent home or to the school office any days that materials and homework assignments are not brought to school. Students record completed homework ratio on their weekly progress and cycle/quarter summary form.

Mastery Learning is a form of personalized learning that gives students the necessary time to master particular skills before progressing to the next level of work. The student takes on the responsibility of learning a skill versus merely accepting a low grade and never really learning the information. The teacher's job is to break down the learning steps, to offer suggestions for internalizing the knowledge, and to give the time necessary to learn the information. According to research, the advantage of mastery learning is that it offers clear expectations, fosters mastery of a unit of study, is not competitive, and encourages student responsibility. Its disadvantage, as listed by researchers, is that too many students receive "A's." The student's transcript indicates that courses have been completed with at least 90% mastery. The procedure is to offer information, provide learning strategies and activities, provide a variety of assessments - performance assessment with rubric scales, quizzes, written tests, and self-assessments - and re-teach and retest if necessary. Quizzes are distinguished from tests. Quizzes are meant to give feedback during the learning process and do not require a 90+%. Tests are given at the closure of a body of work such as math chapters, vocabulary units, and after the completion of an area of study in health, science, and math. Tests are always corrected, no matter what the score, for learning purposes. In the event that a retest has to be taken, all subsequent tests will be more in-depth; therefore, certain criteria must be met before a retest is administered such as: reviewing previous material, completing supplemental work, and receiving additional instruction from the teacher when necessary. If the student is still not successful in mastering the materials after the second test, alternative testing styles will be utilized. All test grades will be averaged to determine mastery (90%) and the student's transcript will indicate areas where modifications were implemented.

As in all levels of Montessori Education, there are opportunities for discovery and experiential learning in which participation is the goal. The areas in the secondary program where experiential learning is the goal are: career education, outdoor education, electives, and trips.

Recent discoveries about the nature of human intelligences have indicated that we have the ability to enhance and amplify our intelligences, and that intelligence is a multiple reality that occurs in different parts of the brain/mind system. Students will take a survey of where they are on the continuum of each of the eight intelligences as identified by Howard Gardner in his book, Frames of Mind. The eight intelligences are verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and natural. Students are asked to design their work to include each of the intelligences and reflect upon their growth in each area. Gardner has recently added one more intelligence, which is visionary (spiritual). Information on this new intelligence will be published in the near future.

Students will do two independent studies a year, focusing on history or science and a personal topic. In the fall, the focus is a topic of personal interest. In the spring of each year, students will create a history or science project. There are specific guidelines and due dates along the way. A research paper is expected. This work is to be done individually. Parents are asked to sign a form agreeing to the selection of work and materials needed for the study, to support their adolescent by taking him/her to the library, and by providing needed materials and resources.

"Men with hands and no head, and men with head and no hands are equally out of place in the modern community......Therefore the work on the land is an introduction both to nature and civilization and gives a limitless field for scientific and historic studies......The rural atmosphere offers students a kind of 'place apart' -- a safe and healthy environment to promote their transition to adulthood (From Childhood to Adolescence, Maria Montessori).

Montessori felt that economic independence was as important to the development of the adolescent as personal independence (dressing and feeding themselves) is to the development of the 3 year-old. The land gives them the opportunity to explore the entire economic cycle. The students could be responsible for not only growing and selling the produce grown on the land, but all of the billing and accounting as well. The money could be invested back into the land or put towards other projects.

Dr. Montessori envisioned an Erdkinder (translated as children of the land) as the best environment for adolescents to study and work. Montessori called it a "school of experience in the elements of social life."

Drug and sexuality education is an integral part of the secondary program. The significant factors in helping students make good choices for themselves are: decision-making strategies, goal setting and planning, constructive ways of having fun, stress management, good peer relations, self-confidence, responsibility for their behavior, respect for others, and the deference of immediate desires. These elements are on-going skills and activities in the classroom. In addition, the health curriculum focuses on information in sexuality and drug education in a week-long workshop with experts.

The Hockessin Montessori School is a drug and alcohol free school. Students who use alcohol, tobacco, or other chemical substances during or after school hours are subject to action by the school. Parents are expected to monitor students' activities so that the students are in safe and healthy environments and, therefore, are not exposed to the abuse of chemical substances.

Physical Education is an important part of a holistic education. Students should come dressed for physical education activities on a daily basis. Students should change into sneakers and put on appropriate clothing for the featured activity. Students will be asked to actively participate in all physical activities in order to receive a credit in physical education. If a student is unable to participate for medical reasons, this needs to be documented by a note from the parents. When students cannot be actively engaged, they may walk or another activity may be designated by the P.E. teacher.

As part of the health curriculum, students spend thirty minutes each day after lunch in personal reflection. Dr. Montessori felt that early adolescents have a quest for self-knowledge, which in turn helps adolescents develop their identity. In our hurried society, we want the students to learn to spend time reflecting on goals, reducing stress, and creating a personal vision. During this time, students will work by themselves on guided self-knowledge activities that are recorded in a journal as relaxing music is played, take a power nap, do yoga guided by a video tape, do creative arts, or participate in the Heroic Journey or 7 Habits activities. A student must choose a balance of these activities during each cycle.

Tutorials are from 3:00pm-3:45pm, Monday through Thursday, to help students, to monitor homework, or to re-take quizzes or tests. All re-tests must be done during tutorials and not during class hours. Students need to make a commitment to stay until 4:00pm, since early departures are disruptive. Students who stay after study hall will report to the Extended Care Director at 3:45pm to work as a CIT (Counselor in Training) until 4:30pm. Any student remaining after 4:30pm will be charged the Drop-in rate of $8.50 per hour. Students must be picked up by 6:00pm.

At the end of each cycle students file their completed work into a binder. Students select representative pieces of work to prepare for their family conferences in October, February and May. At the conference, students present the portfolio to their parents and use it to support their assessment of themselves.

During the first full week of February, students the take the ERB's. The ERB's are nationally and independently-norm-referenced tests that aid in assessing student progress, substantiate the validity of our curriculum and help in making decisions regarding high-school placement.