Grades 4th, 5th, and 6th

The Upper Elementary Program offers a continuum that is built on the Lower Elementary experience.  The integrated studies of the arts, geography, history, and the sciences continue to be the core of the curriculum with the intention of engaging the imagination of the child in his or her development of a global perspective.
           
The resources in the classroom further expand and deepen the child's understanding abstract concepts.  There is a continued emphasis on the six traits of writing, research with primary sources, grammar and sentence analysis, spelling and oral expression/speech.  In math, the Everyday Math materials work to help the child discover the correlation between arithmetic, geometry and algebra and how to apply abstract concepts to their everyday world.

Current research emphasizes the importance of not just feeding children countless amounts of information (which is easily accessible at the touch of a button), but instead, giving them the life skills needed to help prepare them for, and aid in, their success in our ever-changing future.  Children today need to be knowledgeable of: researching information, being a good citizen, values, adaptability, compassion, time management, tolerance of differences and how to relate to people.

Although the Upper Elementary Program is not fully Montessori, each grade is infused with the Montessori principles of self-direction and individualized learning in an integrated curriculum.  By building on the basic skills acquired in the Casa and Lower Elementary Programs, the Upper Elementary child now transitions to a deeper level of abstract reasoning.  The academic curriculum of Del Mar Academy’s Upper Elementary Program is highly enriched and challenging, focusing on three key elements:  1.mastery of the fundamental skills and basic core knowledge, 2. a modification of the 'Great Lessons', and 3. individually chosen research.

1. Mastery of the Fundamental Skills and Basic Core Knowledge

In this integrated curriculum, the student explores language arts studies, mathematics, science, social sciences, life skills, economics and money management skills, community involvement and service, and peace education.

English and Spanish Language Arts Studies  The world of language is expanded upon at the Upper Elementary level as the students have the opportunity to explore the intricacies of the English and Spanish languages.  On a daily basis, students read and express themselves through various forms of language, such as written, spoken and visual.  By developing the student's ability to use these languages, we strengthen their self-esteem and enhance their ability to express their thoughts and feelings more effectively.  Spelling, word study, writing mechanics, and research, study, and reference skills are also developed.  Language is the window of knowledge in all disciplines. It provides the foundation for all of our math, science, and social learning.  The goal of the program is to continue creating passionate readers and writers who enjoy the world of language.

Mathematics  The Upper Elementary math curriculum continues to work from the concrete to the abstract to create a greater understanding of mathematical concepts.  Students enjoy the practical application of abstract concepts with the use of the Everyday Math Program materials to solve real problems.

Science  Our world and universe are fascinating places.  Students are actively involved in discovering the secrets they have to share with us.  They are given the opportunity to observe, analyze, measure, classify, experiment, predict and make conclusions about what is probably true, and what is probably not true.  Science is an integral element of our curriculum and incorporates topics from botany, zoology, physical science, astronomy, geology, ecology, earth science, weather, the medical sciences, with emphasis on a very strong Environmental Education program.

Social Sciences At the Upper Elementary level, students learn about world geography (physical, cultural, political and economic), culture (including zoology, botany, music, languages and religions of various countries) and major world religions (traditions and basic beliefs).  Upper Elementary students also learn about the past and how it shapes the present.  They build models of ancient structures, make ceremonial masks and recreate a variety of artifacts of every day life of various historical eras.  The Del Mar Academy’s Upper Elementary students also learn about their surrounding culture and history via extensive Costa Rican country-studies which are researched and conducted in both the Spanish and English languages.

Information Communications Technology (ICT) At this level, the computer is considered a tool, just like a pencil or an encyclopedia.  Students learn keyboarding and Internet research skills.  The computer is also used as an interdisciplinary tool and aids in creating presentations.

Life Skills The Upper Elementary classroom has an abundance of opportunities for the children to develop life skills.  Students have opportunities to care for their environment, themselves and other living things (such as plants and animals), use grace and courtesy and prepare snacks and meals.

Economics and Money Management Skills  Students learn about the principles of economic freedom as well as financial and business matters.  These studies help them to understand and appreciate the value of money.

Community Involvement and Service 

Students are actively involved in the community, and in turn, come to the realization that the responsibility to change our world for the better lies within, and that service needs to be an accepted part of everyone's life if we are to achieve this goal.


Peace Education  Peace Education is as vital an element in our curriculum as mathematics, language and science, and will incorporate human relations and conflict resolution skills, non-violence, leadership training, cooperative teamwork skills, and communication skills.




2. A modification of the 'Great Lessons'




'The 'Great Lessons' include:  the story of how the world came to be, the development of life on Earth, the story of humankind, the development of language and writing, and the development of mathematics.  They serve as the core to an explosion of knowledge across disciplines.  The lessons, studies and projects surrounding each 'Great Lesson' normally spans many months and were introduced at the Lower Elementary level.   After a thorough review of the lessons, the Upper Elementary begins to focus more intently on ancient to modern-day civilizations.  At each grade level, students go into a considerably greater depth and prepare increasingly sophisticated projects and research reports.





3. Individually Chosen Research




Rather than memorizing facts, our students will skillfully learn to develop the process of doing investigations and research using the library, Internet, public records and primary and secondary source materials.  During a school year, the Upper Elementary students are given the opportunity to choose topics of interest to them, related to the current theme of study.  They are taught the skills to research in order to answer specific questions, write about and make models on the topic, and finally, to present their efforts to their peers.