The Montessori Method
Schools in our MPS Montessori family follow Montessori practices that guide students’ personal and creative growth, preparing them to meet or exceed state of Wisconsin and district academic standards for high-school, college, and career readiness.
Teachers present lessons in classroom, community, and nature settings. Students develop their own learning style and academic interests through observation, peer interaction, and solo work. Montessori classrooms are inviting, orderly, and peaceful spaces where children are encouraged to move freely and think creatively.
As expert educators credentialed by Association Montessori Internationale or American Montessori Society, our teachers integrate these principles and practices in eight Montessori schools.
Classroom Community
- Multi-age classrooms combine three grade levels, and children stay with their assigned teacher and classmates for three years.
- Lessons are often designed so that children have multiple opportunities to hear other people’s ideas, perspectives, and thought processes to encourage creative thinking and problem solving.
- Older children serve as role models, develop leadership skills, and reinforce their own learning as role models for younger classmates.
Child-Centered Learning
- Children learn to complete a work cycle that includes choosing an activity, completing the activity (perhaps repeating the full sequence of the activity multiple times), then cleaning up and returning learning materials.
- Uninterrupted blocks of work time (typically three hours) allow children to work at their own pace and fully focus on an activity.
Hands-on Lessons and Life Skills
- Specially designed, hands-on learning materials replace textbooks in Montessori schools. These materials engage the senses and teach only one concept at a time, allowing children to work independently as they learn a new skill or concept in depth.
- Work is completed in the classroom, from research projects to daily assignments. Teachers rarely assign homework.
- Redeveloped schoolyards feature outdoor classrooms, small orchards, raised-bed and butterfly gardens. Serene and green spaces bring natural-science, botany, and STEM lessons to life, and prioritize outdoor learning and play.
Primary – Kindergarten for Ages 3, 4, and 5
True Montessori begins in K3, as our youngest learners develop independence during three-hour school days. Classrooms include spaces for quiet reading, low shelves with work available, and child-sized furniture and utensils so students can prepare, eat, and clean up snacks on their own.
Children attend for the full, seven-hour school day once they are officially registered K5 students – a major Montessori milestone!
Primary classroom lessons and materials are organized into five content areas:
- Cultural – Early lessons in geography, zoology, botany, physical science, and history incorporate learning materials like globes, puzzles, and fresh flowers to engage small hands and young minds.
- Language – Pre-literacy work helps students understand the concept of letters and sounds before progressing to word and sentence construction. Sandpaper letters, pencils, and classroom conversation are key learning tools.
- Mathematics – Skills like counting and number/symbol recognition lead to multiplication, addition, and subtraction lessons.
- Practical Life – Preparing and serving snacks, self-care, and classroom routines help students build self-confidence and self-reliance.
- Sensorial – All five senses are on board, encouraging children to be more logical and perceptive.
Elementary – Grades One Through Six
Teachers present math, literacy, science, and social studies lessons that incorporate child-centered, hands-on activities. Students listen to and learn from each other during discussions and group projects.
- Written and oral communication skills are strengthened, including vocabulary development and usage, correct capitalization, and accurate punctuation.
- Math skill building encompasses problem-solving, decimals and fractions, graphing and interpreting data, and learning algebraic relationships.
- Science lessons focus on developing an appreciation of nature, understanding the life cycles of living things, and discussing technology’s impact on the world.
Secondary – Grades Seven and Eight
Combined seventh/eighth grade classes explore advanced Montessori curriculum in preparation for high school, including microeconomies, global cultures, and humanities. During their studies, students develop pre-professional skills, explore earth science on overnight nature trips, and earn credit toward elementary or high-school completion. Adolescents travel, take on service projects, and even start small businesses. Student entrepreneurs might operate a Friday-morning coffee shop or grow and sell organic microgreens as part of Montessori’s microeconomies curriculum.
Teachers serve as guides and subject experts, and their classrooms are self-learning laboratories where older students flex executive functioning skills like time management, organization and prioritization, and practice self-regulation within a group.
High School – Grades 9 Through 12
A Montessori education emphasizes rigor and research as students learn the facts and figures behind scientific processes, study the movement of people across time and space, evaluate materials from different sources for accuracy and value. Montessori learners reach high-school graduation with content knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to thrive in and contribute to society.
- As they approach graduation, adolescents explore all strands of mathematics while justifying their strategies and using appropriate mathematical terms.
- Science instruction focuses on important scientific events and processes as students read eyewitness accounts, conduct field research, and design laboratory experiments. To fully grasp new concepts, students are encouraged to pose questions and predict results.
- Language arts lessons equip students with the ability to judge effective writing and presenting, create multimedia research projects, and demonstrate strong writing skills.
- Students are introduced to a market economy and discuss various social issues as classroom entrepreneurs. In addition, they compare the modern world to ancient and medieval civilizations.
District and State Standards for K12 Education
All Milwaukee Public Schools, including our Montessori programs, implement the Ambitious Instruction Plan and Common Core State Standards.
- Ambitious Instruction Plan
The Ambitious Instruction: Accelerating Learning Plan is the instructional framework for all schools and classrooms in MPS. We fulfill this expectation through utilizing the Montessori Method, which is based on the philosophy that children reach their fullest potential through multi-age interactions in an inquisitive, cooperative, and encouraging atmosphere through self-directed activity and hands-on learning using unique materials. In addition, the ten elements outlined in the district’s Academic Standard of Care are embedded in the Montessori philosophy. - Common Core State Standards
The curriculum in Milwaukee Public Schools is based on Common Core State Standards. These standards were developed with teachers, school administrators, and experts to prepare all children for college and the workforce. Learn more about Common Core.
Special Education
Montessori schools welcome all students, and our teachers can provide a wide range of special-education accommodations or support. Our schools employ special education and regular education teachers, school social workers and psychologists, support staff, therapists, and administrators who work together to meet students’ needs.
If you think your child has special education needs, ask your child’s teacher or a school administrator for an evaluation. For general questions about special education or specialized services, please call (414) 874-8493, or learn more about Specialized Services.