Cycle 2
CYCLE 2 Overview
Discover a transformative approach to education with passionate educators who foster independence, responsibility and a global perspective. In the Montessori Method, students take charge of their own learning and participate in activities that cultivate essential 21st-century skills.
Cycle 2 encompasses a mixed age range of Years 1, 2 and 3. Younger students learn from older peers, and older students reinforce their knowledge by teaching concepts to the younger ones, creating a supportive, motivated and inspirational community.
At this stage of development, students crave socialisation and small group lessons and follow-up work within small groups nurtures positive relationships.
The PROGRAM
In Cycle 2, concentration and independence fostered in Cycle 1 supports the child’s learning journey as they go deeper and work on tasks collaboratively.
Between six and nine years of age, students embark on the second Plane of Development, a phase characterised by their longing for intellectual autonomy and the cultivation of ethics and social accountability.
Educators follow the Montessori National Curriculum, which is approved by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
Educators deliver the Montessori curriculum while supporting students to meet and explore the expected benchmarks for their age outlined by ACARA.
With support and guidance from teachers when needed, students explore wide-ranging, inquiry-based lessons ranging from the birth of the universe to the details of English grammar.
The Learning Environment
Students work in a prepared environment that supports their learning journey with concrete materials and specially-chosen resources. Students choose how their day will be filled with activities and decide how long to spend exploring a skill or concept. Through the freedom to choose and an expectation to use their time well, students manage their study with many cross-curricular opportunities.
Students embark on a quest for moral order, nurturing their conscience and understanding the concepts of right and wrong. As social explorers, their imagination and reasoning skills shape their growth.
They demonstrate an authentic curiosity about others in their immediate community or on a broader global scale. Their sense of justice and the pursuit of fairness strengthen as they place significance on adhering to rules.
STUDENTS EMBARK ON A QUEST FOR MORAL ORDER, NURTURING THEIR CONSCIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPTS OF RIGHT AND WRONG.
Cycle 2 JUNIOR SCHOOL GALLERY
Areas of Study
Students have a weekly two-hour session in the Art Room where they develop skills, techniques and processes to express themselves visually. Through painting, drawing, construction, modelling, printing and textiles, they explore two- and three- dimensional media. They also analyse and discuss artwork from different cultures and visit galleries.
At the end of the year, artworks are displayed in the Art Show and celebrate creativity.
Within the classroom, students use their knowledge of Visual Arts skills to further demonstrate their understanding of concepts across the curriculum.
In Cycle 2, biology begins with the Second Great Story, The Coming of Life. Through storytelling and charts, imaginations are inspired and through their own work, students delve deeper into the study of plants, animals and their relationships with the environment.
Through their work they see the interconnectedness of living things and develop a deep understanding of humanity’s place in the web of life.
Geography covers the study of the Earth and starts with the First Great Story about how the universe began. Demonstrations are replicated by students as they explore the three states of matter, how the earth came to be, the solar system, gravity and study different aspects of the earth. Mathematical and language skills are used and the connection to the study of history is the foundation of the Cycle 2 curriculum.
The Montessori classroom is equipped with materials to tackle all aspects of geometry. It is an exciting area of work for this age as it incorporates practical elements and moves into creative ways of showing abstract understanding.
The Montessori history curriculum begins with the Third Great Story, The Coming of Humans. Students explore how, from the earliest times, humans have been driven to invent things and improve on how they live their lives.
Students are presented with timelines that explore the concept of time, early humans and the beginning of history with the invention of writing. Stories ignite their interest and they find out more on topics that interest them. Through the study of history, they start to see their place in the ongoing human story.
Through topics drawn from various areas of learning, students develop their French language skills, exchanging personal information, creating skits, reading short texts, and writing sentences and paragraphs.
Language skills are integrated across the curriculum. Communication and the sharing of knowledge is an important aspect of the Montessori environment. Students discuss and debate, share and teach they develop comprehension skills and compose fiction and non- fiction texts supported by lessons on grammar, punctuation, and word study.
Mathematics begins with visualising the trillions of stars in the sky, or the time it takes for light to travel around the earth. In a Montessori school, the interest in mathematics is inspired by curiosity which creates a desire to know more and a connection to the real world.
Cycle 2 starts with large numbers and explores various mathematical concepts. Students memorise number facts, reduce fractions, perform long multiplication and division, find the square root of numbers, and create sums with squares and cubes with the aid of concrete materials.
Weekly Performing Arts sessions are led by a dedicated teacher and empower every child to express themselves. This immersive program often draws on nature and real-life experiences and uses music, singing, movement, dance and drama to explore another mode of communication. Students participate in, write and stage an annual Junior School concert.
Melbourne Montessori College’s sports program motivates students to be active, healthy and fit. They engage in different sports and activities including basketball, cricket, football, netball and with sport seen as a tool to teach valuable life skills.
Students use journals to manage their time and work choices and learn to be responsible for their own learning. As a community, we must all complete certain tasks at the beginning or end of the day to keep our environment functioning and a positive place to be.
Students sometimes need support solving social problems through role-modelling and active listening and students support each other by emulating these skills. Students of this age are keen to develop cooking and handiwork skills, to know how to look after themselves, to create and concentrate and making beautiful things empowers their wellbeing.
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