Damariscotta Montessori School offers an elementary program for children ages 6-12 (grades 1-6). Prior attendance at a Montessori program is not a prerequisite for admission to either of Damariscotta Montessori School's elementary program. Within the program, multi-age groupings allow elementary students the freedom to pursue academic achievement at various levels in each area of the curriculum, and to enjoy stimulating interactions with younger and older classmates. All elementary students are encouraged to pursue areas of academic interest for independent study.

Language Arts
The Language Arts curriculum is designed to help students develop: (1) the muscle control required to produce written language; (2) the listening and reading skills required to understand the tone, as well as the substance, of verbal and written communications; (3) the critical thinking required to analyze thoughts and ideas; and (4) the basic skills required to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. A rich assortment of Montessori materials permit each student to explore the building blocks of communication, the rules of spelling, and the rules of grammar, as well as some of the most highly regarded stories, poems and prose of classical and modern times. Group discussions become increasingly important as a student progresses through the elementary program, as do creative and research writing and oral presentations.

Mathematics
The Mathematics curriculum is designed to help students develop: (1) a conceptual understanding of basic number facts and functions, the value of money, the meaning of time, and spatial relationships; and (2) computational and problem solving skills. Montessori materials used in the area of mathematics enable a student to establish a concrete basis of understanding to support the more abstract concepts.

Cultural Studies
The Cultural Studies curriculum is designed to help students appreciate the impact of geography and technology upon the history of the human race. Montessori materials (including 3 dimensional maps) familiarize students with various land-forms, bodies of water, continents, countries, and capital cities. A historical perspective is reinforced through the development and use of time lines in conjunction with research projects on subjects such as, "The Creation Story," "Timeline of Life," "Timeline of Early Humans," "The Civilizations," and "The American Experience."

Science
The Science curriculum is designed: (1) to familiarize students with some of the fundamental principles of scientific investigation, (2) to strengthen their powers of observation and critical thinking, and (3) to explore some of the basic concepts within the fields of biology, physical science, astronomy and earth science. Many of the scientific principles are learned by the students through their own experiments with various liquids, solids, gases, prisms, magnets, electricity, gravity, pulleys and balances.

Fine Arts
The Fine Arts curriculum is designed to familiarize students with some of the great masters of art, music and drama, and to encourage the students to recognize the Fine Arts as a creative means for expressing one's observations, feelings, imagination, and personal experiences. Many of the class projects thematically relate to other academic areas. Students study the work of other artists through slides, videos, and museum visits. They exhibit and discuss their own works throughout the year, and are encouraged to participate in the school's annual art show.

Spanish
The Spanish curriculum is designed to familiarize students with the Spanish language. Instruction for the younger students focuses on listening activities (such as games and songs) that enable students to build a basic vocabulary.

Physical Education
The Physical Education curriculum seeks to develop the whole child. Students are instructed in the fundamental skills, strategies, and rules of many traditional field and team games. The goal of the curriculum is to instill within each student the confidence to learn and apply new skills and a desire to participate in physical pursuits that will grow with the student throughout his or her life.

  

Elementary classes meet five days per week from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. By special arrangement students may arrive as early as 7:30 a.m. and remain as late as 4:45 p.m.