Upper Elementary

Upper Elementary is for children in grades 4-6. Take a peek inside Bluffview’s Upper Elementary classrooms by visiting our Virtual Tour. The best way to learn about Bluffview, however, is to visit in person. Call 507.452.2807 to schedule your visit.

• Extended, one-on-one or small-group instruction is our “normal” way of teaching.
• Individualized instruction maximizes each child’s learning potential.
• A lead teacher and assistant teacher in every room (our average student-teacher ratio is 13:1).
• Lead teachers are Montessori trained and certified (in addition to state teaching licensure).
• Hands-on learning materials bring abstract concepts to life.
• Children are allowed to choose their work within the limits of the curriculum.
• Montessori education nurtures self-discipline, creative problem-solving, independence, and a love of learning.

• The core Montessori elementary curriculum includes mathematics, language arts, practical life skills, cultural studies (history, geography, etc.), geometry, and science.
• Long-term projects may include monthly book reports, science fair projects, May Display Day, and an entrepreneurship project (creating and tracking a “small business” to sell items at the annual holiday bazaar).
• Our curriculum meets all state and federal standards.
• Children work through all curriculum requirements by following individualized weekly work plans.
• Students also take classes taught by certified specialists in art, health, music, and physical education, and visit the school library once a week. Upper elementary students also have the option to participate in the instrumental music program, which includes band, orchestra, jazz band, and advanced string ensemble. See the special programs page for details.
• Counseling, math and reading intervention, and special education services are available to students who need them.
  After-school care is available.

The following list offers examples of topics covered in the lower elementary curriculum; it is not a complete scope or sequence:

Fourth grade

• Math: Estimating two-digit products
• Language: Sentences with cause and effect
• Cultural studies: Early humans: Paleolithic, Cro-Magnon, and Neanderthals
• Geometry: Lines, rays, segments, and angles
• Science: Classification of chordates using pictures

Fifth grade

• Math: Ordering fractions and decimals
• Language: Topic sentence, supporting details, closing sentence
• Cultural studies: Ancient Egypt
• Geometry: Prime factorization; figuring elapsed time
• Science; Phylums of the Animal Kingdom

Sixth grade

• Math: Word problems with percents
• Language: Descriptive writing
• Cultural studies: Events leading to the Revolutionary War
• Geometry: Volume and surface area in real-world situations
• Science: Anatomy and physiology of the chordates (fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, mammals)