Introducing Biology to our Montessori Children

For this reason, we introduce biology to our Children’s House students as the gateway
to the sciences. Our teachers will demonstrate to students how to make binary assumptions
between living and non-living animals, plants, and objects. In this work, we bring in real
specimen to help make the distinction clear, using the senses to spot the difference between
movement, reproduction, growth, and
digestion. When we hold up a non-living
item – for instance a plastic spoon – we’ll
ask questions about its behavior to help
children differentiate its living and non-
living status. Can this spoon breathe?
Does it need to eat? Can this spoon have
baby spoons? The result is a deep
understanding of how to classify, before
moving on to more hands-on work like
sorting objects and pictures, classifying
to categories, and working with activities
like puzzles or posters.

The child demonstrates a natural ability to make distinctions between living and non-
living things, we move on to more categories, such as plants versus animals, vertebrates versus
invertebrates, and the five different vertebrate l groups (i.e., fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds,
and mammals). Instead of spending our time with outdated taxonomic ranks (such as genus,
family, phylum), our classrooms spend the majority of their time devoted to exploring the
many details that make up animal life. Just one area of interest, such as fish, is a Pandora’s
Box of information that children can dive into. For example, we might discuss the differences
between saltwater and freshwater fish, unusual sharks, and mysterious deep sea creatures.
There’s no end to what children can discover on their own, and in keeping with our “follow
the child” philosophy, teachers are able to tune in to their children’s enthusiasm while keeping
curriculums flexible enough to spend more time on areas of interest.
 In Lower and Upper Elementary, we extend children’s basic understanding of biology,
continuing with other types of science. What
began with basic naming of plants and animals
develops into thought-provoking discussions
and scientific inquiry. Discussions move from
facts to theory, and asking ‘why’ becomes a
habit for all students. While we enter into
many types of science including Earth and
space sciences, physical science,
oceanography, and geology, we most often
experiment and learn abstract knowledge
about how air takes up space, as well as why
and how tectonic plates move.

At a certain point, our teaching of

science, geography, and history merge
together to illuminate greater context into all
three areas of study. In Lower Elementary, we
may discuss how history and geography
played a role in evolution of animal or plant
life, and later, human evolution. In Upper
Elementary, we may break down big chunks
of time, such as the Paleozoic Era, into periods
of time. For instance, we may explore in more
depth what’s happening in the Cambrian
period during this time, and the geographic, geological, and biological factors that were taking
place concurrently. In the meantime, we may also discuss the sun’s role throughout science,
and how it impacted historical events, as well as climates around various parts of the world.
Although we may study science, geography, and history separately, we make connections
between these three subject areas, emphasizing that each area of study supports each other in
giving clues and context for life on Earth.

Unlike other school systems,

Montessori school doesn’t use textbooks to
teach the science curriculum. We use science
kits or models to demonstrate how electricity
or chemistry work. We make material and
choose specific reading for children on
various topics. Our Montessori curriculum is
partially set, but can include self-directed
inquiry, which we support through age-
appropriate books and reading plans, teacher-
developed work and activities, and resources for parents should children demonstrate an
appetite for learning more.

We realize that Montessori students are at a point in their education where asking ‘why’
and constant curiosity are at an all-time high, both inside and outside the classroom. To help
parents stay informed of what’s being taught at the elementary level, we send home lesson
plans so that parents can be prepared to field questions or direct children to the appropriate
resources for further reading. We know we’re successfully teaching science when parents
contact their child’s teacher, telling them that their children have become totally immersed in
the solar system and asking for book, website, and activity recommendations. As Montessori
educators, our first priority is to incite this thirst for knowledge and insatiable hunger to know
more, especially when it comes to the sciences.

With such a dynamic process for teaching

and learning, we still enforce strict procedures for
grading. In Children’s House and Lower
Elementary, we don’t give grades, but rather, send
children home with ‘satisfactory’ or ‘needs
improvement’ style reviews, along with child-
specific narrative for parents to review. You
won’t see terminology like ‘mastery’ for a reason,
as we believe this communicates total proficiency
in a way that sounds like students will never have
to revisit the topic again.

In Upper Elementary, we do move into a 100-point grading system and extensive

narratives. This decision is less about grades for grades sake, but an exercise in accountability
and a feedback loop that helps students become aware of their learning and progress. We
believe that effort – and how it manifests through careful, completed, fully comprehended
work – is the best indicator of success inside the classroom and in the world.