Every once in a while I hear that AMI does not "seem to have much for the 9-12 year old." I have to admit I am perplexed by that statement. As a mother of an almost 10 year old boy who is in the middle of upper elementary right now and "started" elementary a bit "early"... well, he's still pretty busy. On the one hand, I am entirely amazed at what we have accomplished, but we also started elementary at 5 1/2 (giving us more time) and he's an only child of a single mom who runs two businesses from her home and off/on has part-time work outside the home (read that as: lots of free time to avoid school work and play with Legos instead). On the other hand, now the DEEP work is part and parcel of our everyday lives, I can't imagine adding anything MORE to what we do ;)
Here is what I see when I look at AMI albums compared to other albums, in no particular order:
- AMI albums have a general presumption that a child has done all or most of the work in the primary albums.
- A child not coming primary IS given remediation sections in
mathematics and language to "bridge" into elementary without that
previous background. These DO NOT repeat the primary albums, nor do they
take as long. A normally developing 6 year old starting elementary
Montessori can anticipate being less than a "year behind" his peers by
the 3rd year of elementary, and likely not even that much. I say
"behind" in quotes, because no child is truly behind - he is where he is
and we work with the child in that place (this is what following the
child means - following his NEEDS).
- I personally strongly encourage use of the sensorial album with new elementary children; utilizing the presentations as "challenges" rather than presented work. It generally takes less than a month of daily sensorial activities to lay a strong foundation (while doing other subject areas of interest/need). But that is just my personal experience speaking.
- In general, AMI has fewer materials, with more use of the same
material in a variety of ways, going deeper with the one material rather
than spreading out to more materials.
- AMI lays the foundation and expectation for a child to go deeper
with his work, ask his own questions, seek out answers and collaborate
with others. There are cues along the way, begun in primary and
continued throughout elementary - we do not provide all the child's math
problems for example, but provide prompts of the sort of math problems
to create on his own - we can monitor his work and prompt areas that
need attention.
- Upper elementary (ages 9-12) does not entirely repeat 6-9 - but
all concepts are reviewed. Since personal research is encouraged from
the get-go, by the time a child is in upper elementary, he should really
be going much deeper with his work. Review concepts in history, for
example, and most if not all upper elementary students should be delving
into their own personal study of local national history, state/province
history, and another area of choice (generally children have an area of
history they flourish in - GO with it).
- AMI does NOT bog a child down or remove his imagination,
creativity, or passion for learning by dictating every single study he
does. AMI provides keys - a foundation and a framework - then provides
guides for following particular interests (Goings Outs, history question
charts, reading great literature and delving into the language used,
music experiences with the tone bars, economic geography, etc.). If a
particular child or family has a particular interest or value, there is
now time to follow that particular pursuit because you do not have 6
hours of schoolwork dictated to you for every day of upper elementary.
- AMI does not utilize some materials in lower elementary that WERE used in primary, that some other albums say are still necessary at lower elementary (some of these items, such as the small bead frame, are not even used in AMI remedial mathematics at the elementary level - yet it is a "crucial" material in other elementary albums --- all those concepts can be covered with the large bead frame and NOT slow a child down) ---- thus beginning to go deeper, sooner and freeing up time/effort at the upper end of the age spectrum, when children in the well-run AMI schools DO get into algebra in 6th grade (not ALL children do! even at the best top-notch schools - again, we follow the child --- but here is another point: many children do NOT get to all the presentations in the math album and have more to do as they enter the adolescent plane of development.... so how can there not be enough in math?)
- I can ALMOST see the concern in language - there is less
"dictated" - there are less "direct lessons". This is a benefit to the
child if they have done most or all of the official lessons in the
language album before getting to upper elementary. Now they can explore
IDEAS, delve into speech, debate, drama, writing papers in one style,
then re-writing in another style for comparison ---- hitting on all
those extensions of the early album pages that they weren't ready for in
lower elementary or didn't have time for (because of all the personal
research they were doing).
If a child has done ALL of the suggested work for the lower elementary child, here is a generic (not near as detailed as it could be) run-down of the work for an upper elementary child:
(please keep in mind that most children will not get to all suggested topics in lower elementary, because their interests and needs are elsewhere; some will delve into upper elementary topics earlier, but will need to get the other topics later)
(music is not included here - follow the child entirely on this one)
Geography
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Chapter I: Creation of the Earth/Idea of the Universe
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God with No Hands - experiments -
follow-ups
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Additional Creation stories
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Composition of the Earth
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Further Details of the Composition
of the Earth (stages)
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Formation of the Mountains
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Chapter II: Nature of the Elements
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Further States of Matter
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Different Ways of Combining
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Separation, Saturation,
Super-saturation
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Attraction and Gravity
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Extensions of all of the above
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Chapter III: The Sun and the Earth
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Time Zone Chart
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Tilt of the Axis: Solstice, etc
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Seasons and the Two Tropics:
terminology from tilt
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Chapter IV: The Work of Air
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Review entire chapter; cover
anything missed; select follow-ups to research
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Chapter V: The Work of Water
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The River
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The Rains - Erosion
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Ocean Waves
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Ice
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Spread of Vegetation
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People in Different Zones
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Chapter VI: Human Geography
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Human Geography (Economy)
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Overview of Local Government
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Follow-Ups
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Study of Natural Resources -
Introductions
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What is Produced and Where
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Study of Consumption
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Study of Consumption - Follow-Up
(extensive)
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Comparison of Production and
Consumption
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Imports and Exports:
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Volume of World Trade
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World Commerce
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FINAL NOTES:
Children should be studying in areas of interest (astronomy, physics,
geology, etc.) Topics of less interest will be covered in middle/high
school.
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Biology
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Biology – Botany and Zoology
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Botany Experiments and Exploration
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Story Material
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Dissection of Animals
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Biology: Classification
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Kingdom Vegetalia: Classification
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Genera
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Familes: Continuing Classification
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Geneaology of the Plant
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Tree of Classification:
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Kingdom Animalia: Classification
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Biology: Ecology
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Ecosystems - variety
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Language
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Chapter
I: History of Language
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The
Story of Communication in Signs
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The
History of Written Language
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The
History of Spoken Language
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Chapter
II: Grammar and Syntax
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Compound
Words - Conversations
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Additional
Grammar Symbols
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Verbs -
Simple Tense: Present
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Verbs -
Simple Tense: Past
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Verbs -
Auxiliary Verbs
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Verbs -
Simple Tense: Future
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Verbs -
The Perfect Tenses
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Verbs -
The Infinitive and Moods
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Verbs -
Negative Form of the Verb
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LA:
Simple Sent w Extensions - box 2
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LA:
Simple Sent w Extensions - on paper
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LA:
Verbal & Nominal Predicates (linking verbs)
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Elliptical
Sentences
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Order
of Sentences
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Voice
of the Verb
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Voice
of the Verb - Dictation
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Transitive
and Intransitive Verbs
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Compound
Sentences
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Complex
Sentences - Adjective Clauses
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Complex
Sentences - Adverbial Clauses
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Complex
Sentences - Noun Clauses - Direct
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Complex
Sentences - Noun Clauses - Indirect
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Complex
Sentences - Noun Clauses - Subject
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Complex
Sentences: Degrees of Dependence
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Chapter
III: Written Language
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Written
Language Part I & 2
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Historical
Investigation
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Heraldry
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Runes
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Calligraphy
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Decoration
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Illustration
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Illumination
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Variety
of paper
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Exploration
of grammar books
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The
Content of Children’s Work
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Factual
Writing - Various forms
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Imaginative
Writing - Various forms
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Research
and Note-Taking
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Chapter
IV: Spoken Language
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Discussion
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Reports
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Speeches
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Debates
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Poetry
Reading
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Dialogue
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Dialogue
2: Interviews
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|
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Chapter
V: Literature
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Introduction
to Literature
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Linguistic
writing research
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History
of English Literature - research
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Book of
Kells
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Chaucer
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Etymology
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|
Songs
and Verse
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Beowulf
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Hymn of
Caedman
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Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle
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American
Literature
|
|
include
selections in the classroom
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studies
of authors and lives
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Children’s
Literature
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older
literature selections (pre 1900s)
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1900s
literature selections
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Children’s
Literature in the United States
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Read
and listen to books
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Timelines
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|
Biographies
of authors
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|
Goings
Out related to literature
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|
Other
explorations
|
|
|
|
Chapter
VI: Style
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|
Style
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Mathematics
|
|
|
Operations
|
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Group
Division
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Group
Division & Word Problems
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|
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Decimal
Fractions
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Relative
Size of Terms/Numbers
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Division
of a Decimal Fraction by a Decimal Fraction
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Leading
to Abstraction of Multiplication of Decimal Fractions
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Division
of a Decimal Fraction on Paper
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|
|
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Squaring
and Cubing
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Squaring
with a Hierarchical Value: stages
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Pass
From One Cube to Another
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Cubing
a Binomial
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Cubing
a Trinomial
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Cubing
a Quadrinomial
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|
Cubing
a Trinomial having Numerical Value
|
|
The
Story of the Three Kings
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Cubing
a Number with Decimal Value
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|
Square
Roots
|
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Square
Roots - Abstraction stages
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Special
Cases - stages
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|
Square
Roots: review process and rules
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|
Cube
Roots
|
|
Cube
Roots: Review concept and rule
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|
|
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Other
Topics
|
|
Signed
Numbers: Negative Snake Game
|
|
Signed
Numbers: Operations (stages)
|
|
Powers
of 2
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Powers
of 3: Full work
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|
Powers
of 2 and 3: Combined
|
|
Powers
of 10
|
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Operations
Using Exponential Notation
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|
Expanded
Power Notation - Intro and Operations
|
|
Word
Problems
|
|
Distance/Velocity/Time
|
|
Principal/Interest/Rate/Time
|
|
Non-Decimal
Bases: Intro and Operations
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|
Conversion
of Number Bases
|
|
Balancing
an Equation using operations
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Solve
for Unknown: Operations
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Algebra
Word Problems
|
|
Solve
for Two Unknowns
|
|
All
stages in upper elementary typically
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Geometry
|
I. Introduction to Geometry
|
|
Various Geometry Stories from
History
|
|
II. Congruency, Similarity, Equivalency
I
|
|
Review all concepts in Upper
Elementary
|
|
IX. Equivalency III
|
|
Equivalency with Iron Material:
stages
|
|
Euclid’s Plate
|
|
X. Area
|
|
Concept of Area
|
|
Deriving Formulae with the Yellow
Material: stages
|
|
Deriving Formulae with the Iron
Material: stages
|
|
XI. Circle I
|
|
The Circle Nomenclature
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|
Relationship Between Lines and
Circumferences
|
|
Relationships Between Two
Circumferences
|
|
XII. Circle II
|
|
Area of a Circle (stages)
|
|
Relationship Between the Apothem
and Side of a Plane Figure
|
|
XIII. Solid Geometry
|
|
Concept of Volume
|
|
Equivalence as Related to Solid
Figures
|
|
Three Important Dimensions
|
|
Equivalence Between Prisms with
Various Bases
|
|
Derivation of the Formula
|
|
Solids of Rotation
|
|
Volume of the Pyramid
|
|
Volume of the Cylinder and Cone
|
|
Polyhedrons
|
|
Lateral and Total Surface Area of
Solids
|
|
FINAL NOTES: Use 6th year to
review and consolidate all concepts
|
History
|
The Coming of Life Story with
Timeline
|
|
The Black Strip
|
|
Fundamental Needs of Human Beings –
Charts --- some portions start in year 4
|
|
History Question Charts
|
|
Three Phases of History
|
|
Second Timeline of Human Beings
|
|
Migration Charts
|
|
Four River Civilizations
|
|
New World Civilizations
|
|
Timeline of Civilizations
|
|
Timelines for Memorization
|
|
American History (National
History)
|
|
Clock
|
|
Personal Timeline
|
|
Calendar
|
|
BC-AD Timeline
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