Middle School Program
Education through Innovative Teaching
The teachers in the Middle School work as a collaborative team. The team approach enables each member of the teaching staff to maximize integration of subject matter, promote consistency of approach, and give thoughtful attention to the needs of the individual student. Teaching in the Middle School is multi-dimensional, and combines several approaches to the learner and to learning.
One dimension of Middle School teaching is highly informational and instructive. Teaching strategies for this aspect of the curriculum include lecture presentation, textbook reading, and hands-on exploration of concepts. Lessons and instruction foster the development of strong academic skills, including research, note-taking, written and oral expression, and formal test taking, in addition to the acquisition of factual knowledge.
A second dimension of teaching is Shared Inquiry. In the teaching of History, English, and current events teachers employ a disciplines seminar format as the means for students to explore the significant ideas of these domains. In open discussions based on the reading of classic literature or original source material, students learn to formulate their own interpretive questions, support their own ideas through specific reference to the readings, and respond thoughtfully to the opinions of others. The teacher acts as the facilitator of discussion in Shared Inquiry, rather than as the final arbiter of thought. Outside of the discussion students are encouraged to explore their own thoughts and feelings through a variety of means including journalizing, poetry and story writing, and other creative endeavors.
A third dimension is the individual coaching session. Teachers employ this technique in every subject area. A student may need special assistance to solve a problem in mathematics, express a conclusion of a science experiment, or clearly organize a paragraph. One-to-one teacher/student coaching occurs during scheduled class periods and/or during supervised work time which is part of every student’s day.
Specialty classes in Art, Music, Spanish, Latin, and computers are woven throughout each student’s weekly schedule. Middle School students also receive weekly instruction in physical education and indoor sports.
Education through Experiential Programs
In addition to tackling significant academic challenges, Middle School students participate in several experiential educational programs each year, including:
Drama Workshop, an intensive, comprehensive and academically integrated three -to-four week curriculum
Business/Discovery Marketplace, a two-week work experience with a local business during which students create their own enterprise
Erdkinder, or "Earth-Child," a three-week life experience during which students study, work, and live together in a rural environment.
Education through Community Service
Montessori education fosters concern for other human beings and community at every level. This is fundamental to the Middle School and is manifested in the curriculum, in the caring, respectful relationships nurtured between and among teachers and students, and in special community projects. Examples of such projects at the Middle School level come under the auspices of the "Curriculum for Caring." One project is a Big Brother/Big Sister program which pairs each middle School student with a first grade student. During the regular school week Middle School students work individually with their brothers/sisters, gaining the sense of affirmation that comes from being of service. Another project matches each eighth grade student with a resident of a retirement community. Students mature during this project as they refine social skills, learn about aging and community, and develop a relationship with an elderly person outside their own families.
Student Assessment
Middle School teachers provide a qualitative assessment of each student’s performance twice a year, in both a written format and through a personal discussion with the students, parents, and faculty. Teachers carefully consider the student’s whole educational experience when preparing assessments. This includes focusing on academic strengths and weaknesses as well as social, physical, and creative achievements. To prepare for receiving grades in high school, students may choose to receive grades at the end of each semester.
Education through a Safe and Challenging Environment Middle School students burst into learning with an intensity similar to that of primary level (ages 3 to 6) students. With tremendous exuberance and energy, adolescent students want to experience young adulthood, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. The Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School of Ithaca’s Middle School addresses this need through innovative teaching and through providing a safe and challenging environment that emphasizes personal responsibility, community, creativity, and academic excellence.
The Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School of Ithaca
120 East King Road, Ithaca, New York 14850
Phone: (607) 277-7335, Fax: (607) 277-0251, Email:
