Near North Montessori: Upper School

Elements of Study

Social Studies/Civics
Social studies, the study of human history and the systems that influence and shape society, is crucial at the adolescent level, when students’ sensitivity to injustice is awakened and their ability to think on a grander, more abstract scale grows greatly. Each year, social studies in the adolescent program centers around one of two great human stories: ‘revolution’ or ‘immigration and economy.’ These studies fall across a broad swath of disciplines. Students studying revolution, for instance, will examine the history of the Russian revolution, read and analyze Animal Farm, write papers on the formation of the United States, and scrutinize and debate the articles and amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Language Arts
Language arts encompasses the keystones of literacy and culture, including writing, grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Creative writing, in the form of journal entries and written assignments, offers students a rich opportunity for self-expression, while collaborative editing and more formal grammar and vocabulary exercises provide practical instruction to help students write more confidently and coherently. Assigned reading, ranging from classics of literature to autobiographical accounts of recent Chicago history, offer an opportunity for reflection and group discussion, while independent reading provides students a chance to choose books that will allow them to explore an area of interest in greater depth.

Mathematics
Math classes, which meet for 45 minutes a day in small groups of up to 14 students, provide hands-on, sequential instruction in essential branches of mathematics. Covered topics include advanced arithmetic, statistics, algebra and basic geometry. Students are encouraged to make connections between areas of study, apply learned skills to new kinds of problems and different subjects, and to discover overarching mathematical generalizations that allow them to process problems more efficiently.

Science
Students engage the study of science in a number of ways: regular lessons and lectures, hands-on lab exercises, and trips to a nearby urban farm accompanied with appropriate lessons and projects relating to the natural sciences. Coursework fits within a two-year curriculum, completed by each graduating student, that covers the fundamentals of life science, physical science, earth science, and health and sex education. Students are continually challenged to see the connections between different fields of science and to consider the ecological systems that sustain all life and human activity, even within the confines of a major city.

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