The Montessori literacy curriculum is designed to cultivate a deep and lasting love of language and reading.  Through a cohesive K-5 curriculum, children at Black River build literacy skills, including oral language development, letter formation, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and writing.  Hands-on materials such as sandpaper letters, a movable alphabet, and object boxes provide our youngest students with multi-sensory experiences, making abstract concepts concrete.  As students master foundation phonics skills, they are ready to focus more on comprehension, applying the skills they have learned to research topics that interest them.  Interactive read-alouds are used in all grade levels to foster a love of reading while helping students build vocabulary and comprehension skills.

The Montessori math curriculum is a comprehensive and sequential approach that aims to build a strong foundation for understanding mathematical concepts and skills.  Moving in a sequence from concrete to abstract and simple to complex, our youngest students use hands-on materials such as number rods, beads, and counters to make sense of fundamental concepts such as quantity, numeration, and place value.  Continuing in lower and upper elementary, students build upon the skills they have already learned and progress through arithmetic operations, pre-algebra, fractions, geometry, and measurement using some of the same hands-on materials that were introduced in their kindergarten classroom.  Black River’s curriculum emphasizes the connection between mathematical concepts and real-life applications, encouraging students to develop problem-solving skills and a conceptual understanding of mathematical principles.

The Montessori cultural curriculum encompasses various subjects, including geography, history, and science.  At the heart of the cultural curriculum are the five Great Lessons, impressionistic stories told by Dr. Montessori to help young students understand the vastness of the universe and time and recognize their place within it.  The cultural curriculum aims to develop a deep appreciation and understanding of the interconnectedness of the world and its diverse cultures.  Through hands-on exploration and research, children learn about different countries, cultures, and ecosystems using maps, globes, artifacts, and experiences.  Students engage in activities that promote environmental stewardship, global citizenship, and cultural awareness, encouraging respect for people, animals, and the environment.  In addition to cultural lessons within the classroom, students participate in weekly enrichment classes in Spanish, music, art, and physical education.

The Montessori practical life curriculum focuses on helping children develop essential life skills and fostering independence and self-sufficiency.  Our youngest students engage in activities such as pouring, spooning, and caring for the environment.  These activities are designed to build fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration, and attention to detail.  As students age, practical life skills include caring for animals and plants, caring for the classroom environment, practicing grace and courtesy, and collaborating with peers.  In addition, field trips, social-emotional skill-building lessons, and keyboarding and technology classes complement the practical life curriculum, helping students develop into well-rounded learners.

Assessment
In order to understand each child’s current level of proficiency and assess how students are progressing through the curriculum, Black River teachers administer state and local assessments throughout the year.

District Assessments 
K-5 students take literacy assessments in letter/sound recognition, phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, reading comprehension, spelling and writing.
In math, students are assessed in math facts, number sense, operations and algebra, fractions, geometry, and measurement.

STAR Testing
In grades K-5, students take an online assessment called STAR.  This is an adaptive assessment that assesses students in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

State Assessments
The M-STEP is a summative assessment that is administered to students each spring.  Students in grades 3-5 are assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics.  Students in grade 5 are also assessed in Science and Social Studies.
MI-ACCESS is Michigan’s alternative assessment program.  If a student’s IEP team determines that this assessment is appropriate, a student may take this assessment instead of the M-STEP.
The WIDA assessment is given to students who have been identified as English language learners to determine their English language proficiency.