Elementary II Program
The Montessori Upper Elementary curriculum builds on the rich foundation that students have built in previous levels.
Through storytelling, hands-on activities, field trips, and real life connections they construct a deeper understanding of the interrelationships of all aspects of the living and nonliving world. At this level, there is a deeper exploration of the role of humans with an emphasis on social justice. Students are invited to go deeper in a series of lessons that spiral from simple to complex in every curriculum area using new and familiar materials.
The Elementary II course gives you the knowledge and skills required to see these connections in a new way and to prepare and lead an authentic Montessori environment for children ages nine to twelve.
There are two pathways to teaching in an Elementary II classroom. One is through an Elementary I-II credential and the other is an E-II Standalone.
MEIPN has applied for MACTE accreditation and AMS affiliation of its E-II Standalone Course. It has been granted “Applicant for Accreditation with the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education” and “AMS Applicant Affiliate status” for the course. “Applicant for Accreditation status in no way determines the outcome of the accreditation decision by MACTE”.
EI-II Credential
Student earns or has an Elementary I credential
Can teach in lower elementary and upper elementary classrooms
No practicum required if one was already completed for E-I credential
Ideal for those in a classroom spanning six to twelve years
E-II Standalone
Student does not have E-I credential
Can teach in an upper elementary classroom
Includes a Part A which provides an overview of E-I
Practicum required
Ideal for those mainly interested in teaching 9-12 year olds
Academic Phase (E-II Standalone Part A):
The academic portion of the Elementary II Part A course includes classes in Geometry; Language; Math; History; Geography; Biology; and Physical Science. This coursework must be completed prior to Part B of the Standalone.
The academic portion starts in February and finishes in June.
This must be completed prior to starting the Elementary II Standalone Part B. It is a total of 150 hours.
114 of those hours are delivered online and 36 are on campus.
Not required for those pursuing EI-II
Academic Phase (EI-II, E-II Standalone Part B):
The academic portion of the Elementary II course includes classes in Curriculum Strategies; Practical Life; Classroom Leadership; Language; Math; History; Geography; Life Science; Physical Science; Music; Movement; and Art.
The academic phase starts in June and continues for one year.
It requires 222 contact hours of instruction. This does not include Child Development or Early Childhood Overview requirement.
166 hours of this content is delivered online, and 56 hours will be delivered in-person on the MEIPN campus.
Early Childhood Overview: Those without an Early Childhood credential must take the Early Childhood overview course. The overview course covers Early Childhood Montessori Philosophy, Practical Life, Math, Language, Science, and Cultural subjects.This course takes a month to complete and is offered at different times throughout the year. Contact the course coordinator for current offerings.
Child Development Course: The course must cover physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development from the neonatal period through at least adolescence. There are two ways this requirement is met.
A student has previously taken this course in college and passed with a grade of B or higher. They then complete the course “Child Development Update” as part of the academic phase.
Students that have not met this requirement upon acceptance will be enrolled in the MEIPN Child Development course with an additional fee.
For course descriptions see MEIPN Student Catalog.
“There is a lot to juggle when you’re an upper elementary teacher. I feel like MEIPN gave me the tools I needed while also highlighting how fun it is to be in the classroom. They offered lots of support and still welcome my questions even after I finished training.”
– MEIPN grad
Practicum Phase:
The practicum experience allows you to observe a good model of the Montessori method in action and to practice what has been presented in class. Ideally, you will be working under the supervision of an experienced, credentialed Montessori teacher. This is called a supervised practicum. In special cases, you may be working as the lead teacher in the classroom. This will extend your internship up to two academic years and is called a self-directed practicum.
Practicum begins after the start of the academic phase
The practicum requires approximately 6 hours per day and five days per week of experience in an approved Montessori elementary classroom for an entire school year of nine months.
This totals a minimum of 1080 hours of class preparation work, teaching, cleanup, meetings, parent conferences, etc.
The classroom must be at the level of the credential you are working towards. If you are adding E-II to your E-I credential, an additional practicum is not required.
Experience gained before undertaking the academic portion cannot be counted towards your practicum.
Student-teachers choose their practicum site
The site must comply with the requirements listed on the Practicum Site Agreement and the Supervising Teacher Agreement, so do review those requirements before your search.
Schools that have not hosted a MEIPN intern in the past need to be pre-approved by MEIPN. See the MEIPN Student Catalog for more information on the Practicum and contact a coordinator for suggestions on how to go about this.
Program staff members are happy to advise.
