Adolescent Program
“The teachers must have the greatest respect for the young personality, realizing that in the soul of the adolescent, great values are hidden, and that in the minds of these boys and girls there lies all our hope of future progress and the judgment of ourselves and our times…if social progress is realized through the succession of the generations, then these children… will become more highly developed than their adult teachers.”
Maria Montessori, “From Childhood to Adolescence”
Montessori Education Fulfills Itself In The Adolescent Years
Adolescents need to construct themselves as responsible individuals who participate as contributing members of society. The Adolescent asks: Who am I? Where do I fit in? What contribution can I make? How can I participate? Adolescence is a time of dramatic change, including profound changes in the structure of the brain. The Adolescent Program of the Montessori School of Lake Forest addresses the challenges of adolescence as opportunities. The Adolescent Program:
- Provides a supportive learning environment;
- Offers a stimulating syllabus to meet or exceed state and local school standards;
- Allows each young person to develop their unique strengths while learning about the roles and responsibilities of adult society.
The Adolescent Program is organized around Maria Montessori’s Plan of Work and Study for Adolescents. Lessons reveal the relationship between knowledge and responsibility, and emphasize human invention and discovery. The program is situated on farmland at Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, nine miles west of the school’s main campus. The Program’s curricular offerings include:
- A full complement of challenging academics;
- An introduction to human society based on the economic imperatives of farm work;
- Field trips and research trips to libraries, laboratories, museums, and theaters.
Adolescent Program Syllabus:
- Pre-algebra, statistics and probability
- Algebra 1 and Geometry (Algebra 2 if needed)
Language
- Classic Literature
- Writing styles, techniques, and standards
- Latin translation, comparative grammar and syntax
- Reading, writing and performing: speeches, presentation, dramatics, poetry
Ethics/Logic
- Logic and ethics in discussion and seminar
- Information on types of intelligence - How humans develop throughout life
Sciences
- Eco systems, biomes, biology, physics, chemistry and geology
History
- Study of inventions, discoveries, and social changes throughout all of history.
- Ancient civilizations; Illinois and local history; governments past and present
Art History / Culture & Expression
- Introduction to artists and movements throughout history
- Media literacy
Art
- Drawing, painting, sculpting, photography, film and video, music
Practical Subjects
- Opportunities to apply knowledge of math, language, and the sciences.
- Specific aspects of production (fields, chickens, greenhouse) and exchange (sales, marketing, recordkeeping) as well as in domestic roles (cooking, cleaning, repairs)