Classrooms · Lower Elementary · Grades 1/2/3
Learning to learn.
The focus of the Lower Elementary grades is to develop skill in reading, writing, expressive oral language, math, and social skills, and to begin presenting the foundations of social studies and science.
Orton-Gillingham reading, Grades 1–3
Our approach
Education is an internal process.
Children learn through experience. At McGuffey, children find joy in work; they naturally learn with their hands; and confidence, resilience, and independence develop through practicing and perfecting skills. Our approach is ego-supportive and nurturing, so children develop the confidence to be articulate and inquisitive, as well as academically competent.
Our lower elementary students experience living and learning every day on a slower, deeper plane that we call “Learning to Learn.”
In the classroom
Reading, writing, and discovery at each child’s pace
Developmentally ready
Students learn to read when the time is developmentally appropriate, not when the class moves at a predetermined pace. This promotes success and confidence and eliminates frustration.
The right method for each reader
Reading is taught using a phonetic awareness approach or a whole-word approach, depending on each student’s learning style and developmental stage.
Sensorial materials
Materials isolate a quality such as color, weight, shape, texture, sound, temperature, or smell, helping children distinguish, organize, and describe their impressions, first in art, later in writing.
Orton-Gillingham
This highly structured approach breaks reading and spelling into smaller skills. It is introduced to all students in Grades 1–3, and small groups go deeper as needed.
Visit a classroom
For more information or to schedule a tour, we would love to hear from you.
A lifelong love of learning begins at McGuffey.
We would love to meet your family. Book a tour and see what makes the McGuffey learning experience unique.
McGuffey Montessori School5128 Westgate Drive, Oxford, OH 45056 · (513) 523-7742
A privately run Montessori school educating students from preschool through Grade 8 since 1983.