A Tour of Kaleigh's Upper Elementary Montessori Classroom
Welcome to the MontessoriKiwi classroom tour series, where Montessori teachers share practical ideas from their real learning environments. In this upper elementary Montessori classroom tour, Kaleigh shows how she organises her shelves, Montessori materials and work areas for a mixed-age class of fourth, fifth and sixth-grade students. As you prepare your own Montessori elementary classroom, this tour offers useful inspiration for making the most of your space and creating an organised, purposeful prepared environment.
My name is Kaleigh Richards, I am an Upper Elementary Teacher at a Montessori charter school in Reno, Nevada. I have been teaching at this level/in this school for 5 years. I teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I have 34 students. Our school is tuition-free for all students in elementary and middle school. We are a Montessori charter school, so we must follow our school district expectations in regards to report cards, and standardized tests.
My students are happy, and excited to work. The Sentence Analysis materials are among my favorite materials at the moment.
What are some challenges about your classroom?
Limited space results in limited materials. Space is at a premium with so many students.
How have you changed your classroom in the last year?
This year, I moved from a huge classroom space, to a regular sized classroom space - this has been an adjustment for my returning students.
What does a 'typical' day look like in your classroom?
Preparing your Montessori elementary classroom?
A thoughtful classroom setup is only the beginning. Clear routines, practical work systems and good teacher organisation all help children settle into purposeful, independent work.
My Montessori back-to-school resources have been created for real 6–12 classrooms, including mixed-age classes, small schools, homeschool environments and children with a wide range of learning needs.
Explore the Montessori Back-to-School BundleMontessori back-to-school resources
Use these printable and editable resources to prepare your environment, organise your records, establish independent work routines and get to know the children in your class.
Montessori Elementary Back-to-School Bundle
A complete collection of teacher planning forms, classroom organisation tools, editable work plans, conference forms and beginning-of-year activities.
View the complete bundle →Montessori Classroom Setup Pack
An affordable 18-page pack of practical checklists covering the prepared environment, routines, expectations, class management and teacher preparation.
See the classroom setup pack →Montessori Elementary Teacher Binder
Organise classroom information, observations, planning, meetings, student records and Montessori materials in one practical system.
View the teacher binder →Editable Montessori Work Plans
Help elementary students gradually plan, record and take responsibility for their independent work.
Explore the editable work plans →Start with these free Montessori planning guides
Unsure what should be available in your elementary environment? These free guides can help you see how learning develops across the Montessori curriculum.
Continue reading
These articles explore classroom culture, curriculum planning and practical ways to use Montessori principles with elementary-aged children.
Creating a Positive Culture in a Montessori Classroom
Practical ideas for building a respectful, cooperative and purposeful classroom community.
A Morning in My Montessori 6–9 Classroom
See how lessons, independent work, leadership and the classroom community can fit together during a Montessori morning.
Introducing Montessori Ideas to a Traditional Classroom
Simple ways to introduce greater independence, purposeful work and Montessori-inspired systems into a mainstream setting.
A Montessori Scope and Sequence Is Not the Law
A reminder to use curriculum documents as helpful guides while continuing to follow the child.
Make your beginning-of-year preparation easier
Find planning tools, classroom organisation resources and purposeful activities made specifically for Montessori elementary teachers and homeschool educators.
Shop Montessori Back-to-School Resources