Notes from Miss Alena
February brought several new friends to our school. Welcome Andrew, Vivek, and Vishrut to our Montessori Pathways family.
Thank you to all of our friends who joined us at Story Reading/Craft family night this month. Kids were so excited to come to school after the school day was over, wearing PJ’s and brining their favorite stuffed animals and blankets, laying down and listening to a story about Chinese New Year, then making Chinese New year Lantern, drinking milk and eating cookies, and getting fortune cookies in the end.
Thank you to Ms. Ambreen and Ms. Katy for the preparation of this wonderful evening. Also, thank you to our Elementary students, who researched, prepared and read additional information about Chinese New Year to our younger friends and parents in the East room. It was their first public presentation!
“Thanks so much for having story time. We really enjoyed the story and craft. It is very important to teach our kids about cultures and customs from around the world. The book was wonderful too. I especially liked that it taught caring, sharing for others and respect for the elderly (Grandma).
Thanks again!"
Sally J.
One day, on the way home, I was talking with my son Alex about what interesting things happened during the day, what he learned today, etc. Alex told me that Elementary and Kindergarten kids created a new game “Monster trucks race” during the recess. If an Elementary child won, than the elementary class has one more score, if a Kindergartener won – the Kindergarten class can add one more score.
What was interesting in this story for me, was that Alex was not discussing what class finally won. (I should say that in the Montessori environment, we do not encourage competition between kids. We explain to our children that all people are different and you cannot compare them: who is better, who is not. But what you can do is compare yourself with yourself and encourage yourself to do something better than you did before.)
Instead, Alex told me that the elementary kids are winning more often because they are practicing a lot in running and he was surprised why kindergarteners are not practicing.
That conversation made me think that our elementary kids finally came to the conclusion that practice makes perfect. (Before we would hear questions like this: “Should I read every day? Why are we writing a lot in Elementary? Why should I work with addition (subtraction…) problems again?)
I am sure that our kindergarteners will come to the same realization very soon, Alex.
Warmly,
Miss Alena
Working with Montessori materials:
The Metal Insets as a preparation for writing
In any Montessori classroom around the world, a core component of the Language section consists of a pre-writing tool called The Metal Insets. This material has two sloping stands that hold five geometric shapes each.
There are a total of ten metal red frames with blue, knobbed insets that fit in each: the square, circle, triangle, ellipse, rectangle, oval, pentagon, curvilinear triangle, quatrefoil and trapezoid that are carefully traced and replicate proper letter writing formation.
Typically, a child accesses paper specifically cut to match the frame and selects a frame starting from top, left to right (also designed for reading/writing discrimination). Holding the frame with one hand, the focus is to trace the shape from the top, down and around with the pencil against the inset. We usually encourage the use of three or so different colored pencils to create the final product.
After completing the outline of the geometric shape, the inset is removed and the direct aim of this material is to control the fine motor pencil stroke to color in/shade the result either up and down or left to right.
Some extensions of this work are to create different patterns within each shape such as stripes, polka dots, zigzags, or to create a theme book of insets like animals, flowers, etc. Each shape is then matched to its proper label/name as well as written by the child.
Miss Christine
Working with Montessori materials:
Writing in the 3-6 environment
The children in a multi-age 3-6 environment are all at different stages in their writing skills and development. In order to allow each child the individuality to work at their own pace, we follow the child and offer each individual child appropriate writing activities so that he/she is challenged and moving forward in a positive way. Writing in a Montessori environment is naturally tied to other skills as our language curriculum encompasses writing, reading, speaking and listening. Many of the writing activities that a child participates in incorporate reading, speaking or listening and develop several of these skills simultaneously. Handwriting, the skill of proper letter and number formation, is a completely different skill.
After a lot of work with pre-writing activities (practical life activities and metal inset work), a child will demonstrate a readiness for writing. A child will begin working with the moveable alphabet to manipulate individual letters to build words. The child is listening to hear the sounds and the writing them with the moveable alphabet. This is writing without utilizing handwriting. Some children will be ready to actually write these words on paper, and some may not and that’s ok.
Simultaneously, a child may be working on a variety of three-part cards which builds the skill of matching pictures and labels that are the same, usually based upon identifying beginning letters or sounds or reading. Again, a child may or may not be ready to physically write these words, but is growing in his or her writing development.
A favorite activity at this age is story writing. Using their imaginations children first draw a picture adding as many details as they can. Then they orally (speaking) tell the story to either a teacher or an older friend who writes the story down for them. For a child who is ready, the story will be written in a yellow color for the child to trace over each letter. Older children write the story independently using inventive spelling (phonetic sounding out of the words that may or may not have all letter sounds included).
Older children then begin journal writing in Kindergarten. Journal writing is an extension of story writing, a writing activity that empowers the child to use his/her skills of inventive spelling and add basic grammar skills (very simple capitalization and punctuation). Journal writing often has a specific topic based upon previous experiences or knowledge and requires the child to organize his/her thoughts in a cohesive way to impart information. Children in Kindergarten begin formal handwriting practice in order to help them be successful and fluent when doing journal writing.
Miss Jocelyn
Writing in the Elementary classroom
Writing is a very important part of the Elementary Classroom. Maria Montessori believed in a learning approach that emphasized hand to brain connection, hence the reason for hands-on materials. This approach continues in the elementary classroom as well. Writing is another element of creating another path of hand to brain connection.
When students come into elementary they have a wonderful foundation of handwriting and phonetic spelling from their work in the 3-6 year old class. This foundation is easily built upon during their years in a 6-9 year old classroom. Students in the elementary program are not only learning using hands-on materials in all subjects, they are asked to record their work in writing which serves as an additional tool for retention, handwriting, spelling and reading. Below are a few of the ways we incorporate writing:
Daily Sentence Editing: Most mornings, the students are given a sentence with errors. They are asked to find the mistakes and rewrite the sentence correctly.
Work Plans: After each new presentation a child is given, they receive follow up work to do with the new material they were shown. The follow up work is written down on a white board and students then copy the directions or steps into their work plans.
Follow-Up Work: Students are required to keep record of their completed work. This is often done through the follow-up work they complete following a presentation. For example, when a student is shown the Logical Partner Adjective Game in which they lay out cards with nouns printed on them and then match an adjective card that logically fits with the noun, the usual follow up work would be to write the list they have created on a sheet of paper. However, the follow up work could also include picking out two or three adjective-noun partners and use them in a sentence or a story. As the students gain more practice in writing, reading and spelling throughout their years, the follow up work grows with them.
Spelling Workbooks: Students take home spelling workbooks once a week. This book allows them to practice their weekly spelling words, handwriting, reading and writing. To practice their spelling words they are asked to complete work such as writing rhyming words, sentences, alphabetizing and finding word meaning in the dictionary.
Research Reports: As many of you know, research is an important element of the Elementary Montessori classroom. The first year is used to lay a foundation in basic research and writing skills. The second and third year are used to complete more in-depth research reports on subjects of interest to the child along with working on sentence structure, paragraph structure, and report structure. Writing in this way allows the curriculum to become highly integrated between the subjects along with learning all of the important elements of writing.
Writing is a wonderful form of communication that we human beings have. Through the Great Lesson: Communication in Signs, students are shown how the written language has developed over time. This larger context gives them a special excitement towards their ability to communicate through written language. This is one of the many beauties of the Montessori classroom!
Miss Katy
Notes from the Elementary Class (North room):
Ms. Katy
I wanted to start this month’s newsletter by talking a little about the field trips we have taken. We had the opportunity to visit the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, IL. It is a small museum; however it is one of a few museums in America that focuses solely on Native Americans.
This trip tied into our study of the Common Needs of People. The children were introduced to this lesson this year and will cover it again in more depth in their second and third years in the elementary classroom. The museum tour guide provided the children with a wealth of knowledge on the subject of American Indians and their means of survival in the past. The children are also using the Common Needs of People in their country research they are currently working on. I also want to thank Mrs. Wagler for volunteering to drive on this trip.
The next field trip I wanted to share was our weekly trip to Lee’s Martial Arts in Cary. It has been a wonderful experience for the children. The classes have focused on respect, courtesy, integrity and perseverance. The children attended class for about an hour once a week during the month of February. During this hour the children were taught basic movements used in Tae Kwon Do, how to project their voice in a proper way and how to show respect. Master John Lee held small discussions on how the children can show respect at home, school and at class.
While planning for this trip I researched a few of the benefits of Tae Kwon Do for children. They include fitness, an outlet of energy and emotion, positive body image, self-discipline, and work in both memory and concentration, to name a few. Through observing these classes, I was able to see how the ideas of respect and courtesy are nicely tied into the Montessori philosophy. If you are able, and your child is interested, I would encourage them to continue in their study of Tae Kwon Do.
Besides being busy with field trips, the children have also been busy in the classroom.
In Math, the students have been practicing math facts and addition and subtraction problems with regrouping using the Golden Bead Materials along with the Stamp Game. The children were also given their first presentation in Golden Bead Multiplication. They are working on solving problems such as 324x3. This introduction to multiplication is to emphasize the point that multiplication is simply repeated addition! We also did some work with two digit addition using the bead box.
In Geometry, we studied the different types of angles. The students made posters with popsicle sticks to build and label the different types. Following this the students were ready for the presentation on classifying triangles based on angle size. This leads in nicely to a language work that is discussed below.
In Language, the children have been working on spelling, adjectives, the question mark, writing about pictures in a basket, handwriting and reading. We have been looking at the different elements that go into a story such as theme, plot, setting, conflict and resolution.
A new work that was presented to the class which links both geometry and language is the Detective Adjective Game. A box with triangles of different sizes and colors are sorted. Students are then given a command to find a certain triangle using adjectives to describe the correct one to find. For example, a command might read, “Find the small, blue, equilateral, scalene triangle.” There are a number of commands for this game along with a few variations. It is a wonderful work in both geometry and language development!
In the Sciences, the students were given the introductory presentation on the plant kingdom chart and the animal kingdom chart. We have begun our study of invertebrates, starting with the porifera. We have also been practicing sentence writing and animal study using our beginning animal research work.
In geography, we are wrapping up our study of Asia. The students chose how they would like to create a map about this continent. Their requirements were to label the countries and then think of at least one other thing to include on their map. Some chose to label the capitals of each country and some chose to draw and label the flags of each country.
These works are a small sampling of what the children have accomplished and worked on this month. I am always amazed at the end of the week, when going through their papers to send home, at how much they have done, and more importantly, what they have done with it. Children have such a wonderful ability to amaze, and they do so on a daily basis!
Miss Katy
Notes from the South Classroom
Ms. Jocelyn and Ms. Ambreen
The everyday energy of the South Room this February was one of a steady hum of meaningful and challenging work. Our new friends are feeling confident and comfortable with the routine and our old friends are busy trying new works and helping others. One of the beauties of a multi-age environment is that every child, no matter where they are developmentally will explore work that is right for their skill set. Once they master that work, they then become a “teacher” to another friend who would like to try that work.
Many of our pre-kindergarten friends are already doing basic exploration of many the works that they will work with in-depth next year. Introductory presentations for advanced math, language and science works are occurring for these children as they demonstrate readiness. It is exciting for the children to make this step and it is exciting for us, as teachers to see that they are ready and to be able to provide it for them.
The solar system works were still very popular this month in the South Room. Children of all ages are choosing to try these works after observing the older children working with them for their work plans.
Many of the Kindergarten children are now embracing their role as leader by working with younger children to “teach” them about space and the solar system using the hands-on materials that they now love. Confucius is attributed with saying “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand”, nowhere is that more visible than in a Montessori classroom.
In Practical life, the children had the chance to explore many Valentine and President’s Day themed works such as scooping hearts, transferring pennies in and out of a piggy bank and making q-tipped dotted hearts.
In Math, valentine and numeral dice were added for additional challenge when playing dice addition.
In Language, February words and new picture word card sets were added for additional word building and pre-reading practice.
Our author of the month for February was Todd Parr. Todd Parr books offer positive, reassuring messages about acceptance, self-confidence, and diversity. He encourages children to be themselves, to express their feelings, and to celebrate what makes each of them unique. The children loved all of the books; especially the one’s starring the character, Otto. Thank you to Elizabeth and her Mom, Song for going to the library to choose 10 wonderful Todd Parr books for us to read together in February.
On Valentine’s Day, we had a fun morning celebration together! The children had the opportunity to visit different activities throughout the classroom. With Ms. Ambreen the children sliced fresh strawberries and added whipped cream for a yummy morning snack. With Ms. Sally (Shawn and Alia’s Mom) the children created a colorful Valentine paper plaque using glitter glue, pom-poms and yarn. With Ms. Mary (Owen’s Mom) the children used mod-podge and tissue squares to create a heart mosaic. With Ms. Laxmi (Vivek’s Mom) using beads, pipe cleaners and yarn each child created a unique heart necklace. With Mr. Chris (Sydney and Treyson’s Dad) the children played a game of “Roll a Love Bug” where each child took a turn rolling the dice and then based upon what number they rolled they would draw a specific body part on their love bug.
Our very fun morning ended with all of the children in the whole school joining our classroom for a special sing-along with Mr. Chris leading us on his guitar. The children really enjoyed it and have been talking about it every since! During lunch, kids are still telling me “I really loved that color song when Sydney’s Dad played and her Mom showed the stuffed animals!” Thank you so much to all of the parents who helped out in the South Room this month, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you- you are truly appreciated!
Warmly,
Miss Jocelyn and Miss Ambreen
Kindergarten Extended Day News
February was all about the solar system in Kindergarten! After initial presentations on naming and ordering the planets the children were eager to learn more. As a group, we began to research to learn more about each individual planet, the dwarf planets, the moon and what is beyond Pluto. Each day we would begin with a 2 statements, one was true, the other was false and each child had to predict which one they thought would be true.
Then together we read facts about the particular planet we were researching that day.
At the end, the children would know which was the true statement and then would share one new fact they learned about the planet with the group. This simple method of group research engages each child to listen for details and be an active learner.
The Kindergartners now know lots of facts about each planet. Did you know that Uranus rotates on its’ side because of a collision a long time ago? Or that Venus is actually hotter than Mercury even though Mercury is closer to the Sun? To enrich all of this new knowledge, the Kindergartners created their own 2-dimension (some-what to scale) solar system. This was a multi-day project that required planning, organization, focus and concentration.
As they quietly painted their planets, the Kindergartners loved listening to Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite “The Planets”. Each movement represents a different planet. It was interesting to hear the children discuss the different movements and the questions they asked each other “Why is Venus so quiet, I can barely hear it?” “Is this the big storm on Jupiter?” Not surprisingly, the Kindergartners now ask to listen to “The Planets” during work time and lunch too, they really love trying to guess which planet is being played.
There was more than just science happening in Kindergarten this month. The children have begun working with the multiplication board, advancing their clock work, continued handwriting practice, mastering their mathematical organization of the banker’s game and snake game and reading, reading, reading!
At the beginning of February the Kindergartners along with the Elementary children were introduced to a reading program called Read to Feed by Heifer International. Heifer International is an organization whose mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth by providing families with a “hand-up” in the form of a live animal that can empower them out of poverty and into prosperity. As a team the children are participating in the Reed to Feed program, an age-appropriate service learning opportunity that empowers children to use a skill they all have, reading, to raise funds for other children around the world.
The children were introduced to Heifer International’s work by reading two books “Beatrice’s Goat” by Paige McBrier and “Give a Goat” by Jan West Schrock and watching the DVD “Everyday Heroes”.
The DVD showed featured children from China, Rwanda and Peru telling their stories of children how their families have benefitted from the gift of Heifer animals while the books provided another learning opportunity to discover the needs of people around the world and how we can all help.
One of the cornerstones of the program is the idea of “passing on the gift”. When a family receives an animal and the animal bears an offspring, that new animal is passed on to another family in the village. This idea of “passing on the gift” resonants with the children as it is already part of their everyday life….when I know how to do something, I help others to learn it as well. The Kindergarten and Elementary group goal is to raise enough funds to give the gift of a goat. Stay tuned, we’ll let you know how we did next month!
Our first Kindergarten field trip this month was to Prairie View Nature Center to participate in the Animals in Winter program with McHenry County Conservations District’s naturalist, Sarah. The children enriched their classroom study of migration, hibernation and adaptation with this hands-on field trip. The program provided a fun puppet show about how different animals survive in winter, an outdoor nature hike to look for animal tracks in the snow and a fun project to create an animal track using salt dough. Thank you to Ms. Sally (Shawn’s Mom) for joining us on this chilly field trip.
At the end of last year, many of the Kindergartners told me their favorite field trip of the year was to the Trinity Gymnastics Academy, so this year we headed back with the Elementary children. The children worked with Coach Jonathan to first stretch and warm up their bodies. Next they had a tumbling obstacle course that required them to hop, use “safe landing” position, try donkey kicks (the basis for learning handstands and flips) and use special mats for safely learning a backbend flip over and somersaults.
The children also had the opportunity to try different activities on several different bars (“bear walks” on top of the even bars and “monkey swings” on the inclined bars, running in place while holding the bars and “walking up the wall” to flip over the bar). Finally, the children were able to jump on the trampolines and tumble track and jump into the foam pits.
It was a really fun field trip and gymnastics is a wonderful activity for children to develop coordination, flexibility, self-control and balance.
Thank you to Mr. Jim (Ava’s Dad) and Ms. Nicole (Aaron’s Mom) for helping to drive on this field trip.
Miss Jocelyn
Notes from the East classroom
Ms. Paty and Ms. Christine
February was a very busy month in our classroom. We began the month with the celebration of Groundhog Day! The children enjoyed learning all about groundhogs and other animals that hibernate in the winter. We had a first directed art lesson which resulted in some very creative portraits of groundhogs! The directed art lessons are designed to help the children develop their self confidence and creative ability. The children are given only squares and rectangles to create pictures. The children learn to cut circles, ovals and triangles from the squares and rectangles. All of the children begin with the same materials and follow the same directions, but the results are individual and no two creations look alike. We all had such fun with this project!
Our next big celebration was Valentine’s Day! We would like to thank Kyra’s dad for helping with our Valentine bag decorating, Christopher’s mom, Jackie, helped us make beautiful tissue paper “stained glass” hearts, and Treyson’s mom helped with our yummy Valentine treats!
We also joined with the other classrooms to enjoy a sing- a-long with Treyson’s dad. It was wonderful to see such grace and courtesy skills from our classmates!
Since February is National Dental Health Month and National Heart Month, we have changed out the works on our science shelves to materials that focus on teeth and body. The children have been learning all about the parts of a tooth, kinds of teeth and proper brushing habits. We were excited that our friend, Kate, lost a tooth! We talked about how children have two sets of teeth (baby and adult) and why it is especially important take good care of our teeth.
We also have been studying about our heart. We discovered where it is located and that it is shaped like an upside down pear (not like a valentine heart). We learned that our heart is a muscle that is always working. To help us understand how hard our heart works, we opened and closed our hand into a fist. Our hand got tired very quickly, but our heart kept on going! We also used a stethoscope to listen to our heart beat. We even learned that we can make our own “stethoscope” by using an empty paper towel tube! Did you know that an elephant’s heart beats at a much slower pace than a mouse’s heart? Also, adults have a much slower heart beat than a child.
For President’s Day, we completed another directed art lesson. This time we created a portrait of George Washington! We learned so much about George Washington, including the fact that he had only one tooth when he became president!
We got to see photo’s of his false teeth that were made out of hippopotamus tusk which were held together by gold springs! We read an informative book called, “What Presidents Are Made Of”. In this fun book, the author assembled collages portraying presidents using objects appropriate to each president’s personality. For example, Ronald Reagan’s portrait was made from jelly beans! It also included facts about each president including, President William Howard Taft, who was so big that he got stuck in the Whitehouse bathtub!
The discussion of presidents sparked quite an interest in the “money” works in the math area. The older children practiced their counting skills and the younger children were examined each coin to find a “president.”
In the Sensorial area, the children have been working with the Triangle Box and drawers of the Geometric Cabinet. They are using a ruler to determine if a triangle is a scalene, isosceles or equilateral. We are also finding the obtuse, right, and acute angle of each triangle.
We are looking forward to meeting with each of you during our parent conferences which will be on March 12 and 13th.
In the coming months, we will be studying about rainbows, weather, and oviparous animals.
If you have a special talent that you would love to share with our classroom, please let us know!
Sincerely,
Ms. Paty and Ms. Christine
Notes from the afternoon classroom
Ms. Terri
The elementary class finished raccoon pictures and they have been mounted on black paper and are on display in their classroom. Hope you had a chance to admire their hard work!
Our next species to tackle is reptiles. We have spent the last couple of weeks on this project and they are almost ready to be hung up. We used oil pastels on black construction paper. After drawing our lizard, gecko or sea turtle of choice with white pencil, we then practiced coloring and blending the oil pastels. The children found the colors look very different on black paper. We needed to apply lots of color for our next step which was to add texture. Using a nail wrapped in masking tape except for the point, the children drew in the scales or bumpy surface by scratching away the oil pastel with the nails. It was pretty cool and the children loved this project. Who knew you could draw with a nail. It took patience and lots of small muscle control, but their reptiles look great.
The kindergarten class has been learning about gravity recently. We decided to do an artwork called accidental art. Since this artwork actually involved gravity it was the perfect project. We used large pieces of poster board with all sorts of collage-type materials, such as tinsel, tissue paper, wooden craft sticks, feathers, construction paper scraps, cut out shapes, etc. To do the art project the children stood next to their poster board with collage piece in one hand and a bottle of glue in the other. They held up their hand and dropped the piece onto their paper then glued it where it landed. Thus, the accidental part of the art was to not plan where we placed each object. That was the plan and it worked till one object landed on top of another. The children did not like this and often moved it over so the objects were not touching each other. Very interesting! It was fun and a great way to learn more about gravity and some things fall straight down when heavier and others float before landing. But they all do fall.
The pre-kindergarten class has been very busy this month. We made fruit bowls early in the month which have probably already made it home. We used colored construction paper and lots of drawing and cutting with scissors were involved. The children drew from a variety of fruit on the matching colored paper. It takes a lot of concentration to cut curved pieces and sometimes several tries. The children glued down their cut out, colored fruit bowl on the curved edge only, so we could stick the fruit in the top edge and arrange their own still life.
Out next project was from the book “Little Chicks Big Day”. The book is about a little chick that runs away and gets lost when his mother Broody Hen says its naptime. We drew, colored and cut out the little chick. Next, we drew the environment where he ends up, including a pond, tall grass and hills before gluing down our baby chick.
The children love to hear stories and draw pictures of their own from the stories. A favorite work in the afternoon is reading: story books, picture books, I Can Read books and library books. I have been reading a book of nursery rhymes this month. The children love the rhythm, the repetition, the rhyming and singing of the nursery rhymes. We have decided to make our own book of a few of our favorites. Rock-a-Bye-Baby, Little Miss Muffett, Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star and Jack and Jill went up the Hill are some that the children have chosen.
First, we draw and color something from the picture. It can be as simple as stars in a sky. Then we write the rhyme on the bottom of the story paper. Several times each day a child from the afternoon group has come up to me to remind me of the nursery rhymes they are working on. They love this work! Pretty cool! Take care and keep on reading to your children!
Best regards,
Ms. Terri
