Primary News
2/26/2008
Primary
Asian Studies in Kelly & Rhea's Primary Class
Classroom visitors support class lessons on Asia
The children in Rhea and Kelly's class have begun their study of Asia. They will look at maps, animals, food, stories and more. We are fortunate to have many families in our class willing to share their culture with the children.
Makiko Uchida and her friend came recently to act out a traditional Japanese folk tale about rice balls. After the story the children made their own rice balls and ate them.
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2/26/2008
Primary
Sensorial Work Develops into Math
Last year's work is this year's math.
Last year, many students began sensorial work based on basic math concepts. They have repeated this work over and over, constructing and comparing. Now, when higher level math work is introduced, the pay off is that the lessons are very easy for the them.Last year, many students began sensorial work based on basic math
concepts. They have repeated this work over and over, constructing and
comparing. Now, when higher level math work is introduced, the pay off
is that the lessons are very easy for the them.
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12/12/2007
Primary
Practical Life
I did it myself!
Every parent has heard their young child assert I do it myself! In a Montessori classroom the first place a child can fill that innate need is the Practical Life area of the classroom. It is here the child begins to build their self-confidence as well as practical skills to be able to conquer and master all the areas of the classroom. These practical skills include fine and gross motor skills, social skills, problem solving ability, and a sense of responsibility. The work they do here is their link between home and school. It is the work of becoming independent and happy children. Through the exercises of Practical Life a child acquires true self-discipline and He has therefore enlarged his dominion. At the end of the three-year cycle a child in a Montessori classroom has been able to extend himself into reading, writing and math, but only after he has created himself through the works of practical life.
Because these works lead to all the other areas of the classroom it is the beginning of establishing the concept of the interconnectedness of the world. While children may not be exposed to true cosmic education and the great lessons until they reach the elementary curriculum, beginning in the Practical Life area the directress has the opportunity to introduce connections throughout the curriculum and the world. All the transferring works take children from one to one correspondence to one to two, and then one to three which leads children to division. They are mixing things together which leads to addition. They are looking for similarities and differences which set the beginnings for language and math. Everything is set from left to right and top to bottom which is pre-reading. Grasping and squeezing works help establish the pincer grip necessary for writing. But the most important lessons which are the precursors to cosmic education are the complete set of lessons in Grace and Courtesy. If these lessons are set within the framework of building a community, children see themselves as part of a community within a school and a school within a town and a town within a state, etc. The directress is then able to connect this child truly to the greater environment and thus the world.
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10/8/2007
Primary
The Peaceful Environment
Preparing for Peace
One of the things that makes a Montessori classroom different from other preschools is the peace curriculum. As teachers we purposefully prepare the environment with purposeful work to help children move from a place of disorder to one of self-discipline. Children gain self confidence through their work and are given the tools they need to work through peer conflicts. Children learn how to talk and listen to their friends rather than look to an adult to resolve their conflict. In the classroom, children will invite each other to sit at the peace table to discuss the situation, but even on the playground they learn to make peace with friends wherever they are playing.
If children believe they can make peace they will.
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2/20/2007
Primary
Japanese Art and Celebrations
Shelly and Yukiko continue celebrating the arts.
Having finished our New Year celebrations we turned to the study of Japan. We learned that the Japanese word for the country is Nippon.
We are making origami animals including: a cat, penguin, pig and bunny.
We are also beginning to study a festival called Setsubun. This is when negative impulses and tendencies (in Japan they are called demons) can be dismissed by eating soybeans. Then we'll be gluing soybeans on the Japanese numeral symbols.
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1/29/2007
Primary
Happy Australia Day
Cultural Studies
Students in Carmen and Rhea's class celebrated Australia Day on Friday, January 26th. We read stories of Australia and ate Ansac biscuits made by Baxter Smelzer's mom.(Thank you!) Sarah brought in a Kangaroo that hopped down the board. The children have been tracing maps of Australia, learning about the flag and studying the native animals in Spanish too!
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1/19/2007
Primary
Setting Goals for Ourselves - An Important Skill
These children all set difficult goals for themselves today. The choices they made reflect their individual development and self-assessment. This is an important skill for people to develop, no matter what their age.
Logan decided on his own to fix a problem with the windows so everyone could see better. He not only gathered the materials he needed, he recruited help to move the work out of the way. May tackled the number roll to build upon a counting activity she remembered doing with her dad - she made it to 200, and plans to reach 300 on Monday. Chaitra has begun her study of grammar, and will record the words and their accompanying symbol for "noun", then begin exploring articles. At different times of the day, Claire and Jacob both experimented with the limits of their materials as they created their buildings, and after resiliently correcting, restructuring, and repairing for over an hour, they were proud to have their work recorded.
Ian worked similarly hard to balance the cubes on this test of fine-motor skills from Japan. His steady confidence in his abilities shows in his expression. He went from this task to writing the names of his classmates in his composition book.
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1/16/2007
Primary
The light is on! How?
Children in Carmen & Rhea's class are exploring forms of energy. Today they looked at a circuit with a battery and a lightbulb. The children are using wires to connect a circuit. With this work they can understand the terms of electricity and actually see it work.
They also learned about Benjamin Franklin and his many inventions.
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12/8/2006
Primary
Measured Success
Oatmeal raisin cookies
Children learn by doing. On December 8th, the children in Carmen & Rhea's class measured the ingredients for oatmeal raisin cookies into a jar to take home. Each child measured and poured the ingredients for their own jar. They learned the measuring system for baking, patience in waiting their turn, how to pour without spilling and were excited to take the mixture home to cook with their families!
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12/5/2006
Primary
Grateful Feast
A joyous occasion
On November 21, Annamarie and Kelly's classroom had their annual Grateful Feast. Each child contributed an ingredient for the soup that was shared by all. Parent volunteers assisted the children in preparing the soup in our school's working kitchen.
This year was unique in that many class alumni came to join in the celebration and reunite with Annamarie. Many siblings, cousins and old friends celebrated together that morning!
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11/9/2006
Primary
A Visit to Timberlake Farm
Studying the Native American culture
In Isabelle, Diana and Syeda's class, the children have been studying North America and the Native American culture. In late October, the all-day students spent a day experiencing nature, songs and stories at Timberlake Farm in Whitsett, NC with Sandy Brisbee, a former primary Montessori Teacher who did a special program about Native America. The children made journals about their field trip to thank the people at the Farm. The children made teepees with sticks and brown paper and decorated them, they also made beautiful pots with clay and leaf prints. In Science, we focused on the different parts of trees, nature and the beautiful fall leaves that we can see from our classroom.
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11/7/2006
Primary
Gasses, Liquids, and Solids
Students begin studying the structure of matter.
In Shelley and Yukiko's class, the students have been studying particles and how they form gasses. They used puff balls to model how the particles in a gas are spread so far apart that we cannot see them. Several children made paintings so they could better explain gasses to their parents. Since the air is made of different gasses, the puff balls were different colors: nitrogen was blue because that is why the sky is blue, oxygen was pink because everyone has pink lungs, carbon dioxide was green because plants use it, and water vapor was light blue and larger because we usually think of it as a liquid.
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10/23/2006
Primary
Outside Work Space Opened!
Shelley and Yukiko's afternoon class spent the afternoon preparing their front garden. They cut the grass, pruned some lavender, pulled up some spent flowers, swept, and loaded the compost bins with all that greenery. Now they can bring their classroom work, including tables and chairs, outside to work in the sun.
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10/13/2006
Primary
The Homework We Have Known
(link provided for further information - see below)
Homework! Oh homework! I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink!
If only a bomb would explode you to bits!
Homework! Oh homework! You give me the fits!
I would rather take baths with a man-eating shark,
Or wrestle a lion in the dark,
Or eat spinach or liver, pet ten porcupines,
Than tackle the homework my teacher assigns.
Homework! Oh homework! You're the last on my list!
I simply can't see why you even exist
If you would just disappear, it would tickle me pink!
Homework! Oh homework! I hate you! You stink!
-- Author Unknown
Boy, this poem certainly brings back memories for me. "Andrea is such a bright student . . ." the teachers' notes would say, " . . .but she can't seem to finish her homework". Yes, the homework that was so boring, repetitive, and such a greedy consumer of my precious time away from school. Going to the stables, piano, ballet; heck, just being a kid, was too much of a conflict with the demands of homework. As a result, my grades were not as high as they could have been, because my mother and I were determined that a child needs to be a child.
The article that has been provided for you is long (5 pages), but definitely worth the time and effort to read. I first heard about the author, Alfie Kohn, listening to an interview with him on NPR about a month ago. Mr. Kohn was promoting his latest book, "The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing", Da Capo Press, 2006. In a nut shell, Mr. Kohn believes that homework is neccessary, just not in the quantity and quality that is assigned in today's traditional schools.
What does this poem have to do with a bunch Primary age children who are not assigned homework, even if in another school? If a 3rd level Primary student (or kindegarten age) were in a traditional school, they would have homework - lots of it! The next step for our Montessori 3rd level Primary students is Lower El. There is no homework in the traditional sense of the word. However, there are 3 book reports to be presented during the year, weekly spelling lists to review, and the required nightly reading.
The homework issue is one of many to consider when placing our precious ones in school. If you have more questions about our school's homework policy, please contact our Head of School, Frank Brainard. He is always eager to answer any concerns or questions that you may have.
To access the article, go to the link listed below. On that webpage there will be a box labeled, "Spotlight Articles". The first article in the box, "The Truth About Homework", is the one you want. Enjoy!
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http://www.alfiekohn.org/articles.htm
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10/5/2006
Primary
Native American Stories
Coup Sticks
Under a shady tree Coy Thompson told a story of Native Americans relationship with the earth. The students listened and learned about respecting the gifts of the earth that we call food. They learned about being thankful for what we have and sharing with others.
After the story the students returned to the classroom to draw pictures from the story. They cut out circles, drew pictures and tied them with string to the sticks they had collected in the woods. They sat in a circle and retold their recollection of the story.
These story sticks are a tradition from the Sioux tribe of Native Americans. They are called Coup sticks.
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10/1/2006
Primary
Courtyard Transformation
Wildlife Habitat Project
Annamarie, with the help of our families, will transform the small courtyard between the classroom and the office into a self-sustaining habitat for native plants and animals, certified by the National Wildlife Federation. Creating this habitat will enhance awareness of the importance of conservation and further our mission to be an eco-friendly school. We look forward to this opportunity to collaborate on this project.
Please check out the link for more information about the NWF Backyard Habitat project.
Related Links:
www.nwf.org/backyard
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9/26/2006
Primary
Primary Art Work
Happy Accidents
Last week children in Carmen and Rhea's class learned about paper collage and Swiss artist, Hans Arp. Hans Arp lived from 1887-1966. He was a sculptor, graphic artist and painter. He was part of a group of artists called Dadaists and later he became a surrealist.
The children created paper collages by tearing paper, counting out ten random pieces and then watching them drop on the paper. They glued them where they landed. We discusssed Arp's theory of the "Muse of Chance." Through this exercise children learn to see art in different ways. They learn that the finished product may not always look like what you planned. In fact it may be even better!.
Related Links:
www.spa.ex.ac.uk/drama/dada/page12.html
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