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Mrs. Lopes: The Three Period Lesson

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

When we introduce new concepts or materials to the children, we often do so using a three-period lesson. This is an important tenet of Montessori education and it helps to move the child from basic understanding of a concept to mastery.

Period One is the introduction stage. In this stage we are isolating new vocabulary to the children. For example, if we are introducing the color tablets, we say, “This is blue.”  Repeating that statement and allowing the child to manipulate the blue color tablet are crucial during this stage.

Period Two is all about association and recognition. It is often a separate lesson. We do not ask the children to remember the vocabulary or recall the concept.  We are simply reinforcing the concept taught in Period One. We use words such as “Show me the blue tablet,” or “Can you place the blue tablet on your lap?”

Period Three is the recall stage and the first time we ask the child to remember the concept independently. We ask them, “What is this?” when showing them the blue color tablet. We are careful not to begin Period Three until we know they are ready for success.

Every time a child masters a new concept it builds the foundation for the next lesson or concept to be taught.

On Monday, the Kindergarten children had the opportunity to visit New Pond Farm in Redding.  We had a wonderful time walking around and learning about the different animals that live on the farm. We met Sugar the cow and her newborn calf, chickens, pigs, and sheep.  The highlight of our field trip was when the children used previously shorn fleece, washed and combed it and then made a bracelet to keep.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema

Mrs. Hood: Palabras!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Maria Montessori believed that the initial six years of a child’s life are crucial for their language development; from birth, a child must receive appropriate stimulation. This is also widely recognized by many language specialists when referring to learning foreign languages.

Research shows that learning a second language boosts problem-solving, critical-thinking, and listening skills, in addition to improving memory, concentration, and the ability to multitask. Children proficient in other languages also show signs of enhanced creativity and mental flexibility.

In our environment, children are exposed to Spanish multiple times a day. From songs to books to direct conversations, Spanish is always part of our routines.

This week, children were introduced to the following commands: caminar (walk), parar (stop), brincar (jump), bailar (dance), correr (run), comer (eat), and dormir (sleep). They are also already familiar with phrases such as Buenos dias (good morning), Ven aca, por favor: (Come here, please), Agua (water), lavate las manos (wash your hands), and Vamos (Let’s go) to name a few.

The children’s favorite book this week seemed to be Palabras by Kidsbooks. Children were encouraged to look at the pictures and repeat different vocabulary words in Spanish during story time. It was a well-requested book!

On another note, this week’s most popular work seemed to be hammering golf tees into a pumpkin using a mallet! There is so much hand-and-eye coordination needed for this work! We enjoy watching your children challenge themselves and sharpen their skills every day!

Lastly, we explored spaghetti squash for food tasting, and as a Sensorial extension, children were able to examine the pulp for another squash in our sensory bin! The children also tasted its toasted seeds. Yum!

Reminder: If you haven’t done so yet, please remember to sign up for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences next Thursday, October 25th, using this link.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Ms. Marissa: The Three Period Lesson

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

When we introduce new concepts or materials to the children, we often do so using a three-period lesson. This is an important tenet of Montessori education and it helps to move the child from basic understanding of a concept to mastery.

Period One is the introduction stage. In this stage we are isolating new vocabulary to the children. For example, if we are introducing the color tablets, we say, “This is blue.”  Repeating that statement and allowing the child to manipulate the blue color tablet are crucial during this stage.

Period Two is all about association and recognition. It is often a separate lesson. We do not ask the children to remember the vocabulary or recall the concept.  We are simply reinforcing the concept taught in Period One. We use words such as “Show me the blue tablet,” or “Can you place the blue tablet on your lap?”

Period Three is the recall stage and the first time we ask the child to remember the concept independently. We ask them, “What is this?” when showing them the blue color tablet. We are careful not to begin Period Three until we know they are ready for success.

Every time a child masters a new concept it builds the foundation for the next lesson or concept to be taught.

On Monday, the Kindergarten children had the opportunity to visit New Pond Farm in Redding.  We had a wonderful time walking around and learning about the different animals that live on the farm. The highlight of our field trip was when the children used previously shorn fleece, washed and combed it and then made a bracelet to keep.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Marissa & Sue

Mrs. Doyle: The Three Period Lesson

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

When we introduce new concepts or materials to the children, we often do so using a three-period lesson. This is an important tenet of Montessori education and it helps to move the child from basic understanding of a concept to mastery.

Period One is the introduction stage. In this stage we are isolating new vocabulary to the children. For example, if we are introducing the color tablets, we say, “This is blue.”  Repeating that statement and allowing the child to manipulate the blue color tablet are crucial during this stage.

Period Two is all about association and recognition. It is often a separate lesson. We do not ask the children to remember the vocabulary or recall the concept.  We are simply reinforcing the concept taught in Period One. We use words such as “Show me the blue tablet,” or “Can you place the blue tablet on your lap?”

Period Three is the recall stage and the first time we ask the child to remember the concept independently. We ask them, “What is this?” when showing them the blue color tablet. We are careful not to begin Period Three until we know they are ready for success.

Every time a child masters a new concept it builds the foundation for the next lesson or concept to be taught.

On Wednesday, the Kindergarten children had the opportunity to visit New Pond Farm in Redding.  We had a wonderful time walking around and learning about the different animals that live on the farm. We met Sugar the cow and her newborn calf, chickens and sheep.  The highlight of our field trip was when the children used previously shorn fleece, washed and combed it and then made a bracelet to keep.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Wilson: Pumpkin Hammering

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

One of the fun and challenging activities that the children enjoyed this week was pumpkin hammering. This activity requires a child-sized mallet, golf tees, and a small pumpkin. Through this activity, the children develop hand-eye coordination, learn to use a hammer or mallet, and strengthen their fine motor skills while trying to hold the golf tee in place. Additionally, the children learn about safety whether they are hammering or observing.

Another popular activity the children is sorting miniature utensils. They sift through a tray of spoons, forks and knives, and match each object with its corresponding photo. They then separate them into individual sections for each type of utensil. Your children can help with this task at home.

Food Tasting: The children explored and tasted a yellow pepper. Out of all three peppers we tried, I think the red pepper was the winner with yellow coming in second.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Cynthia and Sara

Parent Education Events at School- Why Are They Important?

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

Because we care for our children, parents, grandparents, and teachers, we strive to make the connection between home and school an ongoing conversation. By setting aside time for interacting and working together, we (parents and teachers) learn the language and share in our beliefs of the Montessori child.

Positive Discipline and its many components have been our topics of choice for parent education. We had our second parent education event this past Thursday, October 19th, highlighting Dysregulation in Children. We talked about how understanding how to support and address a child who is not able to control their emotional responses is important for their success in school. We also talked about how the brain works when children become dysregulated and how to help them develop the skills to self-regulate.

We learned about “Flipping Our Lid.” When we feel really mad, upset, or scared, our brain goes into autopilot mode, making it hard to control our feelings. The limbic system reacts when it thinks something is wrong or scary. This automatic reaction can happen even if the threat isn’t real. When the limbic system gets activated, it releases hormones in our brain. These hormones shake things up, so we can’t use the rational thinking part of the brain. The prefrontal cortex helps us make sense of things, manage our feelings, and solve problems. So, when we can’t use the prefrontal cortex, we can’t think or act calmly. It takes about 20 minutes for our brain to get back to normal, cool down, and let us think clearly again. 

Things we can do to help children develop the skills to self-regulate:

  1. Connect
  2. “Positive Time-Out” is a special spot where kids can go when upset. (We do not advocate using Time Out as a consequence.) We have a designated area in our classrooms for positive time out.
    • The Quiet Area
    • The Peace Table
    • The Peace Corner
    • The Peace Area
  3. Naming Emotions
  4. Deep Breathing
  5. Mindfulness Practices
  6. Reflective Listening
  7. Let Routines be the Boss
  8. Show Faith

Takeaways:

  • Self-regulation is something all children go through. 
  • Some children might need more time to learn it than others. 
  • When the adults grasp the issue and assist the children during challenging moments, what could have caused a gap in the relationship becomes a chance for deeper connection and helps children feel like they truly belong and matter.

The Positive Discipline model helps us (parents and teachers) develop mutually respectful relationships with the children in our lives.

Karen Sankey and I attended a two-day training —The Practitioner’s Class: Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom, at Westside Montessori School and Teacher Education Program in Manhattan.

We have compiled a calendar of Parent Education events to share what we learned. More information to come!

Our next installment will be in November, on Thursday, the 16th.

The topic will be Positive Discipline- Kind and Firm Parenting: What is your Parenting Style?

The Class Meeting in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

“We must see the individual in [their] place in society because no individual can develop without the influence of society. It is like the nourishment of the body – we can talk about food, but if there is no food, our stomach cannot digest anything. Although we have lungs, we cannot breathe without air.” -Dr. Maria Montessori

We view the class meeting as the hub of a wheel that builds a community that fosters belonging, mutual respect, and cooperation; it supports the entire community. Many social and behavioral problems in an elementary classroom affect more than just the people directly involved, they have an effect on the whole classroom. In a class meeting, everyone shares their thoughts and feelings, and the group helps their classmates find solutions.

There are generally four different types of problems that are solved in the elementary Class Meeting.

  • Individual problems: difficulty finishing their work, organizational challenges, playground issues, making friends.
  • Problems that affect the whole group: people aren’t putting their work away, lessons are too long, people are being disruptive, and jobs aren’t getting done.
  • Interpersonal problems: conflicts between two or more students.
  • Ideas: field trips, projects, celebrations.

We have class meetings three times per week. There are four parts to the format: compliments and appreciations, follow-up on prior solutions, agenda items, and connection activity. The entire process takes 20-25 minutes. Our fifth-grade students take turns facilitating the meetings. Some important roles they take on are timekeeper, agenda keeper, scribe, and secretary.

This week, our agenda items were: people are holding the guinea pigs too long, and people are not being careful with the materials. Through brainstorming and discussion, Upper El students were able to come up with solutions for both problems, giving them ownership and buy-in of the solutions. We encourage you to ask your child to tell you about our class meetings!

“We can become sensitive to the needs of others; we can feel worthwhile, respected, and appreciated. We can learn to alleviate others’ problems. Not by words but by actions. We must work for the general establishment of human dignity, mutual respect, and mutual assistance to truly have a “democratic society.” -Rudolf Dreikers

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Karen and Deb

Mrs. Wilson: What Does Taking Turns Mean in a Montessori Environment

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In a Montessori classroom, you will only find one of each lesson. This practice serves multiple purposes: promoting better learning, instilling respect, enhancing concentration, and encouraging in-depth exploration. Upon selecting a lesson from the shelf, a child may use it for as long as they desire. Once finished, the child returns the lesson to the shelf, making it accessible for other children.

However, what if another child wants to use the same lesson? In such cases, we model respectful communication by saying, “I see Jake is using the peg board. It is not available. It will be available again once he returns it to the shelf.” We encourage children who can speak to use similar language with their curious peers.

In these situations, we provide the child with the option to observe their peers working on the lesson or to select from another available activity.

Food Tasting: This week, the children tried green bell peppers during a food-tasting activity but didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it.

Enjoy the weekend,

Cynthia and Sara