Blog

Mrs. Doyle: Do You Know the Continents?

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

The Montessori approach to teaching Geography is unique and comprises two components: physical geography and political geography, also known as Culture. From the beginning of the school year, we weave Geography lessons and terminology into our day as we learn about our physical world. The Geography materials are always fascinating to the children and are a springboard for wonderful discussions.

Early in our school year, we categorized the planet Earth into air, land, and water.  We then sorted what we would find in each of these different components of our world.  Next, we introduced the geometric solid known as a sphere to the children and compared it to the shape of the globe.  We start with a sandpaper globe that helps to distinguish land and water.  The colored globe comes next, and we begin to teach the continent names.  We make a sphere out of play dough and cut it in half to help them visualize the concept of a hemisphere.  Simultaneously, the children are learning about landforms that introduce the concept of lake, island, bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, strait, archipelago, and a system of lakes.  These sensory experiences help the children learn about their physical world.

After learning the continent names, we introduce the puzzle maps for each continent, starting with North America in November. We learn that there are many countries in North America.  The older children will trace and paint each of the puzzle maps. We will learn about the animals, people, and climate often associated with each of the continents.  Our goal is to encourage the children to appreciate the beauty and wonder found in the similarities and differences around the world. In our classroom, we have a cultural shelf with artifacts from each continent.

Last week, we introduced the song “Do You Know The Continents,” and we often hear the children singing it quietly to themselves as they work.

We are thrilled to be having Parent/Teacher Conferences!  They will be on Thursday, October 26th.  If you have not yet had the chance to sign up for a time, please click here to do so.

Wishing all of you a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: Do You Know the Continents?

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

 

The Montessori approach to teaching Geography is unique and comprises two components: physical and political geography, also known as Culture. From the beginning of the school year, we weave Geography lessons and terminology into our day as we learn about our physical world. The Geography materials are always fascinating to the children and are a springboard for wonderful discussions.

Early in our school year, we categorized the planet Earth into air, land, and water.  We then sorted what we would find in each of these different components of our world.  Next, we introduced the geometric solid known as a sphere to the children and compared it to the shape of the globe.  We start with a sandpaper globe that helps to distinguish land and water.  The colored globe comes next, and we begin to teach the continent names.  We make a sphere out of play dough and cut it in half to help them visualize the concept of a hemisphere.  Simultaneously, the children are learning about landforms that introduce the concept of lake, island, bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, strait, archipelago, and a system of lakes.  These sensory experiences help the children learn about their physical world.

After learning the continent names, we introduce the puzzle maps for each continent, starting with North America in November. We learn that there are many countries in North America.  The older children will trace and paint each of the puzzle maps. We will learn about the animals, people, and climate often associated with each of the continents.  Our goal is to encourage the children to appreciate the beauty and wonder found in the similarities and differences around the world. In our classroom, we have a cultural shelf with artifacts from each continent.

We are thrilled to be having Parent/Teacher Conferences!  They will be on Thursday, October 26th.  If you have not yet had the chance to sign up for a time, please click here to do so.

Wishing all of you a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema

Ms. Marissa: Starting BIG and Ending small

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

The Montessori approach to teaching Geography is unique and comprises two components: physical and political geography, also known as Culture. From the beginning of the school year, we weave Geography lessons and terminology into our day as we learn about our physical world. The Geography materials are always fascinating to the children and are a springboard for wonderful discussions.

We start the school year by zooming way out from ourselves and studying the Solar System (we end the year by studying the human body and ourselves). This month, we are moving on to our own planet, Earth. We categorize the planet Earth into air, land, and water. We sort what we would find in each of these different components of our world. Next, we introduce the geometric solid known as a sphere to the children and compared it to the shape of the globe. We start with a sandpaper globe that helps to distinguish land and water. The colored globe comes next, and we begin to teach the continent names (we start that towards the end of the month!). We make a sphere out of play dough and cut it in half to help them visualize the concept of a hemisphere. Simultaneously, the children are learning about landforms that introduce the concept of lake, island, bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, strait, archipelago, and a system of lakes. These sensory experiences help the children learn about their physical world.

Our goal is to encourage the children to appreciate the beauty and wonder found in the similarities and differences around the world. Our classroom has a cultural shelf with artifacts from each continent.

I look forward to seeing some of you this week for our conferences!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Marissa & Sue

Mrs. Hood: Practical Life and Pumpkin Guts!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Dr. Maria Montessori introduced Practical Life exercises to provide children with opportunities to perform simple tasks that they have already observed at home. Practical Life exercises enable children to care for themselves, take care of the environment, and develop respect for others.

Care of the environment activities encourage the child to interact with the environment, exhibiting respect and love. These activities help the child form a connection with their environment and find a personal responsibility towards it.

This week, we introduced one of the most beloved activities in our Montessori environments: flower arrangement. Second-year students were thrilled to observe the work, and they were ready to continue sharpening their hand skills. Our first-year students were super eager to get their hands on it. This is a beautiful activity that offers so much to your child’s development. Through this exercise, children develop a sense of beauty and the mental task of sequencing; they learn to exercise the judgment of size and capacity in matching flowers to vases and in pouring water, as well as manual dexterity as they need to fetch water and use different tools. This activity also indirectly prepares your child for botany studies in our Primary program and offers a great opportunity to work on independence and concentration. Your children love it! We can’t thank you enough for your weekly flower donations!

Another practical life lesson we introduced this week in the area of self-care was putting on a jacket. Children received a lesson using what we called the “fliparoo” trick. Children have been practicing this skill over and over. Please see the video below on the lesson, and please support your child at home to practice this skill.

On another note, as we started our pumpkin unit this week, children had the opportunity to explore the outside and inside of a pumpkin! Skin, pulp, strands, and seeds were new vocabulary words used to describe the parts of a pumpkin. We also talked about its texture, size, and color. Smooth, rough, and mushy were adjectives we repeated over and over, as well as naming the color orange. Pumpkin was also our food-tasting item this week, but as most of the children didn’t find it really tasty, we decided to find another way to introduce this fruit, so we baked pumpkin muffins with the children, and oh boy, what a difference! Children enjoyed it so much that they kept asking for more and more.

Lastly, we celebrated another birthday this week! It’s such a joy seeing the children growing healthy and loved!

Enjoy the pictures!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Reminder: Parent-teacher conferences are coming up. To maximize our 20 minutes together, we would greatly appreciate you emailing your questions to us prior to it. Please take some time to think about your questions and send them to ahood@fraserwoods.com by Friday, October 20th.

Exploring Nature and Building Connections in Lower El

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

Field trips are a delightful break from the routine of school life, offering students the opportunity to explore new environments, connect with classmates, and create lasting memories. On Thursday, we embarked on an adventure to March Farms. Our day at March Farms kicked off with the ultimate test of teamwork and navigation skills – the corn maze. After our triumphant escape from the corn maze, we ventured to the orchard for an apple-picking adventure. The grand finale of our March Farms field trip was a visit to the petting zoo. Here, we met some of the friendliest (and stinkiest) farm animals, including goats, pigs, and ducks. Overall, It was a wonderful experience that not only brought us closer to nature but also strengthened the bonds within our class community.

Halloween is right around the corner! We will be celebrating in class on Tuesday the 31st by decorating pumpkins and having a party. Please send in a sugar pumpkin for your child to decorate. You can start sending them in any time, and we will store them in the classroom. Thank you!

In addition to pumpkin painting, the children are welcome to wear their costumes to school on Tuesday the 31st. We ask that the children don’t wear any masks and keep their costumes school-appropriate. They will be changing out of their costumes before decorating pumpkins; please send a change of clothes with them.

Mrs. Sargeant: A Montessori Approach to Sharing

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Sharing does not come naturally to children under the age of three. They are not developmentally ready to share. From a Montessori point of view, sharing should never be imposed upon a young child. We emphasize independence, self-directed learning, and respect for each child. As adults, it is our job to protect the concentration and focus of the children when they are deeply engrossed in an activity. It is also our responsibility to empower the children and model for them how to advocate for themselves and communicate effectively and respectfully with their peers.

Most of the activities in a Montessori classroom are set up for just one child at a time. All the materials are shared by all the children. However, each child is free to work as long as they’d like with any material. The children learn that if an activity is not present on the shelf, then it is unavailable. Once the activity is returned to the shelf, then it becomes available, and it can be another child’s “turn”.

Instead of forcing immediate sharing, Montessori teachers often encourage turn-taking. If a child is using a material or working on an activity, another child might be asked to wait or observe until it’s their turn. This approach helps children develop patience and understand the concept of taking turns.

Throughout the day, you will hear many murmurs of  “This is my work” and “I’m using this right now”, as well as “May I take a turn?” It is important for children to feel comfortable saying ‘no’ and also to respect when others do, too.

Forcing children to share may unintentionally send the message to the child that their needs and opinions don’t matter. Often, children also learn that crying or throwing a tantrum is a way to immediately get what they want.

The goal of Montessori education is to support the child’s development of social skills in a respectful and individualized manner. While sharing is an important aspect of social development, it is approached in a manner that aligns with the child’s natural development and readiness to understand and practice this skill. It is exciting to observe the children’s growth in both patience and confidence (and, down the road, empathy).

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Another beautiful and productive week in middle school has gone by! The Middle School is gearing up for its first social event with Upper Elementary students next Friday, 10/20, from 5:30-7:30 pm at school. This is a drop-off event! If you have not responded to the invitation, please do so we can get a final count! Middle School & Upper El Cookout Invitation.

Science

6th-year Earth Science students were able to create their resin molds incorporating an object of their choosing. Students chose between geometric or animal molds for their own representation. Following the completion of this project, students were asked to write a fictional story using key terms from our unit, Fossils, as it relates to the preservation of fossils. Each student was able to share their story aloud to the class and later display their resin mold and story for the entire school to see. After completing the unit Fossils, students worked on identifying dependent and independent variables. Students were asked to analyze and graph data using Google Sheets. Once the data was graphed, students discussed what claims could be made based on the represented graph.

7th year Physical Science students finished their unit, Combining and Separating. Students learned about relevant issues in which we rely on the knowledge of separation, as discussed in the Flint Water Crisis (2014-16), along with the process of desalination (removal of salt from saltwater). We conducted an experiment on the desalination process by saturating water with salt and later boiling it, resulting in freshwater once again. We will begin our next unit, Characteristic Properties of Matter, next week.
8th-year Life Science students began and finished their cell cake project from the unit Cell Theory. Students were instructed to represent an animal or plant cell and its primary organelles using food (candy/cake). Students chose certain candies to represent each organelle they felt was the best representation of the actual appearance possible. Once the construction was completed, students created a key diagram labeling the organelles along with the function served within the cell. Students presented their finished product to the middle school students, which was later enjoyed by all.

Math

In the Pre-Transition math class, students started learning Chapter 2 and are excited to explore the relationship between decimals, fractions, and percentages. This week, they learned about place values for a decimal number, comparing and ordering decimals on a number line, as well as multiplying decimals by values of 10s, 100s, 1000s, etc.
In the Transition math class, students learned the last three lessons in Chapter 2. They discussed how to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find a missing side length as well as how to find a solution for a simple single-step algebraic equation. This class concluded the week by learning to graph inequalities on a number line and writing a mini Chapter 2 assessment.
In the Algebra math class, students reviewed key concepts for Chapter 2 and wrote the Unit Test on Thursday, October 12th. Students practiced using the distributive property and collecting like terms in an algebraic expression. This class demonstrated that they understand related facts for all operations and can test equivalences for two expressions.
In the Geometry math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 2 and reviewed the key concepts to prepare for the Unit Test on Thursday, October 12th. This class can draw and identify polygons, write conditional statements, and distinguish between convex and nonconvex figures.
Make Joke: Do you know why seven eight nine? Because you’re supposed to eat three squared meals a day!

Humanities

6th grade Humanities was busy this week. With Mr. Newman, the students are working on the five themes of geography. In Mrs. Lamb’s room, students continued their descriptive writing unit by using what they learned about word choice, figurative language, and imagery to imagine they are narrating a nature documentary. Using a one-minute clip of a Great White Shark leaping out of the water, they wrote descriptive narrations, workshopped their work with the class, and made suggestions for Mrs. Lamb’s revision. They are now working on a piece from the point of view of a falling leaf. Meanwhile, students are finishing their class novel, Out of My Mind.

7th grade Humanities classes also had a busy week. With Mr. Newman, students are working on locating information from research and using it to answer questions. They specifically used research about Imperial China. With Mrs. Lamb, students finished drafts of their final writing piece for Ties That Bind, Ties That Break. They wrote a letter as the novel’s protagonist to their late father, explaining changes in China and how her decision to keep her feet unbound has affected her life. Next, students presented their Dynasty research. Finally, the 7th-grade students revised their initial drafts of their Ode poems.

8th grade Humanities classes worked on several items this week. First, they completed their pre-contact American civilizations research with Mr. Newman. With Mrs. Lamb, students self-edited their literary analysis essays about The Outsiders and then received feedback for revisions from Mrs. Lamb. Next, students read two short memoir pieces, preparing to write their own next week.

Volcanoes in Lower El!

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

This week, Lower Elementary students embarked on a thrilling journey into the world of volcanoes. Our young geologists began their adventure by learning about the formation and eruption of volcanoes. They discovered that beneath the Earth’s surface lies a molten rock known as magma. When pressure builds up within the Earth due to various geological processes, this magma is forced to the surface through vents, creating spectacular eruptions. The children were captivated by the idea that these awe-inspiring eruptions are the result of the Earth’s inner turmoil.

With a basic understanding of volcanic eruptions, the children delved deeper into the anatomy of a volcano. They learned about the various components that make up these natural wonders, including the magma chamber, conduit, mantle, crust, strata, sill, vent, and dike. As their excitement continued to build, the children couldn’t wait to get their hands on our model volcano. This work will be on our classroom shelf for children to explore on their own.