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Mrs. Hood’s Class: Absorbing Minds At Work

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Maria Montessori used the scientific method to study children’s natural learning processes. She found that the child absorbs the culture they are in effortlessly and without fatigue between the ages of 0 – 6. Whatever the child is exposed to is internalized by the child and accepted into the child’s own being, imprinted on their soul. If a child is surrounded with music, the child will be a musical person. If a child hears their parents singing, the child will sing. If a child sees their parents dancing, the child will dance. She called this the child’s “absorbent mind.”

In addition to our music enrichment class every Thursday, children are exposed to meaningful music experiences everyday. They learn the names of the instruments they are playing and they learn how to properly play them. This week, we focused on the importance of being polite and waiting until everybody gets their instrument before selecting a song and grabbing their instrument to play! Children were directed to recognize hand gestures for tempo, dynamics, and their favorite: the closing of the song. They all love to hold their fists up and watch how everybody’s instrument stops at the same time! Their smiles say it all! We call this our “band time.”

Another highlight of this week was the introduction of a beloved work by all the children: a baby doll. Her name is Rosie. Through this work children practice grace and courtesy, gentleness, and a lot of patience since everybody wants to take care of the baby. Children enjoyed this work so much! Some of them cuddle Rosie with such a care, others explored her body parts using it as an enrichment of vocabulary work. They worked together to make sure Rosie felt loved. They read, sang and kissed her. They walked her around and showed her the environment. Some of them even gave her lessons. Children also role played by taking turns to be the baby and getting into the crib while other classmates took care of them. It was so precious! We want to thank Ms. Ulacco and Ms. Benoit for using their talents in making for us the beautiful baby’s crib bedding. Children loved this work! We can’t wait to present to them the feeding and bathing extensions of this work.

Based on our winter theme, we introduced in the language area an object to picture matching work focused on arctic animals. Children learned to recognize a harp seal, an arctic fox, a killer whale, a walrus, a husky, a caribou, an arctic rabbit, a beluga whale, a polar bear, and they also received a lesson on what is an igloo.

For food tasting we explored hearts of palm. As children observed this food they asked if it was a cheese stick or a tortilla. 🙂 They learned that this vegetable comes from the inner core of a palm tree. At the moment of tasting it only a couple of children really enjoyed it and asked for more, however all loved the slimy exploration of this vegetable.

We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend, and this beautiful and unusual January weather.

Mrs.Wilson: Building Language

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

The children all enjoyed a new group activity this week. This activity will be part of our daily routine from now on. Each morning when all the children have arrived we use photos of the children to see who is present or absent. We hold up the photo and the children say who it is. If that child is present they may do a little dance. We show excitement for that child to let them know that we are happy they are here. If the child is not at school due to not feeling well we tell them. For example, Greyson is not here, he is not feeling well. I hope he feels better soon. This helps model empathy for our friends. At the end, the children join me as we count each of them that are present. This activity builds language, empathy, happiness, exposure to counting, a sense of belonging, and group.

Another language activity we added is the beginning, middle and end sequence cards. This set shows a sheep, a ball of yarn, and a knitted hat.

Food Tasting: Cauliflower (raw and steamed). These children amaze me! We had another successful food tasting and they all pretty much liked steamed cauliflower. Some enjoyed the crunchiness of the uncooked version.

Have a wonderful week!

A Fun and Busy Week

Posted on by Karen Sankey

It has been a fun and busy week in Lower Elementary. We started a new unit in Writers Workshop on information writing. The students kicked off the unit by partnering up and teaching each other all about something they are experts in. First years learned about teaching all about a topic and seconds and thirds learned about topics and subtopics. We also continued to celebrate the personal narratives each child wrote by inviting them to share their stories with the class. The completed stories will go on a special bookshelf so the children can read each other’s personal narratives.

Next week, Tuesday through Thursday, the third year students will take a practice standardized test called the CTP5. This test is given to third through eighth grade students and is scored and reported to parents starting in fourth grade. We treat the third grade year as a true practice  year so the children have the chance to take the test with a little more help learning to navigate it this first year. For this reason, we don’t score and report it in third grade. As a Montessori school, we give this test to give our students the practical life experience of taking a test, to prepare them for future years in school. The third year students completed a sample practice test together this week and commented that they thought it was fun!

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Make It Matter

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

This week we continued to build on our understanding of the three states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas.  Hands on activities helped to illustrate how one state of matter can change to another: melting, freezing, or boiling. Water is the perfect example of states of matter to children because it can exists in all three different states. Our first experiment introduced a solid (ice cube) to liquid (water) change. Why the change? The children will tell you that when matter gains or loses heat it can change from one state to another, ice to water, water to ice, water to gas. In our second experiment the children not only got to find out how butter is made, but also saw a liquid turn into a solid. The children took turns shaking (agitating) cream until its fat molecules became shaken out of position and clumped together to form butter. We all enjoyed sampling the fruits of our labor spread on a cracker.

Never underestimate your children’s interest in science and their ability to understand. In fact, ask them to illustrate how molecules in each of the three states move. I know you will all be amazed!

Make your week ‘MATTER.’

Cindy & Sharlene

 

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Moving Molecules!

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

We just finished our science unit on States of Matter.  Matter is all around us.  Everything that you can touch, taste, smell and see is made of matter.  There are three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases.

We learned that solids have a definite shape because these molecules are very close together and do not move very much.  The shapes of solids do not change unless some type of force makes them change.   Liquid matter does not have its own shape.  The tiny molecules in liquids are not as close together as solid molecules and they move around more.  Liquids take the shape of the container they are in. Gas matter also does not have its own shape.  The molecules in gas are far apart and they move around a lot.  Gases spread out and fill up their container too.

The children loved taking part in experiments that help highlighted the different properties of solids, liquids and gases.  First we made raisins dance and blew up a balloon using a water bottle.  Then we learned how butter was made and watched a liquid change into a solid.   Of course, after making the butter we enjoyed eating it on a cracker.   Ask your children to pretend to be a solid, liquid or gas and see how they move like those molecules!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Michelle & Jeannine

 

 

Mrs. Lopes’s Class: Grace and Courtesy

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

                     

“If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence.”- Maria Montessori 

As the children are growing and showing increasing independence in the classroom, we began this week by adding two food preparation lessons onto our Practical Life shelf.  These lessons included a banana slicing lesson and a carrot peeling/slicing lesson.  Through the food preparation lessons in the Montessori environment the children learn self care as they wash their hands. They develop independence as they learn to prepare food. They improve fine motor skills as they prepare the food.  Finally, they practice grace and courtesy as they offer the food to share with their friends.

There are many benefits to involving children in food prep. Even the pickiest of eaters have been known to be more willing to try things when they have had a hand in preparing it. We noticed all the children were drawn to these lessons and took great care in preparing the food and then offering the food to their friends.  Each child practiced grace and courtesy by asking a friend, “Would you like some?” and their friend would respond “Yes, please.” or “No, thank you.”  We will continue to rotate these lessons with other foods as the school year progresses.

We hope you will have fun including your child in food preparation at home as well.  It is wonderful to watch the sense of pride and accomplishment in the children as they complete such a simple task.

Best,

Amanda & Deanna

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb
It’s the second week back from break and things are already in full swing! The Middle School is working hard in all their classes and keeping busy with preparations for upcoming events (Snowball Dance, research night presentations, moving up information night and varsity basketball games). Please remember to take care of yourselves and each other as we navigate the winter season and all it brings along!

Opportunity for MS students regarding the Snow Ball hosted by our Parents Association:

Students are welcome to attend the Snow Ball on Saturday, Feb. 1st with an accompanying adult (tickets can be purchased online or at door); however, if they would prefer to participate in the event by volunteering, there are plenty of jobs available, including set up the day before, working at the event, and clean up afterwards. The Sign Up Sheet is posted on the Humanities classroom door.

Math
In Pre-Transition class, students are learning about multiplying fractions and using arrays to visually understand regrouping. They are practicing how to use multiplication to find the area and perimeter of different shapes. Students are also studying for Quiz 1 that will be the week after CTP-5 testing and include lessons 6.1-6.4.
In Transition class, students are learning all about transformations of shapes on a coordinate grid. They are practicing how to rotate, translate, and reflect images using ordered pairs. They started a Tessellation art project in class that will be on display in the classroom to bring some new color to the math space.
In Algebra class, students are learning about slope and rate of change. They are working through how to make equations for lines with a given point and slope as well as slope-intercept equations for lines. Students are enjoying creating graphs and using desmos.com to build new 2D shapes with linear equations.
Math Joke: Are Monsters good at Math?………Not unless you are Count Dracula!
Science
6th year Earth Science students conducted the structural integrity of their buildings as part of their Earthquake unit. Students finished building their 4 story building designs which were then tested using Jello as a building’s substrate. Afterwards, students were able to reflect and discuss techniques that worked well and those that didn’t. 7th year Physical Science spent the week identifying unique characteristics of molecular structures. Students had the opportunity to build 3-dimensional molecules based on each element’s valence electron configuration. This required students to apply their knowledge of defining a valence electron, how many electrons are required to fulfill an orbital, and the similarities and differences between double and single covalent bonds. 8th year Life Science students have finished their unit on Meiosis. Ending the unit, students were able to illustrate the stages and benefits of meiosis compared to that of mitosis.
Humanities

6th & 7th year Humanities classes continue to work on their research projects. They are looking at reliable sources, reviewing inquiry-based research, and organizing information. Students are learning/reviewing the importance of finding relevant information and keeping track of resources to later give credit in their papers through in-text citations. The 7th years also continue to plan their essay using the novel A Long Walk to Water to support the quotation from the main character, “Quitting leads to much happiness in life than perseverance and hope.” 8th year Humanities students will finish the novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here, over the weekend. We have covered many themes from friendship and loyalty to bullying and racism in this novel, and it helps students have insight into reservation life. All classes also completed another unit of vocabulary this week.

 

Upper Elementary: CT Science Center

Posted on by Brian Comstock

This week we spent a lot of time preparing for research night which takes place February 6. On Wednesday we visited the CT Science Center in Hartford. The students had a great time exploring the exhibits and visiting the newest exhibit, Mazes and Brain Games. In between that time, we took part in a lab focused on electromagnetism. The students worked in pairs to create an electromagnet and then tested the electromagnetic power.