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Mrs. Carroll’s Class: A Place To Call My Own

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

Retrieving a mat, picking it up carefully, finding the ideal space to work, and rolling it out provides an opportunity to practice gross motor skills and body consciousness. Everything that gets placed on the mat thereafter becomes the responsibility (and privilege) of the child working on that mat.

Montessori work mats delineate a work space as the child’s own and sets an intention to “work”.  Not only do the children know that their lesson is exclusive to them (unless they invite someone to join them on their mat), they also have the responsibility to put their materials away when they are finished before they roll up their mat, and signal the end of their work session.

Our floors have been a sea of rugs this short week!  Your children have skillfully maneuvered themselves throughout the environment, careful not to disturb a friend’s work.  We continue to be amazed at their growing control, and respect for friends and the environment.

Until next week,

Cindy & Sharlene

Upper Elementary: Outreach

Posted on by Brian Comstock

 

On Wednesday the students enthusiastically participated in our first sandwich making project for the St. Vincent DePaul Mission located in Waterbury, CT. They were thrilled to donate their energy to making sandwiches for individuals and families that are experiencing hard times. Mrs. Faust and I were so proud of their care and concern as they prepared each sandwich. Thanks again for the donations of supplies and the coordination by Liz Bashawaty!

Ms. Kayser’s Class: Fossil Fun

Posted on by skayser

In our classroom, your children have been exploring the world around them by becoming biologists, astronauts, and now, paleontologists! For the past few weeks we have been immersed in the land of dinosaurs, learning all about what they looked like, where the lived, and what they ate. On our science shelf, the children have had an array of works that spark their creativity and curiosity about these giant reptiles from the past. They have been able to use crayons to make fossil rubbings, match dinosaurs with their fossils, and even sort dinosaurs according to if they walked on two feet or four feet.

The highlight of our dinosaur unit was definitely our Dino Dig. Thanks to the help of our art teacher, Mrs. Reid, the children were able to create their very own dinosaur fossils! Equipped with a personalized paleontologist ID badges, the children chose a specific dinosaur they wanted to fossilize and pushed it into clay to create an imprint. Bringing science and art together in such a way has created a memorable experience for both the children and us!

In the next week or so, Mrs. Reid will fire these fossils in the kiln and return them to the children to keep forever! We can’t wait to see the finished products.

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

 

Middle School: Welcome Back, Mr. Epstein!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

The Middle School is excited to welcome math teacher, Mr. Epstein, back to Fraser Woods! It has been an exciting, short week getting to know Mr. Epstein, and the students are thrilled to be in his class. Mr. Epstein brings his love for middle school students, understanding of Fraser Woods culture, and decades of teaching experience to the 6th, 7th, and 8th years. We are all happy to have him, and we look forward to the rest of the school year with him on our team.

Mrs. Hood’s Class: On the move!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

” Movement, or physical activity, its thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. through Movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas. ” -Maria Montessori 

Your children had a blast in the gym this week! They worked on the obstacle course. They are developing their large motor skills by climbing, rolling and jumping onto the mats. They also enjoyed using the hula hoops and kicking and throwing the balls. We also introduced the balance beam to build their balance.

In the classroom we observed your children’s need to push heavy objects. Toddlers love to move things and carry them around. Hand-powered materials will build upper body and arm strength as well as develop cardiovascular health. With this observation we decided to introduce the push wagon into the environment and oh boy, they loved it!

Upper Elementary: Let’s Support Each Other

Posted on by Brian Comstock

This week we witnessed a lot of student collaboration and group work in the classroom. It began with the introduction of literature groups on Monday for the books, A Bridge to Terabithia and The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. After the students made their book choices they were divided into groups of five. Role sheets were passed out and each group discussed how they wanted to organize their weekly roles.

Later in the week the students worked together on their kingdom posters that focus on the different kingdoms of life. Together, they organized information and illustrations on their poster to highlight the kingdom they chose.  Once these are finished they will present the posters to the class.

Lastly, all students wrapped up their endangered animal research. We then gathered as a class and voted on which animal to adopt as our class mascot. There were many favorites, but in the end the black-footed ferret earned top honors. We will provide a donation to the World Wildlife Foundation to support endangered animals and their habitats. Then we will receive a plush black-footed ferret that will go home once per week with a different student to enjoy for the weekend.

Lower Elementary: Enjoying Fall Outdoors

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all of the life to be found around them in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.” -Maria Montessori

We spend as much time in the outdoor classroom as possible; from lessons, to discovery, and playing in the woods. Being in nature promotes creativity, imagination, and responsibility as well as connecting us with the natural world. The outdoor environment allows children to interact meaningfully with their surroundings and think freely. We also have been enjoying learning how to nature journal and taking time to appreciate the beauty around us. This week we had our first history lesson on the study of time where we learned about the different cycles of time on Earth. We discussed seasons, phases of the moon, movement of the stars in the night sky, and day and night.

The children learned how to use the Cosmic Mat material for independent work on the creation of the universe. They have been enjoying taking out this work during our morning work cycle!

Middle School: Picking Young Adult Literature

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

To keep up with young adult literature is challenging. Actually, it’s impossible. With so much being published every year, it is hard to discern what to recommend and what not to. In my opinion, middle school is one of the most challenging age groups to read with. First of all, they want to read adult books, but aren’t necessarily ready for them. What I mean by this is that they may be intellectually ready for the words, but the life context behind them isn’t there. Secondly, there are many books marketed for the age group, but the content is too adult and inappropriate. It can be hard to find a balance. I struggle with it, and I know MS parents do as well.

I follow several groups on social media geared towards reading and writing teachers of middle school students. I find a lot of great books and ideas this way that are current and reliable. I recently read a post by a middle school teacher at a public school who was facing the challenge of having a new book added to the curriculum to replace The Pearl by John Steinbeck, which had been read by 8th graders at the school for as long as any of the teachers could remember. She asked, Why? and was met with answers of, “It’s a classic!” and “Because we’ve always read this.”

I have made the choice to educate in independent schools for many reasons, but one is that I can change with the times a bit more easily. I can adjust literature to students’ likes and interests quickly and stay relevant and true to their learning needs.

I am reading a novel with 8th years that I am excited about. In fact, I’m downright ecstatic about it. I have been searching for a novel that accurately depicts life of Native Americans currently living on reservations, and this novel is the perfect companion to the curriculum. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie delivers a relatable, coming-of-age story that has edge that teens will like. This winner of the National Book Award for Young Adults is a controversial choice for some schools because it mentions alcoholism, depression, and has a few lewd teen jokes. However, as is rarely the case with young adult books these days, it does not solely focus on these.

I have decided to read this novel with my students during class time in order to help them navigate the content and stop for meaningful discussion. There are strong parallels that can be made to history and fantastic lessons that will come of it while discussing its relation to the Master Narrative. I feel lucky that I am able to teach in a place where current content and methods are embraced in a changing world.