Learning another language is beneficial for memorization development in a child’s brain, making it more efficient and flexible. This month, children from Fraser Woods Montessori School were able to review and learn basic Spanish phrases and words. Primary and Lower Elementary students recalled greetings, self-introductions, and how to express their basic feelings in Spanish. In addition, children were able to practice the new words learned in class. Upper Elementary students, as well as all the students, had a review of Spanish learned in previous years. Also, they are learning feelings in Spanish and practicing handwriting. They are also learning pronunciation and vocabulary through songs. Middle school students are working the “SOMOS” curriculum, learning more vocabulary, grammar, and cultural aspects. Also, we are using interactive games, videos and other fun activities in class. In addition, Middle School Students are learning about the “Hispanic Heritage Month” in part by reading a very special book for middle schoolers called “The Bluest Sky” by Christina Diaz Gonzalez a Cuban American author.
Blog
Mrs. Wilson: Highlights From Our Week
This week, we began by savoring the fruits of our labor. Since the applesauce was still cooking last week, we decided to wait until Tuesday to enjoy it together. Most of the children loved their treat, and many had two servings!
We also conducted our first fire drill of the year. To avoid startling the children, we held this drill without an alarm. They were briefed on what to expect and what actions to take. Once the announcement was made, they held onto the walking rope and walked to our designated spot beautifully. While the whole school was outside for the drill, we took a school-wide photo. I can’t wait to see our community captured in one photograph!
After the fire drill and photo, our class decided to stay outside and use the new turf field for recess. The children were filled with excitement as they ran around with the balls—it was a great time for everyone.
In our food tasting activity, the children participated in food prep by peeling bananas before tasting them. While some children tried to skip this step and dive right into eating, it was a fun and engaging experience overall.
Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week
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.
As part of our daily circle time routine, we sing a variety of Hello/Good Morning songs. One of our current favorites is a catchy movement song, which the children absolutely love. I’ll share it in case you’d like to listen at home. Maybe they’ll even share some of their dance moves with you!
Wishing your families a wonderful week and a sweet new year to all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah -Shanah Tovah!
Christine & Fatima
Ms. Marissa: Archipelagos and Isthmuses
October has kicked off our study of the planet Earth. We are talking about what makes our Earth special—in particular, land, air, and water. Thinking about what animals and vehicles occupy those spaces is so interesting, and we are having a lot of fun categorizing them all. We are exploring land and water forms as well. Do you know the opposite of a system of lakes? No? It’s an archipelago—a cluster of islands!
Here are other land and water forms we’ve talked about:
- Isthmus and Strait
- Island and Lake
- Cape and Bay
- Peninsula and Gulf
It is so fitting that we are talking so much about our planet because we are celebrating our first class birthday this week! The birthday child walks around the sun while holding the globe, representing the passing of a year and turning another year older.
Our Kindergarteners are leaning into their roles as class leaders. They are willingly and enthusiastically giving lessons, guiding others, and being the best role models for our younger students.
The poem we began practicing this week is:
In October I’ll be host
To witches, goblins and a ghost!
I’ll serve them chicken soup on toast.
Whoopy once,
Whoopy twice,
Whoopy chicken soup with rice!
-Maurice Sendak
Warmly,
Marissa & Sue
This Week in Upper El
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- Art class
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- Art class
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- Art class
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- Art class
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- Art class
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- Reading comprehension
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- Finding the square root
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- Literature circle
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- Literature circle
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- Decimal multiplication
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- Birthday Kahoot!
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- Biology – The Menu of the Plant
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- Multiples and factors
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- Types of quadrilaterals
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- Types of quadrilaterals
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- History – Homo erectus work
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- Finding the square root
Conferences are coming up on October 25. At the Upper Elementary level, students prepare for and participate in their conference. Please sign up for your conference here.
We had a busy and beautiful week in Upper El.
In biology, we learned about the theories of Empedocles, a Greek philosopher and statesman who claimed 2,500 years ago that all things are made up of four “ultimate elements”: fire, air, water, and earth. We discovered that, after all this time, his theories were not far off the mark. We also learned about the nutrients that plants use to make their food and build their bodies: gases in the air, minerals in the water and soil, and the energy of the sun.
In history, we learned about Homo neanderthalensis, who lived from 430,000 to 40,000 years ago. We saw that Neandertals were people like us, with brains as large as our own. We looked at their homes, clothing, tools, hunting, and burials.
Our inaugural Literature Circle for the year was held on the recently constructed patio. I was pleased to observe the students engaging in lively discussions about the pages they had read and their assigned role sheets. The level of focus displayed by both groups as they delved into their respective books was truly impressive. Additionally, during our language lesson, we delved into the historical development of the alphabet through an enthralling story titled “The Ox and the House.”
Middle School: Week in Review
Another beautiful fall week went by in Middle School. It was a Community Service week, so our 6th and 7th graders visited their younger peers in their classrooms. 8th-grade Leadership led their first tour of the school for a visiting Admissions Director from the Canterbury School and baked about 100 snickerdoodle cookies for this weekend’s Oktoberfest. Hope to see you there!
Here’s the rundown of what went on in classes this past week:
Humanities
6th grade Humanities students began their first novel, Becoming Naomi Leon, by Pam Munoz Ryan. This book takes place in Southern California and Oaxaca, Mexico, so students began to learn about the region. Cultural and geographic lessons will continue as students read the novel. They also completed their first book discussions and reading assignments and learned about the parts of the plot. Additionally, students wrote their first On Demand piece, a “show-me-what-you-know” writing assessment, to establish individual writing goals.
7th-grade Humanities classes finished and presented their research of the Chinese Dynasties spanning almost 4,000 years! Then, they looked at the history and significance of the Great Wall of China. Finally, 7th-grade students continued reading their class novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break.
8th-grade students spent a few classes presenting their first round of current events. Topics covered a variety of topics and issues, and the students had respectful conversations offering perspective to each other. Next, in continuing our unit on the Indigenous perspective of US history, they have developed their own unique way of studying and demonstrating knowledge surrounding the effects of European contact. Beginning with the Powhatan Confederacy, the class is creating a graphic book that demonstrates their research. They have decided what information should be researched to create a comprehensive Indigenous perspective, as well as the roles each class member will play in completing the work. Finally, the students worked on analyzing a primary source journal entry from the UK National Archives and answering questions about its content.
Math
Pre-Transition: This week, students concluded their learning on Chapter 1 and wrote the first Unit Assessment. They reviewed concepts such as ordering integers, graphing simple fractions on a number line, and interpreting positive and negative situations. They will begin learning Chapter 2 next week, “Decimals and Percents.”
Transition: This week, students explored how to use scientific notation and practiced solving problems with order of operations. They wrapped up the week with a chapter review and completed the self-test in the UCSMP textbook to review key concepts. Ms. Sutherland encourages all students to prepare for their first chapter assessment, scheduled for Tuesday, October 8th.
Algebra: Students discovered the difference between mean and mean absolute deviation this week. They worked through a variety of problems that included graphing ordered pairs, evaluating absolute values, and determining equivalent expressions. The Algebra class has officially learned all the Chapter 1 concepts and will start investigating Chapter 2 next week.
Geometry: This week, students worked through the first few lessons of Chapter 2 titled, “Language and Logic of Geometry”. Students can now determine the difference between convex and non-convex figures, write conditional statements, and use and interpret Venn Diagrams. They will write the Chapter 2 Quiz on Thursday, October 10th.
Science
Students in all grades were given their first literacy lab this week. This weekly homework assignment is handed out on Monday and expected back by Friday. Be sure to ask your student for the details.
6th grade students completed their experimental design packets this week in class. They have learned the basics of the scientific method and how to design a scientific investigation. Next week, students will use this knowledge as they design their first experiment, using an observation already made in class.
The 7th and 8th grade students conducted their very own experiments this week. They were provided with an observation: some students listened to music while working and reported performing better on assignments and exams. Students were then asked to use their previous week’s learning to design and conduct an experiment of their writing, investigating this observation. They spent the beginning of the week testing their peers and the latter portion of the week compiling and analyzing data to begin writing a formal lab report.
This Week in Upper El
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- Sharing book reports
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- Sharing book reports
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- Sharing book reports
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- Sharing book reports
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- Sharing book reports
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- Birthday Kahoot!
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- Birthday Kahoot!
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- Working outdoors
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- Sharing book reports
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- Sharing book reports
This week, we settled more into our Upper Elementary routines. During the work cycle, we reviewed math work and prepared for new lessons. We also worked on our first Wordly Wise assignment and continued our spelling work. In large group lessons, we started a history unit on human evolution: The Time Line of Early Humans. This work involves a hands-on creation of a timeline of human cultures. The Time Line of Early Humans is an overview of four human groups: Homo habilis, Home erectus, Home sapiens, and Homo sapiens sapiens. This week we focused on Homo habilis, who lived from about two and a half million to about one million years ago. We learned about their climate, where they lived, their shelters, food sources, weapons, and tools.
We will be visiting the outdoor classroom in the woods regularly. Please send insect repellent with your child to keep at school for our outdoor time, as mosquitos and ticks are in the woods.
We look forward to an exciting school year with your children and to supporting them as they move through the curriculum at a pace that will help them master the Upper Elementary material.
This Week in Upper El
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” -John Muir
We had a great time at The Adventure Park this week. It was the perfect first field trip of the year, offering real opportunities for the children to bond, encourage, and support one another outside the classroom. Helping each other on the high ropes course created natural opportunities for teamwork. I observed children challenging themselves to try courses with intimidating and challenging elements.
Overall, field trips are beneficial for children. They can practice grace and courtesy with each other and the people we encounter outside Fraser Woods on the trip. Going on trips helps develop children’s resilience, courage, and independence and teaches them about our interconnectedness with nature and the world. Field trips also provide opportunities for children to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and help them develop responsibility, manners, and cooperation.
We look forward to seeing you at the Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences on October 25. Students at the Upper Elementary level participate in these conferences. Please sign up for your conference here.