A Bit of French with the Kindergarten!

Posted on by Francoise Cutrone

The children in Kindergarten had fun in French Class. We learned a new song about a butterfly (un papillon) and we all tried to make butterflies with our fingers (very challenging for some of them!). Often the purpose of doing many gestures when children are learning another language is to distract them from the new word itself. The student then concentrates more on the gesture and less on the word. The word becomes just part of the instruction and the students accept the new vocabulary as if they already learned it.

We also worked on tiny objects hidden in a small box. We opened to box to discover what was in it, learning the expressions “ouvrir, fermer” (open and shut). We played games using prepositions such as “dans, sur, and sous” (in, on, and under).

Middle School Health: Sugar

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

In Health class, the Middle School students read an article from Choice magazine discussing the effects of sugary drinks on the body. We also discussed as a group what their perceptions of healthy and unhealthy drinks were. We discussed which drinks have the most sugar and which have the least. They learned how to calculate the number of teaspoons of sugar you find in a variety of drinks. One teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams.  For example, a soft drink that has 40 grams of sugar equals 10 teaspoons of sugar.

The students worked together to research beverages that they drink and calculated how many teaspoons of sugar each contained. The beverages that they researched were Root Beer, Sprite, Mountain Dew, Red Bull, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, and Coca Cola. We then measured out the individual teaspoons of sugar into a plastic cup to gain a better understanding of how much sugar is in each beverage.

Before the end of class, students presented their findings and shared their beverages and the sugar content. Some were surprised by how much sugar their favorite drinks had. We discussed the importance of reading the Nutritional Facts Labels as well as paying attention to the serving size per container. We also discussed how they can make healthier choices; such as drink water, dilute sugary drinks with water, eat fruit rather than drink juice, and keep a bottle of water with them at school. The students enjoyed being involved in this learning experience and gained a greater understanding of healthier beverage choices.

Global Culinary Night is Thursday, November 8th from 6:30-8:00pm.

This is a FWM entire family event.

Grab your “passport” and travel along with us as we visit countries near and far, sampling foods at each stop! This community event is for FWM families to gather together and share a unique dish from their cultural, ethnic, or regional background while also sampling dishes from other FWM families’ cultures.

Art Studio: Middle School Line Drawings In Space

Posted on by Jen Reid

Middle school students have been exploring the element of line in art class. As a group, we discussed how a line can create an identifiable path for the eye to follow by defining the edges of a form (an outline). The technical term for this is called “contour line drawing.” To practice this firsthand, students drew blind contour portraits of themselves and each other. The blind contour method involves carefully observing a subject and slowly recording it’s contours with a continuous line without looking at the paper. This way of drawing helps develop hand-eye communication and spatial relationships. It can be a challenge to draw what you see without looking at the paper, but each student embraced the process and allowed themselves to let go of perfection. The results were beautiful, abstract line portraits with a twist of humor 🙂

We then looked at the wire portraits of American artist Alexander Calder, who developed an innovative method of sculpting, bending, and twisting wire to create three-dimensional “drawings in space.” Each student created their own unique “drawing in space ” by following the lines of their blind contour drawing with wire. To stabilize and display the wire portraits, we attached them to colorfully painted wooden bases using a staple gun. They will be on display for the whole school to see next week!

 

 

PE Class: Primary Obstacle Course Fun!

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

This month, the Primary students are enjoying an obstacle course comprised of gymnastics mats and a balance beam.  They are practicing many skills. They are climbing up and down from mats, jumping off the mats, crawling under a bridge, performing a forward roll on an inclined mat, walking on a balance beam, and running the moving train around the gym. We cool down with fitness exercises and stretches at the end of each class. Throughout our gymnastics unit, the children are enhancing their social skills, developing strength and coordination, and gaining self-esteem and confidence.

During each class, the children practice learning skills. We practice observing,  waiting our turn and following directions.  Improving all of these skill areas is helpful for those children still learning how their bodies move. Our lessons help them become more comfortable and happy with themselves as they continue to grow.

World Language: 5th year French class!

Posted on by Francoise Cutrone

 

The fifth year students started this new adventure in World Language creating a family tree entirely in French. We looked at all the members of a fictitious family from the grandfather to the last littlest member, the baby! Both grandfather and baby had the same name to facilitate recognition.
We also worked on vocabulary using verbal games such “Simon Says” and other bingo games using action verbs. These verbs will be used throughout the year in order to continue our exploration of the French language. This month of September has been interesting for everyone! What a great start to the school year!

Sing Peace Around the World

Posted on by Yun-Kyung Kim

On September 21st, we celebrated annual International Day of Peace.  Fraser Woods as well as many other Montessori schools across the planet were united as ONE, singing Shelley Murley’s song, “Light a Candle for Peace.” The song for peace moves around the world throughout the day; “That our wish for world peace, will one day come true!”

Maria Montessori believed that the establishing peace is the work of education.  And thus, Peace is an integral part of the Montessori philosophy.

Design Thinking comes to Kindergarten

Posted on by Danielle Ulacco

Our Extended Day students have “officially” jumped head first into our 3D printing realm! They created amazing and original designs for their end of year project.

Collaboration is a beautiful thing. To complete this co-curricular project we had several Middle School Techsperts assist throughout our kindergarten MakerSpace class.

When Extended day students arrived, they were given an overview of how to use Morphi: Our resident 3D printing application in the MakerSpace. Once the tech was understood and questions were answered, we moved to our mobile whiteboard tables that were set up and ready forour kindergarten makers. At each seat you would notice their name, their animal, an iPad, and a marker to start drawing their 2D animal. Middle Schoolers assisted by pulling up photos of their animals on our iPads to serve as a reference. They took their time in drawing, critiquing, requesting feedback, and then finally asking for approval from one of the Techsperts.

Once their rough draft was approved, they were given a stylus and proceeded to recreate their draft on Morphi’s application. Upon completion, they used the “type” feature to add their name and the name of their animal. The beauty of our technology that we chose to implement in the MakerSpace is that everything works seamlessly. With a tap of a few buttons, all files were Airdropped to one of our MacBook Pro’s where I would later slice and send the files to the 3D printers in our MakerSpace.

Our school functions entirely on community and collaboration, and this project is a perfect mirror image of who we want to be. Thank you to Mrs. Doyle for inviting me to be a part of this project. Thank you to my Middle School students for their guidance and tech-knowledge. And a big thank you to my Extended Day students for their hard work and eagerness to learn new things.

Here in the MakerSpace, it’s ALL possible.

Ceramics Fun…Pinch Pot Tea Bowls with Extended Day!

Posted on by Deb Bassino

Extended day students had loads of fun exploring with clay. In the first class of this sequence students made pinch pots. Pinch pots are the oldest form of ceramics dated back thousands of years. Students created “Tea Bowls” which are a very old ceramic form from Asia. Students learned that clay comes from the earth and that it has to be baked, actually fired, in a really hot oven called a kiln. The kiln is heated to over a thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Before the tea bowl is fired it must be air dried for a few days until it’s “leather hard”

The next art class students got their tea bowls back from out of the kiln. The bowls had cooled down and were ready to glaze. Students glazed their bowls choosing one color for the inside and another for the outside. Then the bowls went back in the kiln to be fired.Everyone was really happy with their finished pieces. Now it’s time for tea…or lemonade..or milk….or whatever!