I can’t believe we are already halfway through May, with only a month left of school! Yet, although the year is coming to an end, the children’s enthusiasm for learning surely hasn’t dwindled.

I can’t help but reflect on each child’s progress throughout the year. Not only has each child grown physically, but there has also been so much academic and social growth; it warms my heart. I am so pleased to see what a compassionate, kind-hearted, unique group of students we have in the classroom!

Lower El students have been loving their lessons. The first graders heard the “Love Story of the Lines” during geometry this week, where they learned about convergent, divergent, and parallel lines. This lesson is a class favorite because it is told very dramatically, and the students engage in the storytelling. It is told in three parts, a story of sorrow, indifference, and falling in love. This is a first-year lesson. However, most of the classroom wanted to join in on the fun! Now, that is a sign of a good lesson! They used the box of sticks Montessori material to explore these concepts. The second-year group enjoyed learning how to subtract fraction insets using the Montessori protractor, a concept that can be challenging for some, but they grasped it so quickly! I was impressed. Lastly, the third-years have been enjoying their hands-on geometry follow-up. They have been using the box of sticks to explore the diagonals in various polygons and will now use this material for a new unit on circles.

We enjoyed seeing all of the grandparents and special friends today. The children eagerly shared their work with their guests, and the room was full of wonderful energy and smiles. It was so special seeing the children actively engaging with people who are so near and dear to their hearts. Grandparents’ Day is an event loved by all.

“Of all things, love is the most potent.”
― Maria Montessori

This week we had Moving Up Day! Third-year students spent the morning in Upper Elementary, and the Kindergarten students spent some time with us in Lower Elementary.

Multi-age groupings are an advantage of a Montessori classroom. They allow the children to go through a cycle of being mentored, practicing mentoring, and becoming mentors. This week our third-year students practiced being mentees, and our second and some of our first-year students practiced being mentors to their Kindergarten friends. Seeing students at both levels completely engaged and happy working with their future classmates was a joy. In addition, our first and second-year students did an excellent job planning enjoyable and interesting work for the Kindergartners.

The children were so excited all week as the anticipation of Research Night crept up. They were thrilled to share their projects with people they love deeply. The third-year students had their first public speaking experience, presenting before classmates and families. They were amazing! Although it was optional, some second and first-years wanted to present to their peers too! They were all so brave! The children worked diligently and should be very proud of their work, as are we.

With the weather warming up, we will be spending more time outside. The children have loved having lunch outside all week! Please send in bug spray with your child’s name on it if you wish. We will keep it here in school for the remainder of the year.

You are invited to Lower Elementary Research Night in the classroom on Thursday, April 13th, 5:00-6:00 pm. 

The children have been working diligently on completing their research papers, posters, and presentation boards. The third-year students and returning seconds have done an outstanding job mentoring the younger children during this process. This will be a ‘fair’ event where students will stand at their stations, and parents will browse the classroom, stopping to learn about each project. In addition, the third-grade students will give an oral presentation to the group.

We hope everyone can make it! If you know that you will not be in attendance, please let me know.

The teaching of grammar is an integral part of the Montessori language curriculum for elementary children. The aims of this work are for the children to learn the parts of speech and to understand the relationships between them. This work also provides practice reading and writing and enriches the vocabulary of the children. Introductory lessons for each part of speech are given as part of a story; their purpose is to give an impression of the function played by each different part of speech. The children are introduced to grammar symbols for each part. Lessons are followed up with work which is a tool for the children to explore the parts of speech. The first years have been learning about adjectives, second years adverbs, and third graders interjections!

Have a restful and energizing spring break! See you in two weeks!

This week we implemented a new tool in our classroom called class meetings. The purpose of class meetings is to identify problems brought up by the children and brainstorm solutions as a community to fix the issue moving forward. When children feel involved in brainstorming and creating solutions, they are more likely to follow them. Below I listed some more details.

• Our class meetings will take place 2-3 times per week.
• There are jobs during Class Meetings:
  • Facilitator (I do this): Keeps the meeting on track, moves the meeting along, facilitates respectful sharing
  • Time Keeper (child’s job): Keeps track of the timing of each meeting segment and lets us know when the time is up
  • Scribe (I do this): Records the brainstormed suggestions of the class on chart paper
  • Secretary (child’s job): Records the problem and solutions in a notebook which is a permanent record of the meetings and is accessible to all students, anytime
• There are four sections to the Class Meeting:
  • Compliments and Appreciations: This is a five to eight-minute opening where each person can give and receive a compliment or a thank you.
  • Review of a past agenda item: The secretary reads one problem and solution from a previous meeting with a quick discussion to review how it’s going.
  • Brainstorming: The person who added the agenda item being discussed shares it, and we take turns brainstorming solutions. After the brainstorming, we vote (if it’s a class problem), or the person who shared the item chooses a solution (if it’s not a whole-class issue).
  • Connection Activity: This is a fun closing where we share jokes, riddles, or two-minute mysteries.