Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Across the Planet

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

We have spent the first few weeks of school exploring globes, their smooth blue areas called water/oceans, and the rough areas, land/continents. The Cultural materials make the relationships of all the parts of the Earth concrete, starting with simple globes the child can explore. The first globe, the Sandpaper Globe represents land on the Earth with rough surfaces and water on the Earth with smooth surfaces, so the child can feel the areas on the face of the Earth which are both land and water. The second, the Colored Globe presents the land in its continental divisions, introducing the child to the distinctions between continents and beginning to identify these continents in particular colors. Your child can use this globe to learn the name of each continent. Eventually they will explore the large puzzle maps, which open the surfaces of the globe to lay flat and include puzzle pieces for each continent and our journey begins.

Cultural materials allow your child to satisfy their inherent curiosity about our planet and their place within in. By starting with simple comparisons, between land and water or between the different continents, the materials help the child to understand the geography of our planet. These same globes are later used to introduce the relationship of the Earth and the Moon, and most beautifully during our birthday celebrations, to illustrate the passage of time over the course of each year of the child’s life.
Geography is a wonderful way of sparking a child’s imagination. Beginning with the Sandpaper and Colored Globes, the Cultural materials respond to a child’s desire to learn about the world and inspire them to learn more about our differences and commonalities across the planet.

Until next week…

Ms. Sharlene & Mrs. Carroll

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Friday Folder Facts

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

“We have to remember as adults, that we want things done, and as quickly as possible, so that they are finished and out of the way; whereas the child is interested and content in the doing, not the done.” –Margaret Stephenson The Art of Montessori in the Home

Each Friday we send home the blue Friday Folders with the work the children have completed over the course of the past week. It is not uncommon for us to receive emails asking why there was so little work inside and what exactly are the children doing?

Sometimes it can be difficult to accept the idea of focusing on the process, not the product. What exactly does that mean? Many of the works in the Montessori classroom do not end with a physical product the children will bring home to share with everyone. There is often no way to visually assess what a child is learning. Overall, as a society, we are product driven and often times base our success on this factor. The experience a child has when working with the materials is truly what is most important. However, when you hear they did “nothing” day after day, it can often be unsettling.

Research shows that children from ages 3-6 learn best through their hands. In order to truly understand a concept they need to explore it through touch. This is why so many of the lessons found in the Montessori environment are not based on memorization alone. Most concepts we are teaching involve tracing, manipulating, and exploring with their hands.

Perhaps most importantly, focusing on the process protects the child’s intrinsic motivation to learn and understand. It is not influenced by external factors such as recognition, praise, or reward. The time and experience with the materials is what we truly value and encourage.

So, if your child’s folder comes home with little to no work, just know that their accomplishments can’t always ‘fit’ in that folder. Maybe after weeks and weeks of trying they learned how to zipper their own coat or maybe they can finally carry a work without it dropping. Maybe after observing a lesson day after day,  your child tried it independently for the first time. The list of skills each child can accomplish will never be fully represented in the Friday Folder. So please enjoy the work that is in there but know it is not an accurate portrayal of all that the children are accomplishing.

Warmly,

Michelle & Jeannine

Español con Señora Hall

Posted on by Sara Hall

I’m so excited to be part of the FWM family and share my passion for language with the children here! In World Language, the children have been diving into stories each class. Storytelling helps students acquire language in a compelling manner and allows them to see words used in context rather than simply learning them in isolation. The children learn actions to correspond with new vocabulary words. 

In alignment with their author study for September, primary classes heard Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, ¿Qué ves ahí? (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle). With the story, they were presented with names of different animals along with their colors. Next, we will work on categorizing living and non-living things, just as they are doing for science this month.

Lower Elementary has been acquiring the skills to discuss which foods we like and do not like. They have been using the story, ¡No me gusta! from the No Me Digas elementary Spanish curriculum. We have been singing and sharing about our favorite and least favorite foods. 

Upper Elementary has practiced retelling stories and sequencing with the stories Isabel va a la escuela and Los Peces, and Los Tiburones, all from The Storyteller’s Corner. They have learned to talk about leaving or staying, how they are feeling, and they have practiced counting 0-10 and backward. 

Middle School just started our Free Voluntary Reading, which is at the beginning of each class. All middle schoolers choose a book to read and spend the first five to ten minutes of class reading in Spanish. Aside from this, they have been singing and hearing stories to say who people are, what they say, and what they like and do not like to do. Then they applied these skills to begin writing their own stories about themselves. 

Mrs. Lopes Class: To New Beginnings

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

We are off to a great start!  The beginning of the school year is always a time filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation for the year ahead.  The first full week of school is almost over and we are impressed with how well the children have acclimated to our new classroom and routines. As we start new beginnings as a classroom community, the children have been learning:

  • How to properly take a lesson and put it away 
  • Walking in the classroom
  • Learning to sit, listen, and participate during a large group meeting
  • Following daily routines independently
  • Being respectful of the classroom materials and each other

We are thrilled to be starting the school year with such an incredible group of children and look forward to all the new adventures we will be sharing together!

Mrs. Lopes and Ms. Vigue

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Living, Loving, and Learning

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

The first week of school is always filled with many emotions for children, parents, and teachers. It takes time for the new rhythms of scheduled days to become familiar. So, while we are taking one step at a time, it definitely feels like we hit the ground running!

It just a few short days we as a class are learning:

  • how to navigate our way around the environment
  • how to wait for a lesson
  • the routines of our school day
  • how to prepare for snack and lunch independently
  • being part of a large group meeting by listening and sharing
  • care of self and care of the environment

Our returning friends have been role models for our new friends.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to be a leader. It wasn’t so very long ago they were new to the classroom themselves and they accept this responsibility with excitement and confidence.

Here’s to new beginnings and a peaceful, fun school year for everyone!

Mrs. Doyle & Miss Jeannine

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Let the Montessori Journey Begin!

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

The beginning of school is a time of excitement! With that excitement comes anxiety and nervousness for many children. Planning, patience, and nurturing ensures that each child starts the year feeling loved, respected and safe. Respect and courtesy in our Montessori school is the foundation for everything we do and each child has already begun to learn the following important skills:

  • how to put their work away where they found it
  • how to tidy up after themselves
  • the importance of helping a friend in need
  • the importance of respecting the materials, the teachers and each other
  • how to tuck in their chair when they leave the table
  • how to walk in the classroom
  • how to be self directed and find their own ‘work’ and most importantly
  • how to be independent

         ( NAMC, 2010)

We are thrilled to be starting the new school year with your children and look forward to nurturing their independence, respect, and courtesy.

Let the Montessori journey begin!

Mrs. Carroll and Mrs. Sharlene

 

 

Ms. Kayser’s Class: How Time Flies…

Posted on by skayser

Can anyone believe that it is the last day of school? I feel like it was just yesterday that the students were walking into the classroom for the very first time. I spent some time looking back at all the pictures from the first few weeks of school, and couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share some of my favorite photos with you so you could also take a trip down memory lane. I also added the pictures from field day this week; to see the difference in the children is breath-taking. Even in pictures, you can see how much they have changed. The students have all grown both physically and emotionally. Each one has a new found confidence in themselves and their abilities that I hope will follow them throughout their whole life. Although some of them may not be returning to the class next year, we are blessed to have been apart of their lives. We have no doubt they will continue on and make their mark on the world.

I want to thank everyone for such an unforgettable year. The memories we have made will surely be in our hearts for years to come. We hope everyone has a safe and fun summer! Please keep in touch and let us know how everyone is doing on their new adventures outside of Fraser Woods.

Love,

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Ms. Kayser’s Class: “Stand Tall, Shine Bright”

Posted on by skayser

 

This week the primary level got to witness and be a part of a beautiful program called Isle of Skoo, from Ben’s Lighthouse. The director, Francine Wheeler, took our children on a journey to teach them kindness, compassion, and how to be beacons of hope and change.

Isle of Skoo is a beautifully choreographed puppet show that was both heart warming and interactive for the children and enforced the core principles that our children live by each and every day in the classroom.

Thank you Francine and the rest of your team for coming and giving us the opportunity to learn, grow, and shine bright.

It is hard to believe that we are heading into our last week of school. We are looking forward to the time we have left together this year and the exciting events we have to share as a community.

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli