Montessori Minute
November 10, 2006
News and Notes
? Birthday Blessings this week to Jamie Paddock who turned a very lovely 12 years old this week.
? We so enjoyed chatting with you at conferences. Your children are really wonderful people in this world!
? Thank you so much to all the moms and dads and kids who helped sell, chop, peel, and make over 175 pies for Thanksgiving. It is a huge effort that really pays off. We gratefully extend our deepest thanks to all of you SEAFOM members and pie helpers did this work in support of your children in the classroom.
? Winter Celebration Potluck tonight! The Montessori community invites you to Juneau Montessori School at 5:30 this evening. Pick up candles and enjoy a winter walk to Gastineau School for a potluck and very interesting slide show. Afterward, be sure to stay for caroling!
? Request from Matt: Want to Help? I have a cut and glue type project (making bookmarks to support our readers) that needs to be finished. If this sounds like something you could do, please let me know and I can send the materials your way.
? Adriana (in upper el) has a request for all. She has created a special community service for herself that can be taken advantage of by others. She is offering Salsa dance lessons with her mother, Lupita, at the Alaska Club on.... This is in preparation for the Juneau Montessori School (in Douglas) fund-raiser Hot Salsa/Cool Ballroom Dance to be held in February. Adriana sent home tickets and a letter of explanation to most children who were interested in selling tickets as a community service project. Please return any unsold tickets.
Proceeds from this fund-raiser support the Juneau Montessori School pre-school programs.
Lower El (Matt)
With the hustle and bustle of snow days and Thanksgiving, we've been working on getting back into routine. With the added energy that comes with this time of year, this isn't always an easy task. So... as a group we've been discussing and working on ways to help others and ourselves so that we can have a productive Work Period for all.
Those working on their cursive have just recently finished learning all of the lower case letters and have started learning the upper case letters (A, C, E, O, H, K, M and N). This means we can start to expect homework to be written in cursive. Those that don't know all of their upper case letters can use print when writing letters that should be in upper case (Capital letters and Proper Nouns). As a class we've been working on rough drafts and final drafts, so for those transitioning into cursive for homework, the rough draft could be in print (so they don't get bogged down in the cursive and lose ideas), and the final draft could be in cursive.
Division and multiplication work has exploded in our room recently. Some children have asked for lessons to learn their basic facts, while others have started doing larger problems with these two operations. We have kids doing multi-digit multiplication using the checkerboard and others are using the Stamp Game to practice long division. The kids working on their basic facts are using the Multiplication Board and Division Board respectively in order to get the much-needed repetition they need to learn their facts.
In Geography some of the children had a lesson on the fact that the Earth is a sphere and its result in relation to the sun. We learned that because the Earth is a sphere, when rays of the sun hit earth we get perpendicular rays and oblique rays. With a few "experiments" we saw that oblique rays cover more area and tend to lose heat when working their way through the atmosphere, while perpendicular rays are more concentrated in an area and heat up the land quicker. With this knowledge about the sunrays, we realized why certain parts of the earth are very warm, while other parts tend to be cooler; it's because of the oblique and perpendicular rays of the sun!
Lower El (Corey)
While snow days can be a mixed blessing (plans can take a thumping) I hope everyone was able to help themselves to a frolic or two on those most magical of school children's days we had before the break.
Works too numerous to mention have been in progress in our classroom since the last time I found myself writing "The Minute". The children are making good use of our new dissecting microscope (thanks again, Sue Walker). This work and ongoing science experiments are helping us learn how to handle lab materials, make hypotheses and write out our observations on paper the same way scientists do. This proves exceptionally fascinating when the scientists have the incredible observation powers of children.
Various ways of memorizing the basic math facts for all four operations is one area we've spent a lot of time on lately. We've been discussing how memory pathways in our brains need treading in the same way a well-worn footpath needs it. Without use, the grass grows right up and makes it hard to find the way. Research indicates that a mere 15-20 minutes a day of this kind of work helps the most. We've been doing timed math regularly now. Once children master the memorization of basic facts in one operation (50 problems in 5 minutes) they can move on to the next one. Not only is it cool to know your math facts right off the top of your head, but it really makes doing math much easier and more fun. If any opportunities to reinforce this pop up, take them. Gleeful real world use of math facts really motivates the children and helps them see the relevance. The stamp game gets continued use for all four operations, including recent algorithm for long division (with group division). Some children are also working on distributive division using the division board and racks and tubes. In tying together math to Geometry we've looked into Greek Numerals and Roman Numerals. In Geometry we've been looking at plane figures, polygons, names for polygons (and their origins) angles, measuring angles with a protractor and bisecting angles with a compass. Of course you can't foray into Greek and Roman numerals without some history lessons on those cultures. I can hardly wait to waltz through history by telling the Great Lesson "The Story of Numbers" which is coming for us next week.
Our read aloud book "Matilda" opened the door to a couple of interesting language directions including a jaunt into poetry beginning with the whimsical "limerick" style. The children also noticed that the author's incorrect use of the word "sum" when it should have been "product". It almost prompted a letter until the students looked into his biography and discovered he had passed away. At that point they decided to let him off the hook.
Homework sharing is still going on every other Friday when homework is due for the entire class. Third grade students are now turning in homework weekly. This Friday we'll be sharing again starting at about 9 o'clock. Aside from going much smoother these days, it's a hoot. Hope to see you there.
It was great to have the time to reflect on all of the students individually prior to conferences and equally wonderful to see you all there. Thanks so much for taking the time to come in and have a sit down.
Looking forward to chatting at the potluck!
Upper El (Chris)
Snowy, blowy days have our minds on winter - though it is officially 3 weeks away. We have taken a break from essay homework and are working on memorizing and reciting winter works by famous authors. This week the children had the choice of a Robert Frost (Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening) or a William Shakespeare poem (Blow, Blow They Winter Wind). They are timely and memorable words to carry in our hearts and minds. They also give us the opportunity to develop our diction, memorization, stage presence, performance, confidence, and so much more.
We have finally wrapped up our major research work of the fall. The children spent time this week synthesizing their knowledge for the final step - presentation. They were asked to consider their thesis statements, important things others should know about their subjects, interesting facts, what they are most proud of and what each child will do differently next time. This is an important reflection and allows them a clear opportunity to share their work with the rest of us. Look for these works soon to be on display in the hall outside of the classroom.
Big work! Believe it or not the humongous Ancient Greek map has made a re-appearance this week. Many are working to finish labeling important landmarks and landforms, oceans, seas, and so forth. There is quite a spectacular compass rose created as well. The entire work measures about 5 feet square. When is the last time you created a 25 square foot piece of work? It is amazing.
We've gotten back on track with math and geometry work this week. Grammar seems to be flowing through the minds and pencils of many of the children too. Geography is starting to be of interest again to many now that Greek map has been seen to be nearly complete and quite amazing.
Two of our upper el students, Malin Murray (6^th^) and Seamus McBrien (5^th^) are running for student council at Glacier Valley. We are very proud of their efforts at taking this extra step of responsibility in support of the school community. Malin is running for school treasurer and Seamus for vice president. Give them you best support and congratulations for the effort when you see them.
et cetera
? Winter Wonderland Potluck and Gathering You are invited to join the entire Montessori community at Juneau Montessori School at 5:30 this evening. Pick up candles, stroll to Gastineau School, potluck, and then carol.
? Elementary Nutcracker Field Trip Monday 12.4.06 We will be talking a bus to the high school to enjoy this wonderful event. A few of the children in our classes are even dancing it! Permission slips went home Wednesday. Please make sure they are back Monday morning or your child will not be able to attend this special event.
