“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
I feel like I am always writing about “one of my favorite things about Montessori,” but there is so much I love about it. Here’s another thing I love: collaboration. I am so glad to teach a philosophy that encourages students to find others to bounce ideas off of or to feel confident enough to ask about things they don’t know because they see others (even teachers!) are still learning and asking questions. Through collaboration and teaching peers, students strengthen their own skills and learn how to communicate effectively to be heard and be successful. Learning these skills at such a young age will lead to great success in interpersonal relationships as adults and great success in their chosen fields.
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week our first year students will continue working on their Great Zimbabwe research, will discuss the function of the leaf vein, and will conduct leaf experiments. Our second year students will practice using commas in an address, will find the sum of the interior angles of a triangle, and will begin creating an imaginary island. Our third year students will review the interjection, will continue studying Pythagorean Theorem, and will finish studying the human body. Our fourth year students will continue studying Cro-Magnon Homo sapiens, will complete their fungi study guide, and will complete labs about solubility and acids. Our fifth year students will study phrases, will continue researching ancient civilizations, will look at the animal tree of life, and will study coastal plains.
REMINDERS:
We need a few more parent volunteers for our final typing lessons (on Fridays). Sign up here.
NO SCHOOL – Monday, April 22 – Easter Monday
Wednesday, May 1 – International Festival Practice
Friday, May 3 – Early Dismissal – Noon – No after-care
This week our “Peek” was written by a few of our students! These students read our previous blogs, took pictures around the room, and filled in a blog template. The students did some editing together, and with a teacher, so what you will read below is their final product. There are still some misspelled words in their final product, but in a Montessori classroom we focus on the process, instead of the end result. Dr. Montessori believed when we put all of the emphasis on the final product, we devalue everything leading up to that point. This can discourage repetition which will make mastery of a skill difficult. The purpose of the students writing the blog is to provide you with a glimpse into the room through their eyes, to provide them with practice of real world skills, and to give them a deeper understanding of the materials in the room. We hope you enjoy their work!
“A Peek at Our Week” by the Ellie and Reese
This week the first graders learned about adding and subtracting on a number line. The second years learned about larg bead fram multiplicashun. The third years learned about Pythagorean Theorem. Upper Elementary learned about how to bisect the base.
“A Peek at Our Field Trip and Next Week” by Ms. Ashley
We loved our visit to the McKinley Museum! While there, we visited “Discovery World,” the planetarium, and the McKinley Monument. In “Discovery World,” we were introduced to Alice the Allosaurus, saw the fossils of a triceratops, mosasaur, and some animals from the Pleistocene Ice Age! We were also able to see animals from North America like another corn snake named Kernel, catfish, bees, and a tarantula! Once we visited with the live animals, we went to the science area. Students were able to try different experiments, which you will see below. We enjoyed the planetarium and learned a lot about the construction of the Memorial after climbing all the stairs!
Next week, we will continue working on our models and songs for the International Festival. Please refer to the previous email for what your child needs to wear and what food you can bring. Our first year students will find the commutative pairs in our Decanomial, will review parts of speech and discuss the conjunction, will begin studying energy transformations, and will be introduced to the echinoderms! Our second year students will solve length word problems, will review conjunctions, will find the height and orthocenter of a triangle, and will experiment with oily feathers to learn about oil spills. Our third year students will multiply fractions by a whole number, will review how to use quotation marks, and will classify phyla of plants. Our fourth year students will add integers, will discuss the old world Homo sapiens, will learn about gerunds, and will classify fungi. Our fifth year students will multiply on the decimal checkerboard, find the area of a circle, and will study glaciers.
REMINDERS:
NO SCHOOL – Monday, April 22 – Easter Monday
Wednesday, May 1 – International Festival Practice
Friday, May 3 – International Festival
We still need parent volunteers to monitor our typing lessons. Sign up here.
Mark your calendars – Optional Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held the week of May 13-17, before and after school. A link to sign up will be sent through Remind and the blog soon.
“Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.” – Jane Goodall
What a great week back to school. We were so excited for our “Skype in the Classroom” event with Dr. Jane Goodall. Children from schools all around the word tuned in to hear about her first work in Africa and her current work now to protect humans and animals. We submitted a few questions which were answered by Jane and Jane Goodall Institute members. We are patiently waiting to receive a copy of the talk and our answers. In the meantime, students have been looking into her “Roots and Shoots” initiative to help students learn more about the needs of animals and the planet to prove that every child can make a difference. Once we gather all of our information, we are going to vote to see if we would like to join one of the projects to do service for people and animals in our area.
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week, we will continue to study and research Great Zimbabwe. Our first year students will add and subtract on a number line, will continue to study whole and straight angles, will discuss the parts of a leaf, and will begin studying Australia. Our second year students will begin compound multiplication by discussing standard and expanded notation on the Large Bead Frame, will continue studying triangles with the “Seven Triangles of Reality” lesson, and will find symmetry in flowers. Our third year students will record partial products on the Flat Golden Bead Frame, will move on to Pythagorean Theorem, and will study the main characteristics of mollusks. Our fourth year students will create a line graph on our Pegboard, will bisect the base of a triangle to find the area, will be introduced to fungi, and will complete a lab about properties of matter. Our fifth year students will build a cube to its successive cube, will be introduced to the Ancient Civilizations Timeline, and will study ocean currents.
REMINDERS:
McKinley Museum Field Trip – Tuesday, April 9 – This is a bus field trip. We will be learning about Ohio history, dinosaurs, and will visit their planetarium. Please pack a disposable lunch for this day and be sure your child wears comfortable shoes. We will be walking up many steps to the McKinley Memorial.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
We are down to only eight more weeks of school! I cannot believe it! Our first years are beginning to build their own Simple Machines with a partner. Our second years are completing their study of polygons with five or more sides and are beginning to look at triangles. Our third years getting ready to move on to the Pythagorean Theorem. Our fourth year students are wrapping up their study of early humans. Our fifth years are continuing to study Ancient Civilizations. Take a peek at the wonderful work we have been doing these last two weeks.
Wax Museum
Our students worked so hard over the course of two months to prepare for the Wax Museum. Please refer to the previous blog (below this post) to read all of the details! Here are some photos of their great work! Thank you to all parents and family members that came to show your support and that donated to our Bake Sale for the Upper Elementary Trip this August!
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” -Benjamin Franklin
This week we completed our Wax Museum research! We have been working hard on this project since our first day back in January! Whenever we begin a large project like this, we spend a lot of time sharing tips and tricks with newer students to get them started on the right path. We discuss how to plan our time and how much work to complete each day in order to stay on top of things and to remain successful. It is a great learning experience for all when older students share what they did that was successful last year and what they did in the past that led them to fall behind or to have to redo a portion of a large project. We give each student an outline of due dates and also display those dates on a classroom calendar for students to review whenever necessary. Our newer students have benefited from the examples of research cards that we displayed each week with each new topic. We invited students each day to a “Wax Museum Workshop” to work with teachers and peers to focus on a specific part of our project. I have included a little sneak peek into some backdrops, but you are going to be so impressed with the hard work your child has accomplished over these last two months! We can’t wait for you to join us on Monday, March 18, at 6 pm!
“A Peek into Next Week”
Next week, we will be practicing our speeches daily to memorize them by March 18. Many students have already been practicing. Each student that completed their speech should have brought home a copy already within the last few weeks. If they did not, please remind your child to bring their home copy Monday at dismissal. Next week, our first years will be introduced to the history of metric measurement, will learn about synonyms, will continue studying straight lines on the same plane, and will begin their research of simple machines! Our second year students will add decimals, will practice comma rules, will begin studying polygons, and will review flower completeness. Our third year students will learn to cross multiply, will link history to language with a study of pronouns and verbs in different tenses, will continue studying the equivalence of our Metal Insets, and will study arthropods. Our fourth year students will study puns (my favorite), will continue subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and will bisect the height of triangles to find the area. Our fifth year students will study cause and effect in writing, will discuss the imperative mood of verbs, and will continue studying square roots!
REMINDERS:
If you are able, please sign up to donate something for our Wax Museum Bake Sale here!
WAX MUSEUM – Monday, March 18 – 6 pm! Please invite your family and friends!
SPRING BREAK – Thursday, March 21 – Friday, March 29
We are in need of some parent volunteers to teach typing. We need parents each Friday that we have school from 8:45 – 11:00. We set up two laptops in the Enrichment Room and send two students at a time to practice typing. If you are interested in volunteering, you would need to help students log in to their account on Typing.com and make sure they are using proper hand placement on the keyboard. Our students have been doing this for a few months and are very used to the procedure so they can offer any tips if you need them! Please sign up here if you are interested!
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – WB Yeats
This week the Elementary students started their displays for the Wax Museum. Our first graders were introduced to a number line and measured their friends. Our second year students researched land forms made of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock. Our third year students learned to make a bar graph using Google Sheets and continued researching weather damage. Our fourth year students were introduced to their final early humans, the Cro-Magnon group of Homo sapiens. Our fifth year students researched different homes throughout ancient civilizations. If you are interested in being part of Providence Classical School visit https://www.pcsclassical.org/ your child is receiving the best possible education with us.
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week, we will wrap up our Wax Museum project to begin practicing for the big day (Monday, March 18)! Our Lower Elementary students will study March Holidays and will begin researching Asian animals. Our first year students will be introduced to the pronoun, will begin to study two straight lines on the same plane, and will discuss the external parts of an annelid (like the earthworm)! Our second year students will continue studying angles and will discuss the main characteristics of a reptile. Our third year students will be introduced to homographs, will continue studying equivalence with the Metal Insets, and will discuss the internal systems of amphibians. Our fourth year students will make a timeline of all early humans, will discuss the indicative mood of verbs, and will subtract fractions with unlike denominators. Our fifth year students will look at transmogrified words, will be introduced to Pi, and will begin studying square roots (Wow!)!
REMINDERS:
Monday, March 4 – NO SCHOOL FOR ELEMENTARY – Student/Parent Conferences – Please refer to your email for your scheduled time. Your child must attend this conference.
WAX MUSEUM – Monday, March 18 – We will also hold a Bake Sale at this event. Details to follow soon.
SPRING BREAK – Thursday, March 21 – Friday, March 29
“A child, more than anyone else, is a spontaneous observer of nature.” – Maria Montessori
This week was an exciting week for nature in our classroom. We have been able to see Kernel out exploring his new habitat almost every day, we started germinating our lettuce seeds for the aquaponic system, and we have seen some growth in the food scraps we are trying to regrow! So far, most of our lettuce has sprouted enough to plant into our aquaponic system and it has continued to grow! Through research and conversation with others that have aquaponic or hydroponic systems, we learned from our mistakes last year and have seen success! Our onions, garlic, and carrot scraps are coming along and we are waiting to see if our pineapple will regrow.
Photos from our Valentine’s Party
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week we will begin our backdrops and buttons for the Wax Museum! Our first year students will be introduced to number lines, will discuss antonyms, and will find the parts of a bulb. Our second year students will have their next Checkerboard lesson, will find adverb pairs, and will learn the origins of the names of the days of the week. Our third year students will write explanations about graphs they study, will classify adverbs, will join the second years in learning the origins of the names of the days of the week, and will find plants from each continent. Our fourth year students will begin studying early groups of Homo sapiens, will continue studying simple tense verbs, and will continue taking the area of triangles. Fifth year students will continue ancient civilization research, will divide fractions, and will begin measuring circles.
REMINDERS:
“Bring Your Parent to Work Time” – 2/26 and 2/27 – We still have a few slots open. Sign up here.
Monday, March 4 – NO SCHOOL – Student Led Conferences – Please check your email for the time your child was scheduled and for more information.
Monday, March 18 – Wax Museum
Thursday, March 21-Friday, March 29 – NO SCHOOL – Spring Break
“The only source of knowledge is experience.” -Albert Einstein
One of my favorite parts of the Elementary curriculum is the real experiences the children get through field trips, “Going Out Experiences,” and the projects we do in the classroom, like growing food in our aquaponic system. This week we had the privilege of seeing the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall AND started germinating our seeds for the aquaponic system. At the Orchestra, we were surprised with box seats and were introduced to instruments we had never heard in person, like the harp! This was especially exciting for students that are researching composers for the Wax Museum. The children were so excited and even danced along to the music. This morning a student said aloud, “I know we have good teachers. I mean, they took us TO THE ORCHESTRA even though there’s only twenty of us!” We all had a great time and learned a lot about how an orchestra performs.
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week, we will write the final drafts of our Wax Museum research! Our first year students will discuss the adverb, types of stems, and nematodes. Our second year students will practice abbreviating, will solve word problems about currency, and will study famous rock formations. Our third years will discuss plural possessives, will learn about plants through riddles, and will study time zones. Our fourth year students will continue studying early humans and the Monera Kingdom! Our fifth year students will work on animal research, will learn about Tom Swifties, and will begin learning how to measure circles!
“Our children can be our greatest teachers if we are humble enough to receive their lessons.”
As we have discussed at “Meet the Teacher” and Parent Education events, the elementary-aged children are in a sensitive period for rudeness. This means they often say things without thinking about how they sound or say things without realizing it may hurt someone’s feelings. It can be challenging sometimes when it feels like the situations and disagreements caused by the things they don’t mean to say take more time to handle than the lessons we are teaching, but we know both are just as important as each other. We see the time it takes to talk through disagreements or to explain why you should phrase something differently pay off when we have visitors in our classroom. We have students carefully choosing their words and working to be role models to new friends around them. We see them taking their time to explain something to a new person and helping them through their frustrations. The students make sure to include someone new and ask them questions to learn more about them and make them feel welcome. Watching them in these moments reminds us to focus on the important things in life and the end goal of preparing them to be kind and helpful adults.
“A Peek at Next Week”
Next week, we will write the bibliography and rough draft for our Wax Museum research. Our Lower Elementary students will study the year and its parts, rainbow factoring, indirect objects, and the skeleton. Our Upper Elementary students will use Napier’s Bones to solve math equations, will change a number from its square to its cube, and will solve word problems.
REMINDERS:
Tuesday, February 12 -Orchestra Field Trip – this is a bus field trip and we will be eating lunch at school
Friday, February 15 – Student Only Valentine’s Party. Sign up to bring something here.
Tuesday 2/26 and Wednesday 2/27 – “Bring Your Parents to ‘Work Time'” sign up here.
This week our “Peek” was written by a few of our students! These students read our previous blogs, took pictures around the room, and filled in a blog template. The students did some editing together, and with a teacher, so what you will read below is their final product. There are still some misspelled words in their final product, but in a Montessori classroom we focus on the process, instead of the end result. Dr. Montessori believed when we put all of the emphasis on the final product, we devalue everything leading up to that point. This can discourage repetition which will make mastery of a skill difficult. The purpose of the students writing the blog is to provide you with a glimpse into the room through their eyes, to provide them with practice of real world skills, and to give them a deeper understanding of the materials in the room. We hope you enjoy their work!
“A Peek at Our Dissection Field Trip” by the Upper Elementary Students
Maddex
My favrit part is the dissecting lab. The hart was interesting with the different valves.
Tyler
Two weeks ago we went to the Natural History Museam. I really liked the dissection of the heart.
Camilla
We went to the Natural History Museam a couple weeks ago. We dissected a sheep heart, we went to different exhibits, and overall we had a lot of fun. We saw a model of the Australopithecene, Lucy. We also learned about our birth stones. That field trip was a fun and educational time for us four classmates to become better friends.
Ainsley
Two weeks ago, Maddex, Camilla, Tyler, and I went to the Cleveland Museam of History. It was so fun.
“A Peek at Next Week” by Ms. Ashley
Next week, the Lower Elementary students will practice multiplying with the snake game, will learn about direct objects in a sentence, will talking about inventions that prevent weather damage, and will read food labels. Upper Elementary students will reduce fractions to their lowest terms, use the negative snake game, talk about adverbials, distinguish between fact and opinion, and create-a-city. For our Wax Museum research, the Lower Elementary students will learn about the hardships of the person they are researching. Our Upper Elementary students will examine the character traits of their chosen person.
REMINDERS:
I will be out of the classroom Tuesday, January 29, to observe at the Cuyahoga Falls Campus. Please contact Ms. Marlee or Ms. Brandy if you need anything that day.
Saturday, February 9 – School Dance FUNdraiser
Tuesday, February 12 – Cleveland Orchestra Field Trip. This is a bus field trip. Students will be back to eat lunch at school so you do not need to worry about packing disposable items.