Explorations of Elementary November 2015

Explorations of Elementary

Students were diligently focused on completing their research projects during the first part of November. Some students were finalizing their planet pizzas with slices of information about their chosen planet, while others were further back in history during the time of the dinosaurs. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students were proud to present their first full research report, complete with maps, drawings, visual aids, a bibliography, and a creative presentation. All of the research was displayed at our Thanksgiving Feast for families to enjoy together.

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A highlight of the month was our field trip to the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. We began our tour in the Discover World where we were able to follow up with our dinosaur research as we learned more about several dinosaurs we had researched, and one special dinosaur, the Allosaurus. In this Natural History Island we were able to create fossils and see how archaeologists dig for fossils, and we enjoyed an authentic mastodon skeleton, whose fossilized remains were discovered in the Canton area.

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In geography we have been designing various types of maps. Several students have mapped out their bedroom, while others have been working on state capitols and coastal plains. A few older students were very impressed with our new Bohr Diagram. We learned the parts of an atom and how to build an atom on the board. Each student helped create hydrogen, then oxygen. The then discovered that atoms sometimes like to share electrons, so we had hydrogen and oxygen share. Every eye in the lesson grew wider when they discovered why water is sometimes referred to as H2O. Aha moments make teaching so joyous! 🙂


Explorations of Elementary October 2015

Explorations of Elementary

Our trip to Hale Farm was one of the best field trips! Each student enjoyed the walk along the beautiful grounds and the fall colors surrounding us. We began in the wagon house, where we saw several different styles of carriages once used. We then ventured into the barn where we learned about a special crop commonly referred to as broom corn. This corn was grown and used to make sturdy brooms for sweeping floors and long brooms to clean rafters in the barns.

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From here we went into the home and saw how the women would have made candles, yarn, and cider. We watched a farmer hitch up a team of bulls used to plow fields. I think everyone’s favorite part was watching the blacksmith create a hook and seeing a classmate “punished” in the old schoolhouse, by standing in the corner with a book on her head. We also watched a glassblower create a beautiful red glass cup. Everyone agreed this was a great trip and they all want to return soon.

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Our elementary Reading Groups meet every Tuesday afternoon to spend time reading as a small group. We have divided up into three small groups, each reading different books. All three groups spend time doing language and grammar work, and practicing reading fluency aloud. One group has been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl. This group has been focusing on types of nouns, syllables, compound words, and rules of capitalization. They recently began making a Capitalization Rule Book, in which they are writing all the rules to reference when they write. Another group has been reading short stories from the Junior Great Book series, poetry, and the children’s classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, and Rumpelstiltskin. This group has been focusing on new vocabulary and learning definitions by using context clues and the dictionary. The third group has been reading the biography of Jackie Robinson, which has been a favorite for many of them. This group has also been studying types of adjectives. They learned there are two adjective classes (descriptive and limiting), and discussed 8 other types of adjectives within these classes.

Throughout the week students choose three spelling activities to complete in order to practice their words. These activities can be writing a sentence using spelling words, writing spelling words in cursive, or putting them in alphabetical order, to name a few. Then each Friday Ms. Sara meets with students to go over their personal spelling activities. She then quizzes them on their list and helps them choose new spelling words for the next week.

Students planned a wonderful Halloween party full of crafts, board games, and Halloween themed food. And no party is complete without decorations! The class volunteered to join a committee of either decorations, food, games, or crafts. Then each committee made a list of supplies needed to fulfill their duties and hung the list on the wall in the hallway for families to bring in. On the day of the party students enjoyed seeing each other’s costumes, playing their favorite board games with each other, creating a Frankenstein and spider craft, and of course getting candy!

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The food committee was so dedicated to making pumpkins out of oranges, mummies out of pretzels and string cheese, ghosts out of bananas and chocolate chips, puppy chow with candy corn, and pizza to create the ultimate Halloween themed meal.

 


Academic Enrichment November 2015 Monthly Overview | Cuyahoga Falls Campus

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm. This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join together as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with their classroom teacher on these and other materials at their level.

11/02 Telling time to the minute
Review previous lessons on telling time
Introduction to the minute
Flashcards, Clock & Worksheets

11/09: Currency/ coins
Introduction to coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters)
Identifying coins and amounts
Working with coins and worksheets

11/16: Currency/ paper
Introduction to dollar bills
Identifying dollar bills
Working with money and worksheets

11/23: Parts of Animals
Parts of the mammal, reptile, amphibian,
Parts of the bird and fish
Working with the animal puzzle and control chart
Thanksgiving Feast 11/25 (11:00-12:00pm) 12:00pm Early Dismissal (No Aftercare)
Thursday/Friday NO SCHOOL—Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
11/02: how, each
11/09: said, by
11/16: been, down

Synonyms of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
11/02: OLD, ancient, elderly, used, seasoned, mature
11/09: BIG, vast, gigantic, huge, large, enormous, colossal
11/16: SMALL, tiny, miniature, minute, little, petite,

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:
-Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
-Practice telling time on the clock at home. When you sit down to dinner, ask them to tell you what time it is, when they go to bed, have them check the clock. Have fun with Time!
-Practice exchanging money with your child. When you go to the store, have them help you pay!

Mr. John will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework into the orange box outside of Mr. John’s classroom. Please email him if you have any questions: jkotradi@thesmarterkids.com.


Mr. John’s November 2015 Monthly Overview

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

11/02: Insects / Arachnids
-Characteristics of insects, examples of insects (invertebrates)
-Antennae, head, thorax, abdomen, six legs (some have wings)
-Characteristics of arachnids, examples of arachnids, 8 legs (invertebrates)
-Afternoon group lessons: Fire Safety

11/09: Dinosaurs
-Naming and Identifying Dinosaurs
-Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Pterodactyl, Brachiosaurus
-Plant eaters (herbivores), Meat eaters (carnivores)
-Where the Dinosaurs lived and how long ago they lived
-Fossils and Extinction
-Afternoon group lessons: On the Farm

Friday, November 13th  NO SCHOOL/ Teacher In Service Day (Parent//Teacher Conferences All Day 8am-7pm)

11/16: Thanksgiving/ Native Americans
-Mayflower, Native Americans
-When the Pilgrims came to America
-Who the Pilgrims were and why they came
-The Mayflower
-Native American shelters, nomadic, settlers
-Afternoon group lessons: Pilgrims/The first thanksgiving

11/23: Family
-Members of a family, family traditions and holidays
-Family birthdays, vacations
-Family pets
-Afternoon group lessons: Thanksgiving Crafts

Thanksgiving Feast 11/25 (11:00‐12:00pm) 12:00pm Early Dismissal (No Aftercare)
Thursday/Friday NO SCHOOL—Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

11/02: Kk
11/09: Ll
11/16: Mm

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

11/02: OX, box, fox, lox, pox, sox
11/09: BOT, cot, dot, got, hot, lot, not, pot, tot
11/16: BOP, cop, hop, mop, pop, top

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

-Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
-Play “I Spy” with items beginning with the letter of the week, or find things around your home that begin with the letter of the week.
-Explore your neighborhood. See if you can find any fossil plant prints on rocks in your yard or neighborhood.
-Make fall crafts together to help decorate your family Thanksgiving table.
-Look through family photo albums together and talk about your family. What does each family member do for a job? Where did you grow up? What unique traditions does your family have?


Explorations of Elementary | Week 4 & 5

Explorations of Elementary | Week 4 & 5

In the elementary classroom research is an important part of our history, language, grammar, and science curriculum. We are able to teach almost every subject through research projects. We can introduce students on how to look topics up in a dictionary (alphabetical order); how to use an index (alphabetical order); what an index and glossary are used for; how to read and find factual information versus opinions; how to decipher good information from great information; writing a bibliography (what is a bibliography and plagiarism); how to write full, interesting sentences and make a paragraph flow; how to edit a paper, checking for spelling and grammar mistakes (punctuation and spelling lessons) – just to name a few. 🙂

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We have several research groups going on currently. One group is focusing on Dinosaurs. They exploring different stages scientists believe the earth has gone through and what each stage looked like. They are also learning the different types of dinosaurs, what their names mean, the habitats of dinosaurs during different time periods, and special characteristics of the different dinosaurs.

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Another group is focused on our solar system. Each space researcher has selected one planet of interest and will be learning about the size, make-up, atmosphere, and climate. They will also find out about the moons (if any) of their planet, and about space travel to their planet.

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The third group will be focusing on Ancient Civilizations for the entire school year. Currently, they are learning about Ancient Mesopotamia. This group began with drawing a map of Mesopotamia, identifying current country boundaries, the 3 main areas of Mesopotamia, seas and rivers, and the area formerly known as Mesopotamia. They also started reading about the climate, history, food, clothing, and government of the time. They are compiling their information into a research paper and will give a presentation on the part they find to be the most interesting.

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In the above picture, students are working on equivalent figures.


Explorations of Elementary | Week 3

Explorations of Elementary | Week 3

After several team building activities in the classroom and on the playground, students put their new skills to work on our canoeing adventure in Canal Fulton, Ohio. Children were placed in groups of three and set off down the Tuscawaras River for a three mile excursion. Their first task was of course how to steer a canoe. Several groups went from one side of the river straight across to the opposite side. A few groups even started out backwards. Despite the rough beginning, all teams learned how to communicate, help one another, and everyone reached the checkpoint successfully!

We have planned these team building activities in and out of the classroom at the beginning of the school year with specific intent. Team building is a great way for students to grow in their social skills. It allows students to work together in social situations just as they would in the classroom, their daily lives, or down the road in the workplace.  Team building challenges students to problem solve and execute working with others. It shows them how to be accountable, the value of teammates, and teaches appreciation for others strengths. The skills will lay the foundation for success in working on projects with classmates throughout the school year, as well as later in life. The skills will lay the foundation for success in working on projects with classmates throughout the school year.

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Inside the classroom, students began their study of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Magister Brandon brought outlines of gods and goddesses and students were to name them, color them with the appropriate clothing, and draw a symbol representing what they were the god or goddess of. On the Orca Coast Playground, children enjoyed a competitive game of capture the flag during gym class.

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Two students have discovered a passion for geology and planned our very first “Going Out” Experience of the school year. We will be going to the Kent State Geology lab in October! They can’t wait to see what real geologists get to do everyday.

 


October 2015 Academic Enrichment | Cuyahoga Falls Campus

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm.  This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join together as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with their classroom teacher on these and other materials at their level.

 09/28:      Biggest (Solar System) to Smallest (your home)

  • Review hemispheres
  • Introduction to solar system and planets
  • Our continent, our country, state and county
  • City, street, address and phone numbers

 10/05: Landforms

  • Island/Lake, Isthmus/Straight
  • Bay/Cape, Peninsula/Gulf
  • Archipelago/Chain of Lakes
  • Use of landform cards, and water trays

10/12: Telling Time

  • Parts of the clock
  • Telling time to the hour
  • Telling time to the half hour
  • Flashcards, Clock & Worksheets

10/19: Telling Time

  • Telling time to the quarter hour (quarter past/ quarter till)
  • Flashcards, Clock & Worksheets

10/26: Telling Time

  • Review telling time to the hour, half and quarter hours
  • Telling time to the minute
  • Flashcards, Clock & Worksheets

Sight Words of the Week:

09/28: from he

10/05: you his

10/12: for with

10/19: she were

10/26: use your

 

Synonyms of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

09/28: ACTIVE, lively, energetic, dynamic, vigorous, hasty

10/05: CALM, peaceful, quiet, inactive, serene, slow

10/12: HOT, burning, scorching, blazing, boiling, sizzling

10/19: COLD, freezing, chilly, frigid, frozen, cool

10/26: NEW, novel, fresh, original, unique, current, unused

Things to do at Home this Month:

  • Practice telling time on the clock at home. When you sit down to dinner, ask them to tell you what time it is, when they go to bed, have them check the clock.  Have fun with Time!

 Mr. John will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework into the orange box outside of Mr. John’s classroom.  Please email him if you have any questions: jkotradi@thesmarterkids.com.

 

 

 


Mr. John’s October 2015 Monthy Overview

What I will learn at school this month October 2015 in Mr. John’s Class… 

Themes of the Week  (in addition to Montessori Work time)

10/05:      Reptiles

  • Introduction to reptiles, examples of reptiles
  • All reptiles are cold blooded, vertebrates (spine),
  • All reptiles have scales, lay eggs with hard shell

10/12: Amphibians

  • Introduction to amphibians, examples of amphibians
  • Amphibians are cold blooded, live on land and water
  • All amphibians have soft, moist skin and are vertebrates (spine)

10/19: Fish    

  • Introduction to fish, examples of fish
  • All fish are cold blooded, live in water, most have scales
  • Fish are vertebrates, most have gills and fins

10/26: Birds

  • Introduction to birds, examples of birds
  • All birds have feathers and are warm blooded
  • All birds are vertebrates, lay eggs with shells, have wings
  • Penguins are a birds that can’t fly

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

10/05: Gg

10/12: Hh

10/19: Ii

10/26: Jj


Rhyming Words of the Week:
Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

10/05: BID, did, hid, kid, lid, rid,                     

10/12: BIT, fit, hit, kit, lit, mit, pit, sit            

10/19: BIN, fin, kin, pin, sin, tin, win              

10/26: BIP, dip, hip, lip, nip, rip, sip, tip

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

  • Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
  • Play “I Spy” with items beginning with the letter of the week, or find things around your home that begin with the letter of the week.
  • Go to the Zoo together, and talk about what each animal is? A Bird, A Mammal, Reptile, Amphibian, or Fish.
  • Read a book together about your child’s favorite animal! Is it a Vertebrate or Invertebrate?  What are the babies called?

 

 


Explorations of Elementary | Week 2

By the start of the second week lessons were in full swing. Several students are enjoying learning new materials like the “Racks and Tubes” that teaches long division, the “Checkerboard”, which teaches multiplication of numbers into the millions by up to a 4-digit multiplier, new science experiments in our “lab”, and the “Box of Sticks”, which introduces the children to concepts of Geometry, such as types and parts of triangles, lines, angles, and polygons. We have even ventured into the theorem of Pythagoras with the right-angle scalene triangle.

Reading groups began this week as well. Students have been divided into three groups. One group is reading classic children’s literature, another is reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the third is reading the biography of Jackie Robinson. This week began our first Art, Music, piano, Latin, and Gym classes. Students were learning how to greet one another in Latin, how to shake hands like the Romans, and what countries made up the Roman Empire. They played scooter soccer and hockey in Gym class.

To end the second week, students had their first Student-Teacher Conference with Ms. Brandy. This is where they must present all of the work they have completed during the week, and the things that are still being worked on. Together, Ms. Brandy and the students, plan the following week so they can stay on track, know what to expect, what is expected, and be accountable for their efforts. This is a time to check and adjust any plans that have been made so the students are successful in their work. This also gives the child a feeling of personal responsibility for their education, and teaches them that the work they do matters.


Explorations of Elementary | Week 1

The first week brought lots of excitement as old friend were reunited after the summer break. We also enjoyed seeing our new friends who have joined our class this year. We would like to welcome Ainsley, Scarlett, Trevor, Harrison, Maddex, Kasey, Nick and David to the world of Elementary! We promise an exciting adventure.

Over the course of the first few days we spent time touring our classroom, reviewing general ground rules, discussing our daily schedules, and setting the stage for a year of incredible growth and learning.

The idea of discussing rules and going over things the kids should already know may sound like a waste of time. However, as with everything in Montessori, there is a reason. This is such an important exercise because the first two or three weeks prepare the students to work productively in the classroom environment. We want the children to be focused on their work and progress through the curriculum. Since we teach so much more than academics, there must be time spent training the children in the ways of work, time management, respect and manners, as well as how to be a good citizen and contributing member of our classroom family. We must be consistent in every aspect during this critical time. Find out more information in this link https://www.apprenticeshipcommunity.com.au/.

We did find time to bring a little fun into this first week with several new games and team building activities. The favorite game was Australian Dodge-ball where the teachers took on the students. This round, the students won the title, but I foresee a rematch in the near future! One of the favorite team activities was building a bridge to cross the yard as a group, where students used a scooter, pool noodle, hula-hoop, and carpet square. They all had to cross together by using the items to stand on/in. I think everyone learned a thing or two about working together and how to be part of a team.

Everyone enjoyed learning about each other and sharing their own Brown Bag Biography. We saw several pictures of fun family vacations, trophies and medals from sport competitions will engraved by Sheridans Badges & Engraving with the kids name. It was wonderful to see the things that make each of us unique, and the things that we all have in common. What a wonderful group we are, and what a wonderful year we are going to have together!