Academic Enrichment October 2015 | Tallmadge 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.

9/28: Ohio and surrounding States

  • Ohio (location, characteristics, facts, abbreviation, flower, tree, mammal, fossil, flag)
  • Pennsylvania (nickname, abbreviation) Kentucky (nickname, abbreviation)
  • West Virginia (nickname, abbreviation) Indiana (nickname, abbreviation) Michigan (nickname, abbreviation)

10/5: 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

10/12: Landforms

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

10/19: Telling Time

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

10/26: Telling Time

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

Letters of the week

  • 9/28: Dd
  • 10/5: Ee
  • 10/12: Ff
  • 10/19: Gg
  • 10/26: Hh

Sight word of the week

  • 9/28: But
  • 10/5: Can
  • 10/12: Me
  • 10/19: I
  • 10/26: Go

Synonyms of the week

9/28: ACTIVE, lively, energetic, dynamic, vigorous, hasty
10/5: 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 to reinforce our themes:

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!


Ms. Courtney’s October 2015 Monthly Overview

9/28: Five Senses

  • The students will learn about their five senses and their parts of the body that correspond to each sense.

10/5: Leaves

  • The students observe the differences in leaf shape.
  • The students observe the different fall colors and the fun we can have with leaves.
  • The students sort a variety of fall objects.
  • The students learn different textures and identify them.

10/12: Apples

  • The students will describe an apple using all of their sense.
  • The students will discuss the shapes apples come in.
  • The students will taste test red, green, and yellow apples.
  • The students will explore the inside of an apple.

10/19: Pumpkins

  • The students will identify feeling words such as happy, sad, scared, etc.
  • The students will guess and count how many seeds are in a pumpkin.
  • The students will practice measuring to make a treat.
  • The students will practice team work.

10/26: Bats

  • The students will learn about the life cycle of a bat.
  • The students will research facts about bats.
  • Halloween Classroom Party (October 31st)

Letters of the week

  • 9/28: Dd
  • 10/5: Ee
  • 10/12: Ff
  • 10/19: Gg
  • 10/26: Hh

Sight word of the week

  • 9/28: But
  • 10/5: Can
  • 10/12: Me
  • 10/19: I
  • 10/26: Go

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Have students describe things at home using their senses.
  • Go on a family walk to see how many different kinds of leaves you can find together.
  • Take a trip to an apple orchard.
  • Make homemade applesauce from your child’s favorite apple.
  • Bake pumpkin seeds.
  • Take a trip to a pumpkin patch.
  • Research other nocturnal animals.

Ms. Kate’s October 2015 Monthly Overview

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

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

09/28: All About Apples

  •   Johnny Appleseed
  •   Life cycle of an apple
  •  Apple graphing, apple tasting and cooking with apples

10/05: On The Farm

  •   Jobs found on the farm
  •   Animals found on the farm, categorizing animals into groups
  •   Food from the farm
  •   Machinery found on the farm

10/12: All About the Fall

  •   Four seasons
  •   Leaves and chlorophyll, leaf graphing
  •   Nature walk
  •   Acorns and squirrels
  •   History of the scarecrow

10/19: All About Pumpkins

  •   Properties of a pumpkin
  •   Life cycle of a pumpkin
  •   Use our 5 senses to observe/communicate about pumpkins. Conduct a buoyancy experiment to discover whether a pumpkin will sink or float in water.

10/26: History of Halloween

  •   History of Halloween
  •   Halloween themed works, activities and lots of fun!


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

  • 09/30: Dd
  • 10/05: Ee
  • 10/12: Ff
  • 10/19:Gg
  • 10/26:Hh

Rhyming words for the month of October:

  • 9/28: ball
  • 10/5: book
  • 10/12: tree
  • 10/19: bug
  • 10/26: boo!

Ms. Ame’s afternoon group time 

  • During this time Ms. Ame will reinforce the calendar, Spanish, weather, letter,and rhyming word everyday. She will also be incorporating fun crafts,lesson,stories,songs,and videos about apples,fall,pumpkins, and the farm. Don’t forget to check your child’s folder to see what fun they are having with her:)

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

  •   While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
  •   Go apple picking! Cut an apple in half and create apple prints. When you cut an apple, count together to see how many seeds there are. Every day you can create a new apple dish (applesauce, baked apple crisps, apple pie, etc.) Enjoy the Fall!
  •   Make a collage from pictures in magazines of items you would find on a farmGo on a “Fall Walk” together. Talk about what colors you see, the sounds you hear, and what the air smells like. Collect leaves and take them home for a leaf rubbings. Go to a pumpkin patch and find a pumpkin together. Guess how many seeds are in‐ side your pumpkin. When you clean out the pumpkin count the seeds together.

 


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!


September 2015 Academic Enrichment Overview | Tallmadge

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.

8/25: Continent globe & map

  • Intro to globe & maps
  • Characteristics of globe & maps
  • Identify Continents
  • Review of three countries in each Continent and fun facts!

8/31: Directions

  • Recap of Continents/Review of three countries in each Continent and fun facts!
  • North, South, East & West
  • Work on the directions using Continent Map

9/8: Hemisphere / Equator

  • What are hemispheres? North/South/East/West hemispheres
  • What is the equator? Location of equator

9/14: Bodies of water surrounding North America

  • Review Hemispheres/ Equator
  • Hudson Bay (N)
  • Atlantic Ocean (E)
  • Gulf of Mexico (S)
  • Pacific Ocean (W)

9/21: Ohio and surrounding States

  • Ohio (location, characteristics, facts, abbreviation, flower, tree, mammal, fossil, flag)
  • Pennsylvania (nickname, abbreviation) Kentucky (nickname, abbreviation)
  • West Virginia (nickname, abbreviation) Indiana (nickname, abbreviation) Michigan (nickname, abbreviation)

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
8/25: go, has
8/31: will, him
9/8: up, so
9/14: see, her
9/21: are, was

Synonyms of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
8/25: FUN, amusing, entertaining, enjoyable, merry, pleasant
8/31: FAST, hurried, speedy, brisk, quick, swift,
9/8: SAD, miserable, gloomy, depressing, downtrodden, glum, unhappy
9/14: SLOW, unhurried, gradual, sluggish, stagnant, lethargic
9/21: BORING, drab, dull, lifeless, mundane, monotonous

Things to do at Home this Month:
Ms. Courtney will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework in each morning. Please email her if you have any questions: cowens@thesmarterkids.com.

 


Ms. Courtney’s Class September 2015 Monthly Overview

Themes of the week for the months of August and September

8/25 and 8/31: Ground Rules

  • Learning to greet others.
  • Learning to have conservations.
  • Learning to speak to others.
  • Learning to listen to others.
  • Learning to respond to others.
  • Learning to say please and thank you to others.
  • Learning to observe others.
  • Learning to respectfully interrupt.
  • Learning from others.
  • Learning to open door for someone else.
  • Learning to recognize situations in which to help others.
  • Passing in front of another respectfully.
  • Learning how to say excuse me.

9/8: Community Helpers

  • The students will learn about police officers, fire fighters, mail carriers, soldiers, bakers, farmers, doctors, and teachers throughout the week. They will not only learn about these community helpers; they will also be able to explain in detail why each one is very important to our lives.

9/14: My Family

  • The students will illustrate a picture of their family.
  • The students will have a discussion on the importance of families to each of us and the students will be able to identify one reason why their family is important to them.
  • Create a family tree together (Due Friday September 12th)

9/21: Feelings/Emotions

  • The students learn how to identify, handle, and understand the things they may feel and how to act about them.

Letters of the week

8/25 and 8/31: None

9/8: Aa

9/14: Bb

9/21: Cc

Sight word of the week

8/25 and 8/31: None

9/8: the

9/14: of

9/21: an

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Try to find objects that begin with the letter of the week wherever you go with your child.
  • Encourage grace and courtesy when you see your child displaying it to another or you.
  • Talk about the importance of 911 and when you should call and practice dialing it.
  • Practice dialing your telephone number with your child.
  • Start a family tradition by setting a night a week aside for a family movie or game night.
  • If your child displays an emotion they are unfamiliar with talk about it and how to handle it together.

 

 


Ms. Kate September 2015 Monthly Overview

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

8/26‐
09/04 Rules of the Classroom/Respect

  • We respect each other
  • We try our best/we learn from our mistakes
  • We are a team/we celebrate each other’s success
  • Tour of the classroom and introductions of materials
  • Using the words “please, thank you, excuse me, I’m sorry.” Write a class poem to emphasize the use of polite words.
  • Create a kindness quilt to help students think about and how to show acts of kindness.

9/07: Friendship

  • Work on social skills/ how to develop friendship
  • What are good qualities in a friend?
  • How do friends build community?
  • Create together a class web of friendship word
  • Second line time: Going over calendar, weather, and Spanish words and numbers. Friendship lessons and crafts!

9/14: All About Me!

  • Our similarities and differences
  • I’m special because…
  • Our Birthdays
  • Identifying our emotions
  • Starting on Monday Ms. Kate will be sending home a paper bag with each of your children. Please have your child decorate their bag and fill it with three of their favorite things. Please bring back on Friday.
  • Second Line Time: Going over calendar, weather, Spanish weather and words. Having fun doing all about me activities and games!

9/21: Family

  • What is a family
  • Graphing our families/ family celebrations
  • Create a family tree together (Due Friday 9/21/15)
  • Second line time: Going over calendar, weather, Spanish numbers and words. Having fun reading books on Families, creating a family portrait, and sining songs about families.

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

  • 9/07: Aa

  • 9/14: Bb
  • 9/21: Cc
  • 9/28: Dd

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

  • 9/07: Cat

  • 9/14: Pig
  • 9/21: Ball
  • 9/28: Bug

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

  • While reading a book have your child point to all of the A’s she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight word “the.” Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter A.
  • Make a collage with pictures and objects that start with the letter B.
  • Place words around the house and see if your child can find the word “to.” When your child has gathered all of his/her “to” 
cards count together how many cards they have found.
  • Make a kindness jar. Each day pick an act of kindness out of the jar and act on it:)
  • You and your child write a special letter to a friend.