Tallmadge School
The month of November began with my students preparing to lead their first Student/Parent/Teacher conference. In an elementary Montessori classroom there is great freedom, but that freedom can only be achieved if the child is willing to take the responsibility that comes with it. I expect my students to take responsibility for their education. They are responsible for completing every assignment on their Work Plan each week and turning in their work to me when it is completed. In preparation for the conferences each student filled out a paper with a script to help them explain their work. Each child listed the concepts they have learned in Language, Mathematics and Geography to tell their parents. Children also listed their favorite works and had the opportunity to demonstrate these works to their parents. A few of the favorites were Golden Bead Multiplication and Division, Imaginary Island and writing in Cursive. Parents seemed to enjoy watching their children work and learning about the materials in the classroom. Each student ended the conference with telling their parents what their academic goal are for the rest of the year.
After conferences we spent the next few weeks discussing what we are thankful for and reading about the first Thanksgiving. We discussed why the Pilgrims wanted to come to America and what their needs may have been when they arrived. We discussed how they learned to live in a new land and how the help of one particular Native American named Squanto, saved them from the cold, harsh winter. We made turkeys with feathers listing out what we are thankful for this year. Many of the feathers stated things like school, books, friends and family. It made me so happy to see that the children like school and reading so much!
We jumped into the Christmas spirit by filling boxes with great toys for active boys and books and special gifts for children less fortunate than ourselves, there were some plantwear accessories included as well. The children truly experienced the joy of giving and the feeling of love for others.
After Thanksgiving break we dove into practicing for our Christmas play, The Legend of Santa Claus. The children loved acting and enthusiastically got into character during each rehearsal. The children learned a lot about St. Nicholas and acting. They learned about stage presence, developing a character for the audience’s enjoyment, and public speaking. The children’s performance was flawless in front of over 600 people! I was very proud of them.
The last week of December we focused on learning about Christmas celebrations around the world. We discussed traditions in England and learned that a popular tradition is the mistletoe. Children made their own mistle’toe’ by tracing their feet, and decorating them with glitter, pom-poms and bells. We read about the history of the mistletoe and learned that the tradition of kissing under it found its origins in the legend of Goddess Frigga and her son Balder. The story goes that life the people on earth was held on the shoulders of Balder. If Balder died life on earth would end. Balder’s enemy, Loki, the God of Evil, killed Balder. It was the sprigs of a mistletoe plant and his mother’s tears that brought him back to life. The legend states that anyone who is kissed under the mistletoe will have love and friendship forever.
English Christmas tradition also gave us the classic story by Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol.’ We read this story and watched the Disney Mickey Mouse version.
The next country we talked about was Germany. We read about how the German children celebrate St. Nicholas day by placing shoes outside their door full of straw for St. Nicholas’s horse. St. Nicholas will fill the shoes with treats. Outdoor markets are a Christmas tradition in Germany where children can get cookies, so naturally, we art cut-out cookies! The decorated Christmas tree is also a tradition that came from Germany. Our craft for Germany was making a tree out of Popsicle sticks and sequins, with a golden start on top!
We read the story of The Nutcracker and talked about the Russian tradition of this beautiful ballet. The children enjoyed the whole story, but most of all, the battle between the Nutcracker and the King of Mice.
We spent the last day before break in our PJs playing games and watching the movie Prancer. It was fun and relaxing. I hope everyone enjoyed their break!