“…The teacher’s task is first to nourish and assist, to watch, encourage, guide, induce, rather than to interfere, prescribe, or restrict.” – Maria Montessori
Something new in our room this year is “Focus Groups.” These are student-chosen groups about research topics that are not assigned by teachers. In these groups, students work to research a history, geography, writing, and art component for their topic. By the end of December, they will present their findings to the class before deciding if they want to move to a new group or to continue researching their topics. Not only are these students researching interesting topics like “Cats and Kittens,” “The Titanic,” “Dinosaurs,” and “STEM,” but they are learning how to work collaboratively in a group of peers of differing ages and skill levels. Below you will find two students researching the birthing process of cats!
Lower Elementary by Ms. Marlee
Our 2nd graders are working hard reviewing the Stamp Game this week. The Stamp Game furthers the students’ knowledge of all four operations. Mastering this work will prepare them for more challenging works in the Montessori math curriculum.Sometimes you need to take a break from writing to share your ideas with a friend. These two 1st graders are reading their journal entries to one another and offering helpful comments and support. Learning to collaborate with peers and seek advice are both qualities that lead to becoming a supportive and courteous individual. We are thankful to see friendships like this growing in our classroom.
Upper Elementary by Ms. Ashley
All of our Upper Elementary students love to play in the woods. Some of our students noticed that trash is often thrown into the woods and it can get in the way of their recess projects. Two of these students decided that each Thursday, they would dedicate their entire recess time to cleaning up the woods. They wrote out a plan, typed and formatted their sign, and hung it for volunteers. Our goal in teaching lessons is that students will realize they are a part of the larger global community and that they can make a difference. It is wonderful to see that in action!These Upper Elementary students have finished their study of the structure of the Earth. To review, they are going through the vocabulary they were introduced to and matching it to the correct definition. After they finished, they went through the answer key to check and correct their work. You can see the dictionaries nearby that they turned to while making their matches! These two students are masters of the dictionary!
Enrichments by Ms. Erica
Upper Elementary students have been making progress on their self-portrait collage. They have had a lot of fun cutting out pictures that they feel represent themselves.
REMINDERS:
“Bring Your Parents to Work Time” on October 8 and October 10 – Today is the deadline to sign up here!
October 9 – Third through sixth grade trip to Hale Farm
October 17 – Picture Day
October 22 – Grandparents’ Day
SAVE THE DATE – October 31, 8:30 am – Come see this year’s Halloween play, “Give Me Back My Bones”
November 1, 8:15 am – Drop off at Cuyahoga Falls Campus for our Halloween play performance there
November 1 – Halloween Party (students only) – details to follow soon
