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Montessori Primary Classroom Work

November 6, 2015/in Blog /by access

Language Part 5

June 17, 2015/in Blog /by access

Today we conclude our series on Language in the Montessori Classroom. Sacred writing time is given on a daily basis, for the first 20 minutes of the day. Students explore the writing craft in depth during their upper elementary years, where they look at the process and methods of writing. “Writers workshop” now takes on […]

Montessori Primary Classroom Work

November 6, 2015/in Blog /by access

Language Part 5

June 17, 2015/in Blog /by access

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Montessori Primary Classroom Work

November 6, 2015/in Blog /by access

Many of the Montessori works in a Primary classroom are truly hands on, with no paperwork trail to reflect the effort required to do the work. This is especially true in many of the math jobs, sensorial, and in the practical life areas of the classroom. On the other hand, you may see small strips of paper with letters traced on it, pin punched papers, and even math papers referencing the color bead stair coming home, not knowing the source of this work.

Early letter recognition is practiced using the “blue stepboard.” A strip of four letters is placed in the board and the student is asked to match the letter from the board to the strip. When they are correct, the letter fits; when it is not the right match, the letter will not fit. The tracing paper is inserted into the board and the letters are copied.

As the child progresses in their recognition of letters, more demanding strips will be used and the student will be given the chance to fill in with the beginning sound of a word, then ending sounds of a word. Finally, a simple picture is found on the strip and the student spells the entire word.

Pin punching looks deceptively easy when the work is brought home, but the labor and fine motor skills required are noteworthy. Whether the child is pin punching a metal insert design (triangle or square), or they are pin punching a seasonal shape (pumpkin or turkey), the level of concentration is immense. The child is holding a push pin with the pincer grip (between the thumb and the first and second fingers) and is literally punching out consecutive holes around the perimeter of the shape. If a student is deliberate in their work, the shape is easily extracted from the page. If they have not sufficiently punched in enough holes, it is harder to remove it from its original page. Often, a teacher will hold up the pin punching work to the window to check the quantity of holes before they attempt to tear it out effectively. The child can then see if they have pin punched enough holes to tear it out easily.

Finally, you may have seen paperwork showing a progression of 1-10 where the numbers are traced and the corresponding beads are colored with their specific color. For instance, the one bead is always red, the two beads are green.

You are looking at a foundational Montessori math work. One of Dr. Montessori’s chief insights into educating children was to recognize that a child will likely learn better and retain the information longer, if they are taught from the concrete (holding a one bead in their hands) then introducing the abstract (this is the number one). The one to one correspondence begins to take hold, where the child realizes that they are holding “one” and that the name of that concept is the number one. You will see papers reflecting this work when bead stair papers are coming home.

Language Part 5

June 17, 2015/in Blog /by access

Today we conclude our series on Language in the Montessori Classroom.

Sacred writing time is given on a daily basis, for the first 20 minutes of the day. Students explore the writing craft in depth during their upper elementary years, where they look at the process and methods of writing. “Writers workshop” now takes on a deeper and more demanding level in these grades where students successfully write at their own pace, collecting information, writing a draft, editing, and finally publishing their work. Many of their writing assignments are tied directly to their cultural lessons, especially ones taught in history and science. There is a direct link between the information that is shared about a subject, and the abilities of the students to synthesize their understanding of the facts, and then communicate their interpretations through the written word.

Understanding grammar and using it effectively continues in upper elementary where students test their understanding of synonyms, suffixes, compounds, and analogies using the grammar box system. Montessori materials are also used to diagram sentences and label the parts of speech.

Spelling is a constant thread throughout the elementary grades as the students continue using the same program found in lower elementary, called “words their way.” This program teaches students how to sort words and identify patterns, and then be able to correctly spell the words. Students are also introduced to etymology,“the origin and development of word.”* By learning the Greek and Latin roots of words, upper elementary students are preparing themselves for the challenges of the FMS middle school program.

Middle school students enrolled at FMS encounter the wit, wisdom and experience of Ms. Arlene. After teaching Language Arts for over 45 years, Ms. Arlene puts her students through a rigorous and thought provoking process of reading challenging books, writing effective essays, and being immersed in the art of etymology. Middle school students graduate from FMS with a solid foundation in grammar skills, a prolific cache of writing experience, and reading abilities honed on classic and thought provoking texts such as George Orwell’s “1984” and William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” The language arts program leads students on a literary exploration; nurturing their abilities to think, reflect, and then communicate their perspectives. FMS graduates are effectively prepared to meet the challenges of high school and beyond.

*Webster’s Dictionary
**Montessori Research and Development @2006

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Montessori Primary Classroom Work

Language Part 5

Montessori Primary Classroom Work

Language Part 5

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Montessori Primary Classroom Work

Language Part 5

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