Today, writing for us is Cindy Tenaglia, a "veteran" parent of Children's House. Her oldest son, Gabriel and younger daughter Sophia are currently attending the elementary class under Mrs. Enoch-Rex.
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Our Elementary class has began and the kids (we have two in elementary) are glad to be back in their classroom. Gabe is in 5th grade and Sophie is in 3rd grade. It's a two-room school house, as cozy and homey as you can imagine. What it has that our home doesn't have is lots of great Montessori materials.
In the beginning of the school year, a lot of time is spent on community-building activities. I cannot say enough about how loving and supportive of one another this group of 6-11 year olds are. True to Maria Montessori's vision of raising up peaceful young citizens, the elementary class guides the children further in developing good communication skills and in really looking out for one another (something you won't find much of in public school!)
During the first few weeks of school all the children (and the Directresses as well) take turns to bring in a special bag that contains items from home that they have chosen to share with the class. Photos, books, toys , trophies etc., that will help their classmates to know them better. A kind of introduction to new students and an update for old friends, if you can put it that way.
In my mind, one of the most unique and wonderful parts of the Montessori Elementary Curriculum is something called The Five Great Lessons. These lessons are presented each year for the lower elementary students and these are “big” concepts!
First Great Lesson-The birth of the Universe and the Big Bang
Second Great Lesson-The beginnings of life on earth
Third Great Lesson-The coming of human beings
Fourth Great Lesson-The story of writing and Communication in Signs
Fifth Great Lesson-The story of numbers
The first Great Lesson is rather dramatic and involves some physical demonstration and hands on activity. It involves a balloon filled with glitter and stars and the popping with a pin to demonstrate the Big Bang. There are also demonstrations using solids and liquids to show how the continents and the oceans are first formed. This lesson leads to the study of astronomy, meteorology, principles of physics and chemistry as well as exploration of geology: types of rocks, minerals, land forms and eras of the earth. The further study of geography also springs from this first lesson.
The second Great Lesson revolves around the Timeline of Life, a long chart with information and
pictures of microorganisms, plants and animals that live or lived, on earth. The great diversity of life is emphasized.
The third Great Lesson uses a human timeline and talks about the 3 gifts that make humans special: a mind to imagine, hands to work, a heart to love. From this lesson comes exploration of ancient civilizations and the needs of early humans.
The last two Great Lessons explore the development of language (from pictographs, hieroglyphs,
early alphabets to the invention of the printing press) and the Story of Numbers or History of
Mathematics. This Lesson begins with the earliest civilizations and their numeric systems. It continues with a look at different numbering systems ending with the decimal system we use today.
As you can see, this is BIG information for still small people... What has always appealed to me about this approach to education is that it credits all children with having big, curious minds. I know that our kids sometimes entertain the big questions and when they ponder out loud I hear the seeker and the philosopher within emerge. This early introduction to all the facets of our history allows them to explore and inquire at their own developmental level. Materials for the further exploration of topics that have caught their interest are in the classroom. For the older kids access to the Internet for research is encouraged and supported.
This is just a peek into the day of an elementary student.
Their day is broken into two work periods. Mrs. Enoch Rex writes down each child's assignments, including the due date, on a large index card. It is up to the child to manage their time appropriately in order to get their “works” done on time. Once their "works" are completed, they initial each task and one of the teachers checks their work. What an early lesson in time management they get! (This is the secret Sixth Great Lesson!)
Last year as a forth-grader Gabe began to work from his own Day-Planner, a further step towards independence in managing his work.
I am always glad to answer any questions you might have about Children's House Elementary Program.
Cindy Tenaglia
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