Cultural Update

The Upper Montessori spent the month of October covering several cultural topics.  First, we eagerly listened to the Five Great Lessons from Maria Montessori.  These stories are unique and thought-provoking.  Check out the following link for more information:

http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/The-Five-Great-Lessons_ep_66-1.html

Many of the students told me they'd never heard the stories before, and others knew it had been "a couple years."  The different experiences meant that we had some fascinating discussions!

We also spent the month of September establishing practical life norms-how to walk in the hallway, play together outside, share ideas in the classroom, etc.  These are important conversations!

The work we'll continue to do throughout the school year will continue to refer back to the original stories in the Great Lessons.  For example, we are beginning a unit in science on force and motion.  The ability to reference the first Great Lesson that mentions motion, movement, force...will allow us to study the interconnectedness of life on Earth.

We will use our reading workshop non-fiction Fridays to learn about the election this month!  A presidential election is an exciting time for our country and for our students.  For kid-friendly news please check out the following:  http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/election-2012.  We will of course embed in all our discussions a conversation about respect--respect for the office of president whether or not you like or respect a party's candidate.

If you ever have the chance to visit Washington D.C., please go.  The journey is amazing!  There are wonderful sites to visit and to spend time walking the halls of the capitol, or visit your representatives' office brings a new level of awareness of our country's past, present, and future.

A couple of quick comments...

• Please encourage a few minute of math fact practice each day.  My own 5th grader mastered her division facts using a iPod app.  These facts become incredibly useful as we learn to find factors or multiples in the 4th grade, reduce fractions in all grades, add and/or subtract fractions in 4th grade, work with decimals in both grades...the list is endless.  Consider practicing in the car--children are captive in the car, so it's a great place to practice!  Take a look at the daily speedways or five-minutes.  If you see a test where a score is lower, or a student isn't moving...that's a good place to start practicing!

• The weather is getting cold!  The children are outside for 30 minutes at lunchtime recess.  Please help them to remember a fall jacket.

Thanks and have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Perrien