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Elementary Montessori in the Home

3/30/2020

Our teachers are hard at work, bringing Montessori to the home, connecting with their students, and continuing the Alcuin tradition of community. Junior Elementary teacher, Nicole Cochrane, shares with us what the elementary team has been doing during this new normal...

Our elementary team worked tirelessly over spring break to produce a system that will best support our Montessori learners, while also understanding this unique situation we are currently facing. In talking with families to determine their needs, we found a wide variety and set out to develop a system that would support everyone based on their individual needs.

Another major goal was to coordinate our resources in order to enhance the ease of use for the children, parents, and staff but to do so in a way that most effectively replicates the effective nature of the Montessori environment, albeit, in a digital medium.

That said, we have developed a comprehensive program constructed of three independently useful platforms for the elementary community to center around.

1. We have created a comprehensive library using Google Drive. It’s a one stop location for all your classwork needs and includes extensive work options, materials the children can create, passwords, Zoom links, parent resources, templates and more. This is a dynamic resource that the teachers are continuously working to expand and curate.

2. We have upgraded our Seesaw subscription level which allows students and teachers to interact directly through assigned activities. The upgrade includes new features allowing the children to post from home making Seesaw into a 2-way interactive tool!

3. We will be introducing the IXL personalized online learning platform as an option for those families who are comfortable with online learning. As the third leg of our new educational structure, this platform will additionally support the children in their learning through a highly diverse, and personalized curriculum which automatically self-adjusts to the child’s level. The program allows the children to explore different concepts of interest, but also for the teachers to assign recommended works, providing along the way general activity oversight and guidance. The teachers will have to ability to see exactly what the students are working on and their level of proficiency within each skill.

Lastly, there are daily Zoom class meetings at 11:00 am for updates, expectations, sharing, and community.

Social Distancing Montessori Spring Break Ideas

3/23/2020

Did your vacation get cancelled? Already cleaned your room and played five rounds of Monopoly? Maybe try some of these…

Practical Life/Care of the Environment & Self

Bake bread - we are thinking of doing a Breads Around the World presentation for Cultural Fest this year. Bake bread, take photos of you and your family baking and eating, rate the bread as a group. If you think it would be a good recipe to share at the Cultural Fest, create a few Google slides to share with the class when we get back to school.

Recipe
Photos of you and your family baking
Area of the world where bread is made and cultural significance

Grow a new herb or vegetable for our indoor, soon to be outdoor, garden.
- Be ready to teach us about the herb when you return to school. Is it an herb or vegetable we could use in a future bread recipe?

Build a raised bed for school with extra wood in your garage/shed.

(we are hoping for a 4 ft. long, 2 ft. wide, 18 in. high raised bed)

Laundry- learn how to wash your own!
Re-arrange your room! Maximize space, clean under all furniture, take before and after photos.

Yoga/Meditation - reflect on what we learned during yoga class. Get out your mat and practice.
- Facetime a friend and review what you learned in Yoga class. Turn on some calming music and try together.

Make Dinner - plan, cook, and serve!

Writing

Write a letter to your local senior center.

Tell them about what you are doing at home, something you enjoy- a hobby possibly?
Ask about what they are doing.
Ask them something personal- e.g. favorite memory in his/her life?
Ask someone to write back to you.

Write thank you letters to care workers - doctors, nurses in your area.

(maybe even a care package?)

Reading

Independent reading book - Start investigating some that you may be interested in. Order from Amazon or download a digital copy. Resource: Goodreads

Social Studies

Impact Change- Watch the news, local and national, on the Coronavirus.

What is something we could have done proactively as a nation to reduce the number of Coronavirus-infected Americans?
Discuss with your parents. Define your thoughts.
Write a letter to your state representative with your ideas. Be sure to thank him/her for their work/service during this time.

Explore some Social Studies apps & websites on Common Sense Media
Learn more about Digital Citizenship - try some online activities.

Math/Science

Planning this year's family garden (measuring/estimating/working the earth)
Container garden (how much soil will you need?)
Using some household tools to build a birdhouse, small bookshelf, or assemble a tool rack for the garage
Kitchen chemistry demonstrations
There are numerous online citizen science projects, such as those at Zooniverse

Social/Emotional

Skype/Zoom/Facetime/Google Meet - set up an online conversation with a friend from school or with the whole class. Laugh, catch up, make plans for getting together once the “social distancing” is over.
Family “TikTok-Like” Dances - Teach and record a family TikTok to any song that your family enjoys. Share with an Alcuin friend and challenge his/her family to do the same. (You don’t have to use the TikTok app. The app isn’t always appropriate, you could just mimic the process. Ask your kids, they know how to do it. :)

- Written by our Middle School team

Elementary Montessori in the Home

Social Distancing Montessori Spring Break Ideas

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