The Saplings Times
September 8th, 2023
“The hand is the instrument of intelligence. The child needs to manipulate objects and to gain experience by touching and handling. ”
-Maria Montessori
Let's Talk Math!
Hundred Board
Bead Chains
Stamp Game
This week, the Saplings have begun some short work periods that will soon become full work mornings. Math has been introduced as one of the choices for work in the classroom with 2nd and 3rd year student reconnecting with materials they learned last year, and 1st years learning materials for the first time or reviewing what they learned in their kindergarten programs.
In Montessori curriculum, students learn math concepts through the manipulation of concrete materials. This is based on Maria Montessori's child development theory, which was developed through decades of scientific observations where she discovered that students learn best when they are allowed the opportunity to develop their own understanding of concepts.
What does that mean in our classroom? Students are introduced to math concepts using concrete materials and supported through the steps toward abstraction as they demonstrate proficiency in each skill. It is a carefully planned process based on the observations of the classroom teachers who are always noting if and when a student is ready for that next step. This method provides a deeper understanding of math concepts and gives children the experience of higher-level thinking in their math work that will prepare them for more challenging concepts as they move on.
Here's how you can help us with this! Allowing the child to engage in that process of discovery at their pace can be very challenging for those of us who learned math in a different way. Rest assured, your child is learning to do the same math you did growing up! The difference is they are learning the "why" behind how algorithms work and making those realizations for themselves. It is a powerful learning experience and one that we cherish at MVCS. We understand how tempting it can be to say, "Just do it like this" while skipping all of the steps that we're working on with them at school. We ask you to trust the process and know that if your child isn't quite yet demonstrating a math skill the way you know how to or think they should, they are working on it. A great way to support your child's math work at home is through skills such as telling time and math fact memorization. Open house on Thursday will be a great opportunity to ask me more about how math instruction works in our classroom!
Bird is the Word!
This year, we are doing a year-long bird study where we will learn all about the birds of the world, with a special focus of birds of New Hampshire as we investigate how the bird population changes on the MVCS campus throughout the year. We are so lucky to have access to two amazing pieces of technology that will help us with our bird identification skills. One is Merlin Bird ID, which is a free app that allows us to capture bird calls wherever we are and then identifies the birds that it hears. Another is the Haiku box which is currently posted on the side of the Lower El building. We will check in with each of these devices regularly and use that data to track the bird population throughout the year. Here are our first additions to our bird calls chart. We can't wait to see how it changes throughout the year!