No two days are alike in any elementary classroom. Students buzz with activity, moving in and out of projects and conversations like busy bees.
But there are ways to include some consistent (but not very time-consuming) activities each day that teach important skills and help establish the tone for work time. Here are my favorites.
A couple of months ago, I received an email from a Montessori elementary teacher. In it, she posed this question: “If I bought only one reference book for my classroom, which book should I buy?”
I’ve actually posted this info before, but now I’m adding it to my “Montessori Basics” series, plus I’ve added some helpful links at the end of the post. Essential General Equipment:
1. Sturdy table or open floor where work can be done2. Shelves for holding the work3. Work rug and a table mat (placemat) 4. [...]
At one of my former schools, every spring the elementary students (grades 1-6) chose a topic to research and prepared a short (5-10 min.) oral presentation about it. Topics ranged from “how cellphones work” to “frogs”, and anything in between. Sports, animals, technology, science, and other countries all seemed to be popular subjects. Projects were [...]
Yes, I’m on to another controversial topic right after the last one; I’m having fun, actually, talking about these issues and I love to hear from you guys about them!
Sister Mary (my Montessori trainer) taught that homework shouldn’t be necessary for a child in a Montessori school. For starters, the child won’t usually have access [...]
I have only a little knowledge about the 9-12 age group (I taught them music when I was a 6-9 teacher); otherwise, my experience is limited to having actually been 9-12 at one time, but not in Montessori. I know that Maria Montessori believed that the 6-12 period was one of stability, but times have [...]
One of my astute readers from South Africa, Lesley, emailed me the other day with a question about the elementary workplans. In them, I mention Bingo Games under “Math”, but I don’t explain what they are. I sometimes forget that the names of materials may differ from training center to training center (or country to [...]
One of the best things about Montessori math is that materials can be used over and over for a variety of activities.
Here’s a beginning set up for 6-9 math:
Addition strip board, charts, & equationsSubtraction strip board, charts & equationsBox of bead bars (55 of each, if possible) Large & small number cardsMath symbols (+, [...]
The great thing is, most Montessori materials have multiple uses for different age groups. So, here are a few things you can do with the Language Basics:
Beginning set up for 6-9 language:
Pink, blue, & green series materialsWord study materialsMovable alphabet
The Pink, Blue, & Green series materials should include word lists or spelling cards, and pictures [...]
I thought of one more thing I use to help balance mixed ages. This is something that works very well in the elementary classroom. The way it works is that each child has a nametag with their name on it. They put it on their rug when they’re working, which helps mark the work rugs [...]
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