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.

1. Recite

This can be as simple as everyone reciting a pledge (like the Pledge of Allegiance) or having one student recite a poem. It can be the very first thing you do each day, as a signal that school time is starting.

2. Sing

I like to follow the recitation with a song. Since the American national anthem has some pretty high notes, I have used “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” successfully for years. But it can be any song, not just a patriotic song. You might want to ask children to suggest a song each day.

3. Write the date

One great way to teach the form and punctuation of writing dates is to have the children write them out every day. On a dry erase board, write the day’s date, like this: Today is Monday, August 31st, 2009.

This simple sentence teaches capitalizing rules (beginning of sentence, days, months), use of commas, end marks (period), ordinal numbers (adding “st” to “31”) and of course orients students to the current day, month, and year.

After it’s written on the dry erase board, have each student copy it down. Older children can write it in cursive. A month or so into the year, older children might want to actually be the ones to write the date on the board for their classmates.

4. Edit a sentence

Next to my small dry erase board for the date, I have a larger one where I write sentences, incorrectly, that the students must edit. While you can find books full of editing sentences at teacher stores, it’s easy enough to think of your own or get them from classroom materials or books.

For 1st grade: Write a short sentence and leave the beginning word un-capitalized and leave off the end mark (period, question mark, or exclamation point).

For 2nd grade: Write a medium-length sentence and include several un-capitalizations (beginning word of sentence, a proper name of some kind). Leave off the end mark and a comma or two. You can also misspell a word or two.

For 3rd grade on up: Anything goes. Leave out quotation marks, capitals, commas, and make any other mistakes you can think of.

The beauty of using a dry erase board for this is that it’s a) easy to change the sentences every day and it’s b) easy to edit.

To edit, ask the children, by grade, what mistakes they see and then have one or two children correct them with a different colored dry erase marker. Use conventional editing symbols – three lines under the missed capitals, add punctuation marks and circle them, circle misspelled words and spell them correctly near the misspelled word.

You don’t want them to erase the mistakes and just write the sentence correctly on the board. They’ll learn far more from seeing the corrected mistakes.

After the sentence is completely edited, have each child write the sentence for their grade level correctly on their paper.

5. A group presentation

While much of the work in Elementary is divided by age group or grade, there are always presentations given to the group. Sister Mary (my trainer) said it this way: “Math and language should be done by level; cultural presentations should be done for everyone.”

Make sure you are doing at least one group presentation every day. Nice ones for the beginning of the year are The First Great Lesson (coming of the universe), Parts of a Plant, the Continent Map, and Land and Water Forms.

Yes, this will be a review for the older students. But I find that each year they notice something new or are ready for a new level of information. As well, this kind of repetition solidifies the information they’ve already received.

6. Silent reading

I am a huge fan of reading of any kind, but I find that not much time is spent in silent reading. When introducing this kind of reading time, make it clear that students can pick their own reading materials as well as choose their own place to sit.

It’s tempting to use this time to straighten or prepare for lessons, but I find it very calming to sit down with the children and read during this time. It’s a great way to model the love of reading to them in a concrete way.

7. Reading aloud

I wish I knew where I had read this (it was years ago) but I remember reading a story of a principal put in charge of an at-risk school where grades and test scores were low. At the end of his first year, the students’ performance had improved dramatically.

Someone asked him what changes he made in the curriculum, and he shocked them when he said he hadn’t made any changes in the curriculum at all. Maybe he hired better teachers? No, he didn’t do that either.

What he did do was institute a 30-minute read aloud time at the end of each school day. He didn’t tell the teachers what to read, just that they had to read aloud to their classes for 30 minutes each day. That was it.

Most of us don’t see the results of reading aloud quite that dramatically, but we do know them to be true. I’ve outlines the benefits of reading aloud to children already, and I hope you’ll be able to implement that in your school time. Even once a week would be a good thing.

Hopefully you’ll find a way to work some of these ideas into your daily routines. Let me know what kind of results you see!

Wow! That’s a lot to ask of just one book. As I thought about it, I realized that there really isn’t just one book that fills every reference book need. Rather, there are a few specialized books that are excellent references for Montessori elementary children.

Here are some of my favorites; this list is just a suggestion, but hopefully it gives you some ideas the next time you’re adding to your classroom library:

1. Dorling Kindersley Big Book of Knowledge

This is a nice all-in-one reference book with thousands of color photographs and easy-to-understand text. It covers natural science, physical science, the world around us, and hundreds of other topics.

2. Barron’s Illustrated Fact Finder

The Michael Olaf catalog calls this “the Montessori elementary curriculum in a book” and that’s a pretty apt description. It includes maps, diagrams, charts, and information about history, geography, language and literature, mathematics, computers, physical science, natural science, English grammar, and arithmetic.

3. Dictionary – Scholastic or Webster

A good dictionary is the gateway to creative, interesting writing. Not only can kids look up spellings (the most common use), they can use the dictionary to discover multiple meanings, pronunciations, synonyms for words, and the history of words.

4. Poetry Anthology

A good poetry anthology should have a wide variety of poems from different time periods and different cultures, presented in an easy-to-read format.

Here is an excellent one:

A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy

5. Atlas

There are many versions of atlases for kids, from companies like Rand McNally, Scholastic, and Dorling Kindersley. You may want to have both a world atlas as well as an atlas for your specific country and/or continent.

A good atlas should have several types of maps for each continent or country (geographic, political, and environmental) as well as helpful statistics (population, square miles/kilometers) and pictures.

6. A Quality Magazine Subscription

While I was teaching elementary, I subscribed to Highlights magazine and used it in the classroom. It was fun for the kids to get something new to read every month. I’d get just one copy, and leave it on the shelf in the same place every month. Not only did the kids enjoy reading it, but I could easily grab it off the shelf and read a short story or brain teaser if I needed to fill 10 minutes. Homeschooled kids enjoy receiving monthly magazines too. A few of my favorites include:

Highlights – this perennial favorite features fiction and non-fiction, jokes & riddles, science facts, puzzles, and other fun activities

Ranger Rick – nature-themed stories, crafts, activities, and more

Cricket – a story magazine filled with fiction, fantasy, folk tales, adventures, poems, history, and biography

Muse – for kids age 10 and up; includes intriguing articles about science, history, and art

7. The Childcraft How & Why Library

This set is a classic blend of photos, illustrations, fiction, and nonfiction to capture and keep the interest of a young student. Its varied content works with children’s different learning styles and developing comprehension skills. I remember reading through these by the hour when I was growing up.

Unlike traditional encyclopedia sets, the information in these volumes generally does not go out of date, as it mostly contains stories, poems, and craft ideas. So if you can get your hands on a used set of these at a reduced price, it would be a great value. They can be found on eBay or other auction sites, and used copies can be bought at Amazon as well.

8. My Book House Collection
Consisting of 12 volumes, this set contains everything from nursery rhymes to fairy tales, from folktales to mythology. Beautifully illustrated, it’s been a favorite of children for generations. The My Book House books are now out of print, so you’ll have to find a used set on eBay, Amazon, or other auction site.

A Note About Encyclopedias

Many elementary classrooms have sets of encyclopedias (Britannica, World Book). While these can be a helpful resource, the information in them can go out of date pretty quickly, especially when it comes to the areas of science and technology. I don’t recommend buying a used set for that reason.

I do recommend buying one book (like numbers 1 and 2, above) that is an all-in-one encyclopedia rather than a whole set. It’s much cheaper, and easier to buy a new version every few years to insure the materials are up-to-date.

If your classroom has a set of encyclopedias, they can certainly be used for research and fact-finding, but any information found should be cross-checked with other sources for accuracy.

Where Do Computers Fit?

Most classrooms and homes today have computers, and oftentimes finding the answer to a question is as easy as a quick Google search. Sometimes we might wonder, why have so many books?

Here are a few reasons to keep some good reference books around:

1. Books are more intimate and invite exploration; it’s easy for a child looking up a word in the dictionary to end up flipping through the book to look at more words as well

2. Books can be more accurate, have a more thorough overview, and a more consistent tone if written by one author or team of authors

3. Using the computer does pose a certain amount of risk for the young child; even with blocking programs and safe search settings, there is still the a chance the child will be exposed to unsavory pictures or other content

4. When using a computer, a child must be supervised closely, but when reading an age-appropriate book, they have the freedom to work alone

Children have more information available to them than ever before. By selecting quality books to have in your classroom, you will ensure that their learning, reading, and research is based on the very highest quality of information available.

1. Sturdy table or open floor where work can be done
2. Shelves for holding the work
3. Work rug and a table mat (placemat)
4. Clipboard, writing paper, and sharpened pencils
5. Plants or artwork for the school area
6. A pet for the child(ren) to take care of

Essentials for Language:

1. Pink, blue, & green series materials
2. Word study materials
3. Movable alphabet

Essentials for Math:

1. Addition strip board, charts, & equations
2. Subtraction strip board, charts & equations
3. Box of bead bars (the largest you can afford)
4. Large & small number cards
5. Math symbols (+, -, x, ÷, >, =)

Essentials for Geometry:

1. Geometric solids
2. Plane & curved shapes cards
3. Basic geometry nomenclature cards

Essentials for Botany & Zoology:

1. Living/non-living cards or objects
2. Vertebrate nomenclature cards (mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian)
3. Botany nomenclature cards (plant, flower, root, seed, fruit, leaf)

Essentials for History & Geography:

1. Land & Water Form nomenclature (with definitions)
2 Globe & Continent map (or puzzle)
3. Parts of the Earth cards
4. Calendar and seasons work

Essential Teacher Tools:

1. Comprehensive List for 6-9
2.Montessori R & D 6-9 Albums

How to use these essential materials:

1. What Can You Do With the Language Basics?
2. What Can You Do With the Math Basics?

On a chosen evening, all the families gathered together at the school and each child gave their presentation to the audience. Responses were always extremely enthusiastic, and in many cases the parents were stunned at how well the children did at remembering their presentations and speaking clearly and intelligently about their chosen subject.

My son will be doing a project this spring, and when he is ready we will invite some friends and family over to see it. Yesterday I explained the concept to him and asked him what he’d like to study. He loves animals and nature, so I expected him to choose something along those lines. Instead he said, “Mom, what’s that way of communicating that came after tin can telephones but before cellphones?” (I had no idea!) He continued, “You know, they would tap a signal to each other that the other person had to figure out?” Ohh, you mean ‘Morse code’, right? “Yep, mom, that’s it!” So Morse code it is!

Here’s a quick look at putting together a presentation night:

10. Choose it. This involves a little bit of brainstorming – they may want to flip through some books or encyclopedias to find some ideas. They’ll need to decide how specific to make their presentations: they could study “dogs”, for instance, or narrow it down to a specific breed of dog. Some kids may need more help than others, but I think it’s important to respect the child’s choice even if it’s not what you might think is the best topic.

9. Research it. For some kids, this may be the first real research that they do. It’s important that they get a variety of sources; if you’re doing this at a school, the parents will need to take the lead here and bring the child to the library to check out some books. The child should not copy references word for word, but should be restating the info in their own words.

8. Write it. Most kids seemed to like using a file-card sized (3 x 5) flip book. You can find these easily at any office supply store. Limit each card to only 2-3 sentences, and underline or highlight important words in each sentence.

7. Illustrate it. Have the parents purchase 3-part demonstration boards (science-fair style, found at office supply stores) that can stand up on their own. Homemade versions made with posterboard do not work – they fall down too easily. Pictures that illustrate the topic can be drawn by the child and/or printed off the computer. If applicable, graphs, charts, or maps can also be included. The title of the presentation should be printed across the top of the board, and all drawings/charts/maps should be clearly labeled.

6. Demonstrate it. If at all possible, real objects (or live animals) should be included. If the topic can be demonstrated (re-creating a volcano or doing an Irish dance), that should be part of the presentation as well.

5. Practice it. The child should get a chance to practice for several weeks before the actual presentation night. That may include doing it at home, for siblings or parents; and at school, for small groups of students or other classrooms. They should do it enough that they only use their notes as a reference; it should be mostly memorized.

4. Advertise it. Let the community know about it – invite friends, family, and neighbors. They’ve worked hard, and they want to show off their knowledge! (I prefer to stipulate that young children not attend, but that’s up to you).

3. Class it up. Have the children dress in nice clothing – no jeans or shorts. Make a simple program with a list of each child and their chosen topic. Clean up the classrooms (or home) and even decorate if you like. Make it a special evening.

2. Record it. Videotape each child’s presentation, and take some snapshots as well. They’ll want to look back at it in years to come. When I was in a school, I made sure to get a picture of each child next to their presentation board and sent each family a picture of their own child. I also made up a poster for our classroom with a picture of each kid.

1. Enjoy it. This is the kids’ turn to shine. Allow each child as much time as they need to complete their entire presentation. Open it up to questions after each presentation – this really gives the kids a chance to show off all they’ve learned. Sometimes the kids who struggled most with the writing and research are the ones who turn into “naturals” in front of an audience. Let them surprise you, and their families, with the results of their hard work.

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 to Montessori materials at home. Second, most homework consists of worksheets and workbooks, which we don’t use in Montessori [much] anyway. Third, the nature of Montessori learning (hands-on, interactive, child-directed) is so beneficial to the child that they don’t need homework to stay current with learning.

Of course, back then I thought there was some benefit to homework (hadn’t I always had to do it?), but kids in Montessori just didn’t need that benefit, whatever it was. Now, things are changing. Children in traditional schools are getting more homework than ever, but books are being written that argue that homework isn’t necessary or beneficial at all.

One book, The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn, says that forcing homework on kids causes them to lose their creative spark and that homework is actually harmful to children – to their relationships and intellect. A similar book by Sarah Bennett & Nancy Kalish, The Case Against Homework, is along the lines of Kohn’s but is also a call to arms for parents, school boards, teachers, and even children to speak out against homework.

If you’re not interested in buying their books but would like to learn more, Sarah Bennett has a blog, and there are lots of articles and interviews with Alfie Kohn online – here’s one.

Personally, when I was a teacher I didn’t assign homework other than reading – a story each day or two from a grade-level reader. Many times I had parents ask me to give their children homework, which was strange. It seems more common to hear parents complain when their kids have too much homework, but some parents seemed to want it.

In those cases, I told the parents to have their child pick a book at the library, read it, and write a book report about it. Strangely, no families ever took me up on that. Possibly all they wanted for their kids was busywork – but not a project that would require effort on the part of the parents and child.

So, do any of you assign homework? If so, what? Do you give your kids homework if you are homeschooling? Do you see any benefit to it? Is there a specific kind of homework that seems more beneficial? I’d really like to know!

Anyway, I’ve been reflecting on this age group after reading an article entitled, “Community, Purpose and Responsiblity in the 9-12 Class” in the latest edition of Public School Montessorian. In this article, 9-12 director John Snyder outlines the way he implements the liberty/discipline balance in a Montessori 9-12 classroom.

I know that personally, the years from 9-12 were more difficult than the teenage years in many ways. I often felt at odds with teachers who disliked me and my free-thinking, unique way of approaching life and learning. Snyder mentions that he emphasizes the idea of a Montessori classroom being a community that shares several common purposes, thereby uniting the students in their efforts to make the community a great place to be.

I wish this idea – or something like it – had been in place at the school where I attended junior high. Instead, I remember the 9-12 years as being packed with rivalries, jealousies, humiliation, misunderstandings, low self-esteem, and hurt feelings. Not that I personally experienced all of these things (and not all at one time!), but they were always going on in the classroom.

Truth was, we felt no vested interest in contributing to the community – it was one whether our teachers defined it as such or not – of our classroom. The teachers’ opinions ruled, and there was no place for reasoned disagreement. Contrast this with Snyder’s habit of listening to children who disagree with rules and changing them if a child makes a convincing argument.

We speak about respect in 3-6; following and observing the child, leaving them alone when concentration begins, leading them to correction without emphasizing errors. Naturally, if this respect continues as the child grows older, they will feel freer to be contribute positively to whatever community they are in.

I think this also shows how important it is for a child to start in a Montessori environment at a young age, and consistently thereafter. This normalized child will be much better able to understand and respect the community of the 9-12 classroom than a child who’s never been in Montessori.

It seems like more and more schools in my area (Chicagoland) are expanding upwards and adding either 6-9 classes where there was only preschool, or 9-12 where there was only 6-9. This is a fantastic development, and surely must be a sign that parents are realizing the Montessori environment should continue throughout the child’s education, not just happen during preschool and then end. The full benefits of the 3-6 class are realized when Montessori children are tested – by peer pressure, society, the media, puberty – and come through with flying colors because of their strong foundation.

So, a quick recap of Math Bingo Games!

Bingo Game A:

Give the children the blank chart with empty spaces, as well as the answer tiles for that chart. Select an equation from the equation box, say it, and find the answer tile. Have them use their fingers to find the correct space on the chart, and put the answer tile down. Keep going until all the spaces are filled.

If the child is unsure of an answer, have them use the control chart to check.

Bingo Game B:

In this game, the child uses only the blank chart and the answer tiles. They need to pick up an answer tile and think of an equation for it (for example, if they pick up “7″ while doing addition, their equation could be “3 + 4″. Then they put the answer tile in the correct space on the chart.

Bingo Game C:

For this game, the child sorts the answer tiles into piles. For instance, all the “11″s would be together, all the “12″s, etc. That way, the child can see how many equations they’ll have to know for each answer. They still think of the equations and put the tiles down like in Bingo Game B.

Here’s a beginning set up for 6-9 math:

Addition strip board, charts, & equations
Subtraction strip board, charts & equations
Box of bead bars (55 of each, if possible)
Large & small number cards
Math symbols (+, -, x, ÷, >, =)

An addition strip board can be used for addition, obviously, with the child taking a few equations (10-20) at a time and using the board to calculate the answers. It’s important that after putting the answer tiles down and checking the work with a finger chart, that the child write some of the equations. Some kids might want to write all of them, but at the very least they should write any that they got wrong. If they didn’t miss any, they can pick their favorite equation out of all the ones they did to write down.

An addition strip board can also be used for number analysis. For this, a child picks a certain number and sees how many different strip combinations they can use to make it. For 6, for instance, they would see that they could use 5 + 1, 4 + 2, and 3 + 3. On their own, they may discover that as blue strips increase, red strips decrease and vice versa. Also, they may notice that they reverse two of those equations (1 + 5 and 2 + 4) and get the same result. You can point out that when they use the 6 strip of either color, the missing symbol in the equation is 0.

One addition strip board activity is to have the child use the two pairs of strips to calculate all the doubles of numbers (1 + 1, 2 + 2, 3 + 3, etc.) Finger charts can be used to check any of the above activities, as well as for practice with math facts. Answer tiles can be used to fill in the answers on the blank chart.

The bead bar box is incredibly versatile. A child can choose two random beads (have them omit 1s and 10s) and make their own equations, counting the beads to get the answers. Or, they can choose 3 or 4 at a time and have triple or quadruple addends.

Using slips of paper with greater than/less than signs, the child can pick any two different beads and place them accordingly. An equal sign can be used when any two of the same bead bars are chosen. The beads can also be used to make ten and teen numbers; if you’d like, you can have the child write each ten and teen number on a slip of paper and place it next to the bead bar combinations.

You’ll need the larger bead box for this one, but kids really like making multiplication tables with bead bars. To do this, choose one number (say, 3) and put out one 3 bar horizontally. Then, since 3 x 1 is 3, put one three bar under the horizontally placed bar, vertically this time. Then, put out two 3 bars horizontally (go from left to right with these). Count 3 x 2, then get a 6 bar and put it vertically under the two 3 bars. Continue until you reach 3 x 10. The child can write these equations in a table. See example (I’ve only shown through 3 x 3):

Bead bars can also be used for Making 10, the snake game, binomial equations, balancing numbers, the checkerboard and I’m sure many more math activities. If you’re homeschooling and you want to purchase one Montessori math material, I would recommend a bead bar box. The beads bars can also be made and stored in a tackle box; see a chart of number of beads needed here.

I like to use the small number cards for greater than/less than. Start with just the units and tens cards. Let the child make various combinations of the units and tens in pairs going down a rug. Then give them greater than/less than signs to put in between (you can write these on slips of paper or cardstock). When they’ve mastered that, let them add the hundreds and make numbers using hundreds, tens, and units cards. Then, they can add the thousands and do greater than/less than with thousands, hundreds, tens, and units.

These cards are also great for place value. Using the large number cards, have the child make numbers with thousands, hundreds, tens, and units in any combination. Then, have them put a stick (I find small sticks at craft stores, or you can use toothpicks) under just one number. For example: 8645. Have them identify where the stick was placed; in my example, it would be in the 10s. Let them write at least one combination of numbers and draw the line under one place and identify if its place is units, tens, hundreds, or thousands.

For odd and even work, using either the large or small number cards, let the child randomly combine the cards into 4-digit numbers. Have them identify whether the number is odd or even. They may realize (or you can point out) that only the last number in the series determines “odd” or “even”.

Beginning set up for 6-9 language:

Pink, blue, & green series materials
Word study materials
Movable alphabet

The Pink, Blue, & Green series materials should include word lists or spelling cards, and pictures and objects of Pink, Blue, & Green series words. Pictures can be photos, clipart, or even cut out of books or magazines. Objects can be easily found around the house or classroom; here’s some suggestions:

Pink Objects
pen
nut
jet (toy airplane)
bag (small gift bag)
cup
bus
map (print a small one off the internet & laminate)
peg (from lite brite)
rug (a small oval of fabric)
top (toy that spins)
box (small jewelry box)
animals from a farm or play set: cat, dog, fox

Blue Objects:
ball
bell
block (wooden toy)
brush (paint or hair)
clip (paper clip)
rock
flag
ring
shell
sock & shoe from a doll

Green Objects:
spool
leaf
rose
dime
cube (square block)
bead
soap (hotel-sized bar)
seed
globe

Okay, now that you’ve assembled some Pink, Blue, & Green materials, you need a movable alphabet. Those can be easily stored in a plastic tackle box (find that at a craft or hobby store).

The child can use the objects and/or pictures to spell words, rhyme words, and write stories – all with the movable alphabet. Have them take all the objects from one set, put them on their rug, and spell each one out with the movable alphabet. Or, choose one object, spell it, and then think of 2-3 words that rhyme with it and spell those out too. Or, have the child spell the color of each object.

The word lists or spelling cards can be used as story starters, spelling tests (both written and oral), spelling bees, and alphabetization practice. Pink, Blue, and Green series words can also be looked up in the dictionary for dictionary practice.

Word Study materials should include title cards that say “masculine/feminine”, “short vowel/long vowel”, “person/place/thing”, and “singular/plural”. The child can use the movable alphabet or slips of scrap paper to write appropriate words for each category. Other word study cards include compound word matching, homophones, prefix/suffix, and contractions.

These materials – and the variations contained within – could easily be used for the first few months of school for 6-9 year olds. Stories written with the movable alphabet could be written on paper in cursive by older students; either they could turn it into cursive on their own, or use a cursive movable alphabet to start with (naturally the difficulty of the story itself will increase as the child’s age increases).

Take a look at our Pink, Blue, and Green Series Materials!

But, the real value is to use them this way: when a child needs help and you are working with another child, you have them set their nametag next to you instead of saying something out loud. They feel like you have “heard” them, and then they can wait quietly at their rug without badgering you for attention.

In a large classroom, you might have 3-4 nametags set next to you, and then you just go around to each child in the order that you received them.

I was reminded of how helpful they are when I overheard my son telling my daughter this: “My nametag is very special to mom and me. It gets her attention when she is working with you.” (he was using his very best “lesson” voice while telling her this, a perfect imitation of me, actually!)

Just to squeak every last drop of usefulness out of the nametag, I also put the lowercase alphabet (in block print) and numbers 0-9 on it, so that he can use it as a reference when writing.

For a child learning cursive, you could include cursive letters on the nametag (you can find tape with the cursive alphabet at teacher stores, and cut it into 2-3 lines). Here’s what a sample nametag might look like:

Naturally, I print them onto cardstock and laminate so they last the whole year. They average about 8 inches wide by 4-5 inches high, depending on how much info you include on them. I have free templates for nametags using print, handwriting, and cursive.