Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 30

photo of brown wooden school desk
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@puonqnam217
 Good morning Montessori Kindergarten Families,
We are finishing up our unit on Australia and have discussed the types of materials to use from our recycled projects of Sydney Opera house and Sydney Harbour bridge - I can't wait to see what your child is creating!  We also completed a sewing project that incorporated math, recycled products and design.    
Monday:
Ecology: riddles
Math: missing addends, venn diagram review
Language: structuring sentences
Geography: what does digaridoo sound like?, animals and landmarks of Australia, 
assemble map of Australia: pin poking work, ABCs of Australia: fairy bread, Commonwealth
Handwriting: 2 pages
Tuesday:
Geography: continue working on Australia maps, writing names of states
Ecology: recycle game, what can be recycled, talk about recycle projects: Sydney Opera House or Sydney Harbour bridge
Art: directed line drawing - Sydney opera house
Engineering: inventions
Handwriting: 2 pages
Wednesday:
Practical Life - sewing project, spring themed, (math) length and measurement
Language: reading/sound table
Zoology: marsupials
Engineering: inventions
Writing: opinion writing - do you prefer a cat or a dog
Math: length and measurement - longest to shortest
ABCs of Australia: E- echidna
Handwriting: 2 pages
Thursday:
Practical Life - continue sewing work
ABCs of Australia: G-great barrier reef, H-honeyeater
Language: reading/sound table
Math: memory game - tens and ones recognition
Zoology: parts of a kangaroo
Art: directed line drawing - koalas
Geometry: Triangular box lesson
Handwriting: 2 pages
Friday:
Language/Writing/Art:Read/spell/draw
Math: length and measurement/practical life: flower project
ABCs of Australia - I: invertebrate, J: jumbuck
Engineering: inventions: Why was a fork a necessary invention? a marker? a tape dispenser?
Handwriting: 2 pages
Video: marsupials (full day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM-q_O-_QEU
Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 29

five red apples on white surface
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@twinsfisch


Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,

 Week 29 is in the books!  As we prepare for MAP testing, we also continue to learn and grow in our math, language, science and geography experiences.  The week we also started our Ecology unit.  The quarter we are learning a new morning song "If I had a Hammer" - here is a link to the song: ______

 MONDAY:
Math lesson: tens and ones place value review
Writers Workshop: review sequencing of a story
Writing: personal narrative
Geography: Australia - is it a continent or a country?
Language: noun/verb review 
Sound table

 TUESDAY:
Geography - Uluru art project and informative writing 
Video on Uluru:
Engineering: What is an invention?
Review: telling time
Handwriting
ABCS OF Australia: boomerang

WEDNESDAY:
Finish ulura project
Talk about Student Treasures book collaboration
Read/Spell/Draw 
Math: length and measurement review
Invention: What problem does it solve?
Video: Kid President on inventions - ______________

 THURSDAY:
Math: What is a Venn diagram
Prepare for MAP testing
Language: antonyms/synonyms/homonyms review
Sound table
Art: Directed line drawing - kangaroo
Continue working on student book

 FRIDAY:
Ecology lesson - land/water/air
pollution vs clean
Zoology: What is a marsupial?
Video: Why do kangaroos have pouches? _______________
Math: review skip counting - 2s,5s,10s
Continue working on student book

 Have a good weekend everyone. MAP testing is next week so please make every effort to be on time to school and have your child eat a hearty breakfast.

 Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 28

children and woman sitting on floor with pillows
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@plmka
 Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,
This week was filled with celebration over watching your children take ownership of their learning.  So many beamed as they shared the concepts they have learned. My highest JOY is to see their confidence grow over these last weeks in the classroom in their reading, writing and math skills.  Thanks so much for partnering with me to help guide their mental, emotional and academic lives.  
As I mentioned in an earlier email, I discussed with the class a Spring Break project where they create a map of their room, home and neighborhood.  I leave it up to the student as to his/her interpretation of what "neighborhood" means.  We will discuss this more as a class when we come back from the break.  
So you may wonder what the thought process is behind teaching Geography from both a global and personal perspective concurrently. This link offers some wonderful insight as to why this is part of the Montessori tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UhDWmd7kco - the discussion on this topic starts about 10 minutes into the video.
Monday:
personal narrative review
sequencing/handwriting sentences
choose your math
new works in Practical Life area
Write the room: length and measurement
Geometry review - 3D objects - three part cards
Tuesday:
Science - Uranus painting and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UhDWmd7kco
Time - review of parts of the clock; the role of the hands on the clock
Begin creating Solar System books
prepare for student led conferences
Wednesday:
1/2 day
science - Neptune painting and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM22MyLaRSs
diagramming sentences - small group work - nouns, articles, is there a verb?
math: what is a number sentence? how do you create a picture from reading a number sentence?
sight words spelling/dictation
Student led conferences
Thursday:
1/2 day
Science - create our new planet presentations day 1
choose your math
choose your language
Student led conferences
Friday:
1/2 day
Science - create our new planet presentations day 2
new language work in the classroom
free choice full classroom
Thanks to everyone who sent in disinfecting wipes! We are cleaning and preparing the room for another quarter of joyful learning.  We appreciate each of you. 
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 27

assorted-color origami on table
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@dev_irl

Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,
The following is the newsletter that I missed last week:
Monday: 
Begin discussing Opinion Writing 
Writers Workshop: Work on parts of a sentence
Science: Mercury painting
Opportunity to do a sewing work
Tuesday:
Review of facts about Mercury
Time: 3 part cards
ILP progress testing
Handwriting
Science: Earth painting
Your choice math and language
Wednesday:
1/2 day
ILP progress report testing
Science: Mars painting
Thursday:
ILP progress report testing
your choice: math and language
Science: Jupiter painting
Post narrative writing exercise all week
Friday:
Science project - create nebula jars
Review of student work - prepare for student led conferences
Time - :00 and :30, parts of a clock
Thanks for your patience!
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren
 
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