News&NotesMARCH–APRIL 2014

PLYMOUTH-CANTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Thanks to everyone who helped showcaseour Montessori program to prospectivekindergarten families during our KindergartenInformation Meeting in February. Currentkindergartners and parents—Ben Groves andmom Tracy; Delaney Snook and dad Bryan;Mahika Upasani and dad Amit; Amy Szaraz(Nathan and alumna Shaylee’s mom); andJennifer Pavan (Jack’s mom)—all helped bydemonstrating materials and answering ques-tions about the third year of our Montessoricurriculum. The evening is designed as part ofour re-enrollment process, and we encourageparents to consider the many benefits of aMontessori education. During these earlyyears, children undergo extremely rapidgrowth of intelligence. The rich, developmen-tal nature of the Montessori classroom fostersoptimal growth.

Come spend time at schoolMarch is a very busy month with many shar-ing activities for families and children. Wethank those parents who volunteered to sharetheir cultures with the children during Multi -cultural Week. The children benefit from thisrich exposure to different cultures. The chil-dren were also exposed to many different lan-guages as they listened to Brown Bear, BrownBear, What Do You See? read by parent volun-teers in their native language.

Dads will have the opportunity to spend anevening with their children here at school onThursday, March 20. The children always lookforward to showing their classroom to guestsand sharing their favorite activities.

On March 22 families will be able to par-ticipate in our very popular Sat urday event,Art Day, which is dedicated to fun art projectsfor students and their parents.

We will showcase our Montessori programto the community at our spring open house onSunday, April 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. Enrolledfamilies also are invited to spend the afternoontogether in the classroom.

Also in April is Grand parents’ Day (orSpecial Persons’ Day, if grandparents are notavailable!). On Wed nes day, April 30, grand-parents (or a substitute) are invited to visitthe classroom and share in the children’sMontessori experience.

Think spring…then summerWe will be looking for signs of spring as thewarmer weather approaches. We believe it isvery important for the children to go outsidedaily, and we advise parents to dress their chil-dren in comfortable playground wear. Layeredclothing is best because the temperature variesfrom early morning to late afternoon.

Soon after the end of the school year, our

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

Sharing our wonderful school

continued on page 3

Jacob Saad practices pouring water inthe Practical Life area of Mrs. Ewasek’sclassroom. Pouring work helps chil-dren develop important abilities suchas motor control, coordination, and concentration.

Drivers, please put the children’s safety first As the weather warms up, the children will be spending more time outdoors—and that means more children crossing the driveway to get to the playground. Please putthe children’s safety first:n Do not park along the walk adjoining the school building, at the front door, or

within one car length of the crosswalk. n Drive slowly and cautiously in your swing around the driveway. n With cellphones off, you are able to give your full attention to your driving

and the children.

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Mind in the makingSeven essential life skills for children

Ellen Galinsky, child devel -opment specialist, author,researcher, and former presidentof the National Association forthe Education of Young Chil -dren, gave the keynote address at the March 2011 AmericanMon tes sori Society national con-ference. In her talk, she discussedher book Mind in the Making:The Seven Essential Life SkillsEvery Child Needs. Galinsky con-ducted an extensive review ofresearch to arrive at seven skillsthat are crucial to children’slearning and to their success laterin life. All of them involve theprefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that weaves togethersocial, emotional, and intellec -tual capacities in pursuit of goals.

During his recent visit to ourDearborn Heights campus towork with staff and parents, edu-cator Rick Ackerly also empha-sized the importance of theseskills, and reiterated that they arenot directly taught. Instead, chil-dren acquire them through expe-riences in their environment andinteractions with adults andother children.

The list that follows isexcerpted from the websitemindinthemaking.org.

1. Focus and self-controlChildren need focus and self-control in order to achieve their goals, especially in a worldthat is filled with distractionsand information overload. Thisskill involves paying attention,remembering the rules, think-ing flexibly, and exercising self-control.

Focus and self-control involvemany executive functions of the brain. Scientists call these“executive functions” because these are the brain functions we use to manage our attention,

our emotions, and our behaviorin pursuit of our goals. Many scientists now believe that execu-tive functions predict children’ssuccess as well as—if not betterthan—IQ tests.

Focus and self-control can be broken down into four components:n Focus—alertness, orientation

toward a goal, concentrationn Cognitive flexibility—the

ability to flexibly switch per-spectives, change the focus of attention, and adjust tochanged demands or priorities

n Working memory—the abil-ity to hold information in themind while mentally workingwith it or updating it

n Inhibitory control—the abil -ity to resist a strong inclinationto do one thing and instead do what is most appropriate.Inhibitory control involvescon trolling attention, emo-tions, and behavior to achievea goal.

2. Perspective takingPerspective taking goes farbeyond empathy; it involves figuring out what others thinkand feel, and forms the basis for children’s understanding oftheir parents’, teachers’, andfriends’ intentions. Childrenwho can take others’ perspectivesare also much less likely to getinvolved in conflicts.

Perspective taking calls onmany of the executive functionsof the brain. It requires:n Inhib itory control, or inhib -

iting our own thoughts andfeelings to consider the per-spectives of others.

n Cognitive flexibility to see asituation in different ways.

n Reflection, or the ability toconsider someone else’sthinking alongside our own.

Although perspective takingis rarely on lists of essential skillsfor children to acquire, researchmakes it clear that it should be.

3. CommunicatingCommunicating involves muchmore than understanding lan-guage, speaking, reading, andwriting—it is the skill of deter-mining what one wants to com-municate and realizing how ourcommunications are understoodby others.

These are not simple tasks.Workplace research conductedby the Families and Work Insti -tute reveals that the skills mostlacking among new entrants tothe workforce are spoken andwritten communication skills.

4. Making connectionsMaking connections is at theheart of learning, and makingunusual connections is at thecore of creativity.

Making connections involvesputting information into cate-gories as well as seeing how one thing can represent or standfor something else. Ultimately, it involves figuring out what’sthe same or similar; figuring out how one thing relates toanother; and finding unusualconnections, often by being able to inhibit an automaticresponse by reflecting, and byselecting something that is connected in a different way.

5. Critical thinkingCritical thinking is the ongoingsearch for valid and reliableknowledge to guide our beliefs,decisions, and actions. Likeother essential life skills, criticalthinking develops on a set course throughout childhoodand into adulthood, but its use must be promoted. It is

Children

acquire these

life skills through

experiences in their

environment and

interactions with

adults and other

children.

NEWS & NOTES 3

summer camp program begins, starting on Monday, June 16 andcontinuing for nine weeks. The camp session is three hours(8:45–11:45 a.m.), and day care is available before and after campclass, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Summer camp is theme based, witheach week offering a variety of crafts, activities, and outdoor fun.Sprinkler Day is one of the most popular weekly events. Severalexciting in-house presenters have been scheduled, along with anending field trip to May bury Farm in Northville.

We look forward to warmer days and spring sunshine. —Linda Myers and Cheryl Miller

Sharing our wonderful school continued from page 1

similar to the scientific methodbecause it involves developing,testing, and refining theoriesabout “what causes what” tohappen.

6. Taking on challengesTaking on challenges involvesbeing resilient in the face ofstress, trying new experiences,and being proactive in standingup to difficulties. One of thejobs of parents and teachers is tohelp children learn to respond to the inevitable stresses andchallenges of life. But theyshould do more than help chil-dren cope; they need to helpthem learn to take on chal-lenges. Children who take onchallenges (instead of avoidingthem or simply coping withthem) do better in school and in life.

7. Self-directed, engaged learningIt is through learning that werealize our potential. It isthrough learning that our mindsbecome attuned, ready to meetwhatever life brings. As the worldchanges, so can we, for as long aswe live—as long as we learn. Thegoal is to remain a seeker ofknowledge and skills.

Ellen Galinsky believes thatthe current focus on testing isdetrimental to the developmentof the seven essential life skills,and that the achievement gap in our country cannot be effec -tively addressed unless we helpall children gain these skills.Visit your child’s Montessoriclassroom to see “seven skills”teaching in action.

Nationally recognized edu cator and speaker Rick Ackerly vis ited our Dearborn Heights campus on January 20, con-ducting a professional development session for staff during the

day and a free presentation for parents inthe evening. Mr. Ackerly’s topic was “TheGenius in Every Child: How to Keep ItThriving,” based on his book The Geniusin Every Child: Encouraging Character,Curiosity, and Creativity in Children.

During the daytime session, staff fromLivonia Montessori School, DearbornHeights Montessori Center, andPlymouth-Canton Montessori School

discussed the following topics:n Educational philosophyn Strategies for facilitating each child’s learningn Staff goals for childrenn Partnering with parentsn Important life skills for children (see story on the facing page)n Staff relationships

During the evening session, Mr. Ackerly followed the lead ofthe parents in attendance, answering questions and sharing stories.Topics included children’s performance on school work and chil-dren not listening at bedtime. Mr. Ackerly reminded parents to“let your kids own their decisions.” At the end of the evening,guests took home a handout he’d prepared called “Defining theParent-Teacher Contract.”

“Rick really got us thinking about our relationships and ourpractices as educators,” says Kay Neff, head of school. “We arealways pleased to be able to bring high-quality presenters toDHMC for our staff and parents.”

Speaker points staff and parents to ‘The Genius in Every Child’

Rick Ackerly

reminded parents

to “let your kids

own their

decisions.”

4 NEWS & NOTES

What a long and bitter-coldwinter this has been! Theseason has broken records, andour children have missed havingoutdoor time. For tu nately, theydid get a few days for snowactivities earlier in the seasonand have become quite inde-pendent in learning to get readyby themselves.

Moms’ Night was a big suc cesswith excellent participation fromparents. We look forward to agreat turnout on Dads’ Night aswell, on Thursday, March 20. It is heartening to see our childrenproudly present their favorite classwork to their parents.

Every year our school pro-vides internship opportunitiesfor Middle School students fromDearborn Heights MontessoriCenter. We were fortunate tohave Rory McMaster (Finn’s sis-ter) assisting in our classroom fora week. She proposed a greatidea for the Valentine’s Day proj-ect for our students and also reada book to the class. We sincerelyappreciate her efforts in helpingour children with their work.

We would like to thank ourparents for their donations towardedible and non edible treats forour Valentine’s Day party.

Progress all around In science, we have been learningabout metamorphosis, flowers,and insects. We brought flowersinto the classroom and dissectedthem to learn the parts. Spring isalways a wonderful time of yearto help our children connect withnature and to instill in them anappreciation for the amazingworld in which we live.

In the Practical Life area ofthe classroom, our children com-pleted some challenging activi-ties such as squeezing oranges toprepare orange juice, slicingpickles, spreading jelly on crack-ers, sewing, and funnel pouring.

Gradually over time, we intro-duce smaller objects (spoons,funnels, etc.) for these activitiesto help the children further refinetheir skills. These activitiesdemand immense coordinationand concentration and help thechildren become independentand develop a sense of order.

In the Sensorial area, we havelearned to recognize geometricshapes such as the parallelogram,rhombus, and trapezoid, as well aspolygons from pentagons todecagons. We introduced thecolor tablets, which enabled us tograde by shade of color.

In math, we played a “fetch-ing” game. The students wouldfetch a number of objects fromaround the room to match thenumber provided by the teacher.We continue to work on the con-cepts of units, tens, hundreds, and

thousands. Depend ing on thereadiness of the children, we willlearn about the concepts of addi-tion and subtraction. (Read moreabout the Montessori math cur-riculum on page 10.)

In geography, we will studyland and water forms such ascape, isthmus, island, archipel -ago, bay, lake, strait, and gulf.

Language skills are developedin all the areas of the classroomthrough rich, descriptive vocabu-lary. The younger children areworking on phonics. Some of theolder children are already buildingwords and blending the words toread. The benefits of reading toyour child every day are great, fos-tering a love of books, and provid-ing a wonderful time together.

— Sudha Shekar,

Diane Kwiatkowski, and

Jeannie Michalak

MRS. SHEKAR

Visitors create special moments

It is heartening

to see our children

proudly present

their favorite class

work to their parents

during Moms’ and

Dads’ Nights.

Rory McMaster, a seventh grader from Dearborn HeightsMontessori Center, worked one-on-one with preschoolerKiera Watkins while interning in our classroom in February.

Happy Birthday!

MarchAyla Rhodes,

Sujay Suribhotla

AprilMorgan Cialella,

Chelsea Tiano

NEWS & NOTES 5

MRS. EWASEK

Are they ready?Hard to believe after such along winter that spring isjust around the corner. I findmyself looking at our studentsand wondering if there is a skillwe need to work on before sum-mer is upon us. I don’t fuss overthe three-year-olds because somuch of their work during the first year of our program isinternal. They are the ones Ithink of after class and on theweekends when I am creatingand setting out the Practical Lifework. The environment wastheir most rigorous teacher, asthey learned to have faith intheir abilities, to move about andhandle materials with grace andcare, and of course to improvethat all-important concentrationwe look for.

It thrills me when I see a tinyperson solemnly sawing card-board, carefully following eachstep. When I watch the childrencarry a heavy tray and organizetheir work, I know they are also orga nizing their minds. It is fascinating that a child who in September said, “I can’t” now says, “Can I do that?” about some pretty complexwork. Best of all, when I see ourchildren treat each other withrespect and kindness, I know the

world will be a better place.The four-year-olds are easy in

one way since the second year ofour program is generally the yearof skill building. Are they read-ing? Have they got a good han-dle on the numbers 1 to 100?Are they writing letters, num-bers, and possibly even words?Are their skills strong enough tocarry over the summer? Most ofthis is pretty easy to assess.

The hardest for me are theones who won’t be doing theirkindergarten year with us. I feellike we’ve armed them buthaven’t shown them how to usetheir powers! They will miss theopportu nity to be the benevolentleaders our kindergarten studentsbecome. They will miss all thelessons on being a member of acommunity and helping othersrealize what they can do.

The ones who keep me up atnight are our kindergartners. Iknow they will be leaving us, andI want to be assured that they areready. At three o’clock in themorning I write notes to myselfto check if these third-year stu-dents really have attained what Ithink they should. Then whenthe students walk in at 8:30 a.m.and I see how happy and self-assured they are, I wonder what I

could have possibly worriedabout! I watch them tackle chal-lenging work and handle anyproblems that might arise. I seelaughter and joy and compassion.I have always loved them, butthey’ve grown up so much that Irealize I really like them as well.

Parents come to me to talkabout concerns they have abouttheir children. I listen carefullybecause I know a parent’s con-nection to his or her child runsdeep. As I listen, I try to deter-mine if whatever is worrying theparent is holding back the child.I know it is easier to help yourchild get along in the worldrather than to try to change theworld. One of the hardest les-sons is that the world can beunfair. Perhaps one day we canchange that, but for now it issimply the way it is. We can’talleviate problems, but we canchange how we handle them.This is one of the greatest giftswe can give our children.

Exercising mind and bodyIn science we have learned aboutbirds and their life cycle. Thebare branches of trees in winterhave allowed us to observe ourfeathered friends, and we haveexplored their unique attributesand learned the names of theparts of a bird. The children hada chance to create some birds oftheir own through art projects.

We have been practicing howto measure and compare. Wehave been weighing items on abalance scale and using manytools to measure length. Level -ing a dry ingredient in a tea-spoon is a skill we are practicingas well. We charted the growthof an amaryllis plant, and thechildren were delighted with the spectacular display when itbloomed. We will begin plant-ing seeds soon.

Warmer weather allows us toArtwork by Corinne C., who turns 4 this month

The hardest for me

are the ones who

won’t be doing

their kindergarten

year with us. I feel

like we’ve armed

them but haven’t

shown them how

to use their powers!

6 NEWS & NOTES

get outside more. Soon we will bepracticing riding tricycles. Wealso purchased some jump ropesfor the children to use. I must say,as much as I loved the snow, I ameager for some green.

So much of your child’s workis individual. I love to talk aboutit with you, so feel free to drop

by in the morning (I am alwayshere by 8) or call me at home inthe evening (as long as it’s before9 p.m.!). I enjoy talking to you asmuch as I enjoy being with yourchildren.

—Sandy Ewasek, Anne Marsh,

and Renee Smokovitz; Katie Cosmi

and Beth McGinnis

Happy Birthday!MarchCorinne C., Dylan Cook,Nathan Holmes

AprilAnsh Ghelani, Julia Jose,Emma Maynard

KATIE

One step at a timeOur classroom explorationsin recent weeks have led usthrough South Amer ica andAustralia. The children havestudied the rainforest and itscreatures, as well as those uniqueto Australia and our oceans.

Many of you have been ableto observe in our classroomrecently. I am sure you lookedaround our room and noticed a lot of dif ferent activities, child-sized fur niture, and verybusy children. I wish I couldhave given each of you a step-by-step tour of our classroomand talked about the genius inthe sequence of the Mon tes sorimaterials as your children wereworking with them.

There is such a sciencebehind everything we do in theclassroom. For example, wehave been working on foodpreparation activities. These arenot works that I can just put out on the shelf. We beginpreparing your children for thiswork on the first day of school,with snack. After they have allexperienced the eating part ofsnack time, we introduce sweep-ing the floor. This assists thechildren in mastering how toclean up after themselves. Wethen move on to using breakableplates and containers in theclassroom. Next, we introducehow to wash dishes. It is onlyafter a majority of our studentshave mastered these skills thatwe can add a complex work suchas food preparation.

As Montessori teachers, wehave to be able to break downactivities precisely for children.Hand washing is a good example.Think for a moment about what steps you take in washingyour hands. During my teachertraining, I once wrote a lessonplan for hand washing that had42 steps—42! Think about thisthe next time you ask your childto perform a task. You may havebeen unsuccessful saying, “Cleanup your toys.” When your childdoesn’t follow your directions, itmay not be because he or shewants to be difficult; it could bebecause the task is too immenseand daunting.

Try breaking it down. Startwith cleaning up one kind of toy,such as all of the stuffed animals,

then all of the blocks, and soforth. By breaking down largetasks into smaller, more manage-able ones, both you and yourchild will feel more successful.It’s what we do in class every dayand just one of the many ways inwhich Maria Montessori discov-ered how to honor the child.

—Katie Cosmi, Beth McGinnis,

and Carolyn Pelli

Happy Birthday!MarchJoshua Machnacki, PerisuOkuyucu, Aiden Williams

AprilHoward Gross, Majid Hafezi,Roshni Misra

Artwork by Aiden Slagenwhite, 4

When your child

doesn’t follow your

directions, it may

not be because he

or she wants to be

difficult; it could be

because the task is

too immense and

daunting.

NEWS & NOTES 7

With the harsh weather conditions keeping usfrom enjoying outside time (evenwith proper attire), the ExtendedDay students were instead able toexperience a lot of indoor recessactivities this winter. What weteachers enjoy the most is watch-ing the children make up rulesand games together. Playing theMonkeys on the Bed gameaccording to the rules quickly lostits charm, but piling monkeys onthe bed and taking turns pressingthe button to see on whom theywould pop was delightful.

One of the games we like isSpot It. Children try to find likepictures between their cards and acenter card. When they spot one,they name the picture and get tokeep the card. What is interestingis watching them settle disputeswhen two children see a match atthe same time. We teachers alwaystry to sit back and allow the chil-dren to exercise the skills they’velearned from their grace and cour-tesy lessons. When we do feel thatguidance is needed, usually themost we have to do is walk closerto them, and a peaceful solution issoon agreed on.

Special programs forExtended DayersOne of the special presentationsExtended Day students enjoyedthis winter was when Sarah fromthe Leslie Science and NatureCenter came to school in Januaryto teach us about owls. Besideslistening to a story, the childrengot to touch owl feet and talonsas well as hear the differencebetween the sound of a hawk’swing and an owl’s wing. ThenSarah brought out a live screechowl, which fascinated us with itssoft chirps and head-turning abil-ity. The owl even honored us bycoughing up a pellet. The chil-dren were so interested in this thatwe ordered some sanitized pellets

for our room. The children wereable to dissect the pellets andmake guesses as to the owl’s diet.

In February, the ExtendedDay students took a bus to visitGym America in Ann Arbor.There, they tackled a number ofobstacle courses, which includedapparatuses such as a trampoline,a foam pit, bars, rings, a rope, andbalance beams. Although thesewere all fun activities, nothingwas more exciting than takingour first ride on a school bus! Ahandful of the children even fellasleep on the ride home. Thisfield trip was also special becauseit did not require individual par-ent chaperones. It was a huge suc-cess and fell at the perfect point

in the weeks-long polar vortexthat kept us indoors.

In March, Patsy Girnysbrought theater magic to ourExtended Day program. Mrs.Patsy, a theater director and the music teacher at LivoniaMon tessori (our sister school),taught us about panto mime andimprov isation.

Writing worksThe Extended Day studentsloved our letter-writing project. Itbegan with the children workingto memorize their address andphone number. This is importantinformation to know that couldone day keep them safe. As theywere practicing that, we read lots

EXTENDED DAY

Creativity rules

Balancing actOur Extended Day field trip to Gym America inFebruary was so much fun—and the perfect antidoteto the winter doldrums brought on by the polar vortex. The children used gymnastic equipment thathelped them not only burn off energy but also testtheir motor skills, body awareness, coordination, andconfidence. Clockwise from above left: Emma Maynarddemonstrates how to traverse the balance beam. n Manav Shah exhibits good control while on theinverted balance ball. n Louie Macon has fun buildingmuscle strength by using the bars.

8 NEWS & NOTES

of letters written by other people.Once the students had memo-rized their own information, theycould write a letter to anyonethey wished. They made a roughdraft, cor rected any spelling orgrammar errors, and then copiedit to the stationery of their choos-ing. They addressed an envelope,selected a stamp, walked to themailbox, put the envelope in, andraised the flag.

We will be working ondescrip tive writing next. We talkabout the parts of speech so thechildren can begin to identifynouns, verbs, adjectives, and soforth. As the students write, weencourage them to simply writethe sounds they hear in words,rather than telling them how tospell words. This allows them toget their thoughts down. As longas their spelling is logical, such as“I wont u to kom ovr,” we canread it and then show them theaccepted spellings, which theycan use in their final draft.

Ready for readingAfter lunch, we set aside time forreading. We have read Charlotte’sWeb, by E. B. White. This time-less tale of friendship, love, andloss was well received. We are alsoreading stories from Uncle Remus:The Com plete Tales, written byJulius Lester and illustrated byJerry Pinkney. The lyrical words,lessons, and gorgeous illustrationsbring the African-American tradi-tion of storytelling to life, andthe skillful handling of the material by two of today’s mostaccomplished and renownedAfrican-American artists payshomage to the famed (if fictional)character of Uncle Remus.

Journeys in historyTo explore the needs of earlyhumans, the students got intheir time machines, traveled toAfrica, and visited the worldalong that great river, the Nile.They saw how differently theneeds of humans were met

when people stopped living thehunter-gatherer way of life thatNeolithic man exemplified andbegan to farm. Extended Dayersmade a pyramid and tastedroasted barley. We will continueto move through time as theschool year progresses.

Meaningful programThank you to all the parents whoattended our Kindergarten Infor -mation Meet ing for prospectiveparents. As teachers, we knowfirsthand what an incredibleexperience this third year offersour students, but it was veryhelpful to have current parentsexplain how meaningful the pro-gram is for their children.

It is our privilege to watchyour children mature and becomeso sure of themselves.

—Katie Cosmi, Sandy Ewasek,

and Beth McGinnis

DHMC Open House: Get a firsthand look at elementary Montessori

Plymouth-Canton Montessori families are cordially invited to check out the ele mentary programs at our affiliate

school, Dearborn Heights MontessoriCenter, during DHMC’s next Open

House. The school will welcome guestson Tuesday, March 25 from 9 to 11 a.m.

and Wednesday, March 26 from 1 to 3p.m. The weekday dates mean school

will be in session, giving you a firsthandlook at DHMC’s Mon tes sori programs

(toddler through Middle School) inaction. DHMC is located at 466 N. JohnDaly in Dearborn Heights, one half mile

east of Inkster Road and one block northof Cherry Hill (www.dhmontessori.org).

For more information, call Admis sionsDirector Julie Bawulski at 313-359-3000.

Artwork by Owen Covino, 3

We talk

about the parts

of speech so the

children can begin

to identify nouns,

verbs, adjectives,

and so forth.

NEWS & NOTES 9

French class (la classe defrançais) continues to meetand have fun twice a week. Thechildren are greeted in French(en français), and are becomingmore comfortable telling eachother how they feel. We haveadded Je suis fatigué (I’m tired),J’ai faim (I’m hungry), and J’aisoif (I’m thirsty) to our list ofexpressions.

Early in January we expandedour weather vocabulary toinclude the words to say that it’scold, hot, windy, beautiful,snowing, and raining. We deco-rated our “weather bears” andplayed a match game and Bravo(like Bingo) with our new words.

In February we learned to say“Je t’aime” so we could tell ourspecial valentines “I love you.”Students decided that the Frenchword for “family,” la famille,sounds like “love for me.” Welove our families! We used doll-

house figures to learn about la famille. One of our gamesincluded pictures of people frommagazines, all representing differ-ent members of our family. Wechose pictures and filled ourpaper dollhouses with la mère(mom), le père (dad), la grand-mère (grandmother), le grand-père(grand father), la soeur (sister), lefrère (brother), le bébé (baby), andles animaux (animals).

Bon voyage! This is what wesaid after we unpacked andpacked our valise (suitcase) withreal clothing. Our clothing les-sons included all the essentials:hat, glasses, scarf, tie, gloves,purse, shirt, belt, skirt, dress,pants, shoes, and socks. We also dressed paper dolls in thesame clothing.

We enjoyed learning aboutfood while we played au super-marché (at the supermarket).Children chose food to put in

their shopping carts, we checkedthem out, and they paid beforerestocking the shelves. We addedfood to our place setting for le dîner (dinner). It included lebifteck (steak), le poulet (chick-en), le sandwich (sandwich), la soupe (soup), le fruit (fruit), le lait (milk), le jus (juice), la glace (ice cream), la céréale(cereal), and other favorites.Before the end of the schoolyear, we will learn about vehicles,spring items, and sports.

We continue to learn familiarwords and phrases and play fungames to use the language in ameaningful way. My goal is togive the children an introductionand exposure to French so thatthey will enjoy learning it and besuccessful. Please feel free tocontact me if you have questionsor concerns.

—Merci, Becky Wattleworth

(Madame Becky)

FRENCH

Fun and games in la classe de français

Artwork by Mary Cecilia Michalak, 4

One of our

games included

pictures of people

from magazines,

all representing

different members

of our family.

10 NEWS & NOTES

Oh, those Montessori mathmaterials! Educators andresearchers alike remark on thebeautiful and brilliant design ofthe materials, and how successfulchildren are with their use. Byusing these concrete objects,experimentally and repetitively, ayoung child learns abstract mathconcepts. As students progressthrough the grade levels, theMontessori math curriculumgradually builds on each conceptin a scientifically developedsequence designed to result indeep understanding.

At the preschool-kindergartenlevel, Montessori children workwith a variety of Sensorial materi-als and Practical Life activities thathelp them master the concepts ofsmallest to largest, shortest tolongest, less and more, andsequence. Once a student hasmas tered these concepts, theteacher introduces the red and

blue numerical rods, which helpteach the quantity and names ofnumbers as well as the concept of one-to-one correspondence(one number for one quantity).The rods offer the child hands-onrepresentation of the relationshipbetween numbers and show thateach quantity is one entity. Thismeans that 5 is not five separateitems counted, but an entity of

five equal units joined together.Under standing this concept isextremely helpful later whenlearning addition. The child isable to see that the length of a 5-rod plus a 2-rod equals the lengthof a 7-rod.

The sandpaper numbersoffer the child kinesthetic and tactile practice with thenumerical symbols 1 through

CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT

Math: More than the sum of its parts

By using the

concrete Montessori

math materials,

experimentally and

repetitively, a young

child learns abstract

math concepts.

The red and blue numerical rods offer the child hands-on representation of the relationship between numbers andshow that each quantity is one entity.

It has been a long, cold, andsnowy winter, and we have really looked forward to spring.As it has become a bit warmer, wehave started to learn some springsongs. In March, we are learning asilly song called “Michael Fin ne -gan” for St. Patrick’s Day. We alsowill be singing “Springtime IsCom ing,” “The Butterfly Song,”and “Pitter Pat.” We plan to sharemany of these songs at our SpringMusic Night concert in May.

One of my goals is to exposethe children to many styles ofmusic. We have learned aboutmany wonderful composers, suchas George Gershwin and JohnWilliams, who were in the mod-ern genre. March finds us movingback to one of the great classical

romance composers, JohannesBrahms. We listened to hisConcerto for Violin and Cello,Hungarian Dance No. 5 in GMinor, Cradle Song, and Sym -phony No. 44.

Our featured composer forApril is Maurice Ravel. He wrotethe Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose)suite for two children of a friend.I plan to play the followingselections by Ravel: Pavane for aDead Prin cess, Le jardin féerique,Piano Concerto in G Major, Letom beau de Couperin, and Boléro.

Our study of music theorycontinues as we learn about themusic alphabet and the names ofthe lines and spaces on the musicstaff. We are also learning aboutdifferent kinds of notes and their

note value. We will learn to clapthe rhythms of familiar songs aswe read the notes. We will alsolearn about music dynamics. It isfun to practice singing loudlyand softly.

I am continuing to work withthe children on the bells, themaracas, and the other rhythminstruments. We also use scarvesto help the children sense thetempo difference between fastmusic and slow music.

I hope you will continue toshare your favorite music withyour children when you are inthe car and at home. It helpsthem to get a feel for what youlike, and then they can develop asense of the music they prefer.

—Linda Christensen

MUSIC

Singing our way through spring

NEWS & NOTES 11

10. As the child traces eachnumber with his fingers, he istraining his hand for writingand his eyes for tracking move-ment and ordering the numbersin the proper sequence.

Using the spindle boxes givesthe child the opportunity to associate loose quantities withthe symbols 0 through 9. Thematerial helps the child under-stand the idea of zero, whose box“gets nothing.”

The numbers and countersmaterial reinforces the sequenceof 10 and gives the child the perceptual representation of aquantity as a collection of sepa-rate objects. When counters arepaired, attention is drawn to oddand even patterns. Montessoriteachers are adept at preparingattractive, compelling 1–10activities that allow a child topractice and master recognizingsymbols, placing numbers inorder, and matching quantitieswith the correct numerals.

The golden bead materialintroduces the decimal systemwith concrete representations ofthe hierarchy of numbers. Alongwith teaching category names(unit, ten, hundred, thousand),the beads help the child visuallyperceive that each decimal cate -gory is 10 times the previous category. (A child will becomevery familiar with these decimalbeads and use them for many les-sons and activities through theelementary years. This familiarityis important for learning the fouroperations: addition, subtraction,multiplication, and division.)Deci mal system card materialhelps the child learn the symbolsfor the decimal categories andrelate the names of the symbols tothe number of zeros they have.

The teen board helps thechild learn the names “eleven”through “nineteen” and associatethem with their quantities. The

child also uses the colored beadbars (each bar is a consistentcolor for each quantity 1 to 10)in this work as well.

Similarly, the hundred boardhelps the child with linearcounting from 1 to 100.

Fraction spindles provide aconcrete example of the abstractidea of the division of a whole.When placed together, theyform one spindle. When sepa -rated, they form parts of thewhole: halves, thirds, or fourths.

The addition strip boardenables the child to concretelyput two numeric lengths togetheron a board and see the equiva -lency marked clearly. It is an earlyintroduction to addition.

The 45 layout helps childrencomprehend large numbers andunderstand place values. Chil -dren match quantities of goldenbeads with symbols from 1 to9,000—and are extremely proudof themselves when the display is complete! Once they are capa-ble of completing the 45 layout,students are ready to play thebank game, which also usesgolden beads. This game show-cases the relationship betweenfour-digit numbers and quanti-ties, reinforcing the understand-ing of place value. During thegame, children can go to another

child (the banker) with decimalcards and request the quantity ingolden beads.

Once familiar with the deci-mal system using the goldenbeads, children move on to thestamp game, which providesopportunities to practice mathoperations in a more abstractform. Small color-coded tileswith numerals printed on themrepresent the decimal numbersand make manipulating andtrading values quite easy.

To reinforce counting insequence to higher numbers,preschoolers use the short chainsand the long chains (which arealso used for skip counting).These beaded chains illustrate the

concept of sets and counting inbases other than 10, prepare stu-dents for multiplication, and are avisual, hands-on representation ofthe squares and cubes of numbers(the short chains are the squaresof the numbers from 1 to 10, andthe long chains are the cubes ofthe numbers from 1 to 10).

Using concrete materials toteach abstract concepts fosters adeeper understanding of mathe-matics. The ingenious Montes sorimaterials are laying the ground-work for mastering math at theelementary level and beyond.

The golden bead material introduces the decimal system,teaches category names (unit, ten, hundred, thousand), andhelps the child visually perceive that each decimal category is 10 times the previous category.

The 45 layout

helps children

comprehend

large numbers

and understand

place values.

12 NEWS & NOTES

DAY CARE

Healthy habits, healthy kidsIn February the focus in day carewas not only on Valentine’s Daybut also on healthy hearts. Exer -cise, eating good foods, drinkingplenty of water each day, limitingsnacks, and getting enough sleepare some of the things we dis-cussed. The students had greatanswers when asked what we cando to exercise our bodies to keepthem healthy: They suggestedriding bicycles, dancing, jump-ing, running, walking, swim-ming, going to gymnastics, doingsomersaults, and playing sports.A daily walk around the blockcould also be a good way to starta family tradition of makinghealthy choices each day!

As part of getting healthy, wealso discussed limiting televisionviewing and computer time. Irecently attended a lecture inwhich the speaker said that therecommended amount of either

TV or computer time for youngchildren is no more than 30 min-utes per day. I agree wholeheart-edly! Young children learn frommovement and doing.

Our bottom loft has becomethe grocery store, and it has beenthe most popular spot in ourroom. A grocery cart, cash regis-ter, shopping bags, and manychoices of groceries let the chil-dren experience firsthand how itfeels to be both the shopper andthe cashier.

We are learning about the different food groups and howthey provide “fuel” for our bodies.These lessons have given the chil-dren a basic understanding ofhow our bodies work. Parents,you can continue these dis cus -sions at home as you shop for andprepare foods. Mealtime is a greattime to introduce a new food. Youcan teach the name of the food,where and how it grows, and howit helps our bodies. If a parent

samples a small bite first andshows a positive response, chil-dren are often more willing to trynew foods.

We are all so happy to wel-come spring! This winter has beenone of the coldest and snowiest onrecord. As a result, there were notonly days at a time but weeks at atime when it was not safe to playoutdoors. We are all eager to beoutside again enjoying the openspaces, sunshine, and the oppor-tunity to run, jump, climb, crawl,roll around, and use our loud out-side voices. Hooray for spring!Parents, as the warmer weatherarrives, please remember to labelnew coats and other items such ashats and sunglasses with yourchild’s name.

—Diane Cook, Martha Almon,

Ashley Chiado, Parul Desai,

Mita Shah, Donna Tooley, and

Annette Walsh

We love day care! Our children are all smiles during a recent photo op.

We are

learning about

the different food

groups and how

they provide “fuel”

for our bodies.

NEWS & NOTES 13

1. Make family storybooks, diaries, and journalswith your children.

2. Encourage drawing, which contributes toearly attempts at writing.

3. Allow children to write, write, write and sharetheir writing, remembering that correctspelling is not as important in the initial stagesof writing.

4. Make logs or journals of family trips or excursions.

5. Create simple one-act plays, and make paper-bag puppets to be used as characters.

6. Read to your children—demonstrate the valueof skilled oral reading and continue to arouseinterest in the printed word.

7. Take turns as you read: You read one page, andyour children read the next.

8. Choose books together. Make fun trips to thelibrary, and extend the enjoyment by readingyour mutual selections at home.

9. Listen to your children read. Beginning read-ers thrive on having someone value theiremerging skills. Listening will give you a

chance to let your children know how proudyou are of their new skills.

10. Designate a time for family silent reading. Afamily reading hour, when parents and chil-dren read, underscores the importance youattach to reading, and gives youngsters a fineopportunity to practice.

11. Write at home—chalkboards, a family mes-sage board, pen pals, letters to friends and rel-atives, thank you notes, and so forth.

12. Watch TV together. TV is a fact of life, so par-ents need to make the best of TV viewing.Child experts suggest that viewing be limitedto about 10 hours per week. After watching aprogram together, make time to talk aboutit—the characters in the program, where thestory took place, what problem the characterstried to solve, and how the story ended.

13. Dictate your weekly shopping list to your chil-dren, allowing for invented spelling.

14. Use magnetic letters to assist children inspelling words.

15. Make a letter scrapbook, beginning each pagewith a letter of the alphabet. Illustrate eachpage with pictures and then label each picture.This can be a long-term project resulting in thechildren’s own dictionary.

16. Write sentences to accompany favorite familyphotographs.

17. Make birthday cards and write an appropriategreeting.

18. Make snaky letters from clay or cookie dough:Use long rolled-out snake-shaped pieces thatcan be formed into letter shapes. As a specialtreat, bake and eat the cookies.

19. Talk with your children about your favoritebooks or authors when you were their age.

20. Take trips to museums, parks, zoos, and sciencecenters. Afterward, write one or two sentencesabout the trip and turn them into a scrapbook.

21. Point out writing at stores, in advertisements,and on road signs, and talk about the print.

22. Say to your children, “Tell me about it,” whenthey show you a picture they have drawn.

23. Provide a special place and time to do home-work and read.

24. Inquire about homework.25. Monitor homework.26. Review completed homework.27. Enjoy the time you and your children spend

together.

The reading-writing connectionParents, try these tips for fostering your children’s language skills, now and in the future

Aadi Gupta, 4, wanted a popsicle, but momsaid no. So Aadi devised a plan to get thepopsicle maker out of the cupboard. Hisdraw ing shows how he will climb up the lad-der, reach the cupboard—and then fall down.Experts say parents should encourage draw-ing, which is a precursor to writing.

Metal inset work by Bhargavi Marur, 4

14 NEWS & NOTES

Artwork by Charmi Patel, 4

“Watching a Sunset,” by Mahika Upasani, 5

Artwork by Roshni Misra, 4

Metal inset work by Sophia Van Riper, 4

NEWS & NOTES 15

Sorting and stacking—that’s sensational!Calvin Sharik works with the knobless cylinders in Mrs.Ewasek’s afternoon class. Thefour sets—red, yellow, green,and blue—of this Sensorialmaterial help children discrim -inate dimension and visuallyunderstand sequence (whatcomes next).

Happy Chinese New Year! Mrs. Ewasek and Ms. Katie’s afternoon class celebratedChinese New Year with a dragon parade. At right,Danika Kleinsmith took a turn at the dragon head.

Artwork by Elena Porties, 4

DATES TO REMEMBERMarch 19 Wednesday Parent Perks Meeting. 9 a.m. Complimentary child care available.

20 Thursday Dads’ Night. 5–6:30 p.m. (open house format—drop in anytime). Dads (or a substitute) and enrolled children come to school together.

21 Friday Staff Development and Materials Preparation Day. NO CLASSES. Day care avail-able—please sign up in advance.

22 Saturday Art Day. 9:30–11:30 a.m. Parents and enrolled children come to schooltogether for a morning of art activities. Lots of fun—don’t miss it!

25–26 Tuesday–Wednesday Open House at Dearborn Heights Montessori Center. Comeexplore DHMC’s elementary programs and the benefits of continuing your child’sMontessori education! See details on page 8.n Tuesday, March 25: 9–11 a.m.n Wednesday, March 26: 1–3 p.m.

26 Wednesday In-house Presentation. Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum presents its OutreachProgram to kindergarten children.

April6 Sunday Open House for the Community and Families. 1–3 p.m. Current and

prospective families are invited to tour our PCMS classrooms and learn more about the Montessori philosophy.

9 Wednesday Extended Day Kindergarten Field Trip. 1 p.m. Students visit the St. JosephMercy Health Exploration Station in Canton.

16 Wednesday Parent Perks Meeting. 9 a.m. Complimentary child care available.

17 Thursday Spring Celebration. Last Day of School. Regular class hours.

18 Friday through Friday, April 25 Spring Vacation. NO CLASSES. NO DAY CARE.

28 Monday Return to School. Welcome back!

28 Monday through May 9 Parent-Teacher Conferences. School remains in session. Datesfor individual classrooms to be announced.

PLYMOUTH-CANTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL45245 Joy Road

Canton, MI 48187734-459-1550

www.pcmontessori.org

“The child, in fact, once

he feels sure of himself,

will no longer seek

the approval of authority

after every step.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Artwork by Marielena Bonilla, 4