Sunday, September 23, 2018

The Prepared Environment


Our classroom is thoughtfully designed to act as another teacher. The prepared environment ensures that each child will grow and thrive in the classroom. One perfect example of this concept is our Snack work. To an outsider, it may seem like the students are only serving themselves snacks to satisfy their hunger. The direct aim of this work is to foster concentration, order, coordination and independence. Our students are aimed to use the practical life skills that they have mastered from other areas in the classroom. The Snack work is now a culmination of all of the isolated skills (pouring, tonging, scooping) that they have been practicing. It now becomes purposeful. The indirect aim of this work seeks to further the child's learning. The students need to follow a specific order that is planned in a sequence. The physical movement of each step is designed to go from left-right, top to bottom, which prepare our students for reading. The children also get to reinforce their number recognition, quantification and name recognition. Another indirect aim is care for self, others and the environment. The completed Snack work involves hand washing, snack preparation and clean up. Every child will have to make sure that snack is ready for the next user. 

I really enjoy sharing this aspect of early childhood because to some the intentionality is not  obvious. Everything that our students do in the classroom has a purpose that will benefit their holistic growth.

To end, I would like to share two videos from last week. This one is a video of our class singing a peace song for the celebration of International Day of Peace. This one is a video of our class doing a turn and talk about their families.

Thank you for your time. See you at school!

Always,

Celine Guerrero

Sebastian uses his tonging skills to serve himself some snack. 
The students need to be able to recognize the numbers to correctly get the quantity of snack they can get.



Frances washed her used cup for the next user.

Snack is served and prepared from left to right.

The children are also practicing good table manners and their social skills.

Balance and equilibrium. Olivia manages to carry a glass plate to her snack area. She also had to find her name stick to save her space.

Library time!

Browsing and choosing books

Ms. Diane, one of our parent Library volunteers read to our class.

Mark Anthony and Solomon with the 100 Board.

Carlos matched a whole and zoomed in picture of different vehicles.

Winter wrote a sentence about a picture. "The duck was crossing the street."

Maddox and the 9 Layout

Maya and her "sand castle"

Carlos matched different animal patterns.

Santi chooses the Intro Tray to the Decimal Places several times a day!

Caleb created his own story using our story basket.

James and the Sound Box #1.

Sebastian completed the 20 Board.

Solomon and Maddox during Guided Reading at Kindergarten time.




Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Montessori Our Way

In my opinion, it is very challenging being a Montessori public school teacher. There is always a constant dance between meeting "non-negotiable" state mandates and trying to be a "true" Montessorian. In my years of public Montessori, I have gone through the process of being the idealistic new teacher to realizing the commonalities between the goals of both philosophies. I'm sharing this right now, after I just got out of a CPS Summit conference and a debrief with Suder admin and teachers. There is so much we, as teachers have to consider to assure that every child is accessing every opportunity we try to present to our students.

One thing we agreed on is to all strive for the concept of a "normalized classroom." In Montessori, normalized means that each child is on task with activities that are meaningful and powerful to each child. The classroom is happy and contented because each child is lost in their work. Students are working with freedom of choice within the limits of responsibility. 

Every year, I strive for my class to be able to experience normalization. Ms. Castillo and I do our best to stay consistent with the classroom's order and procedures. Within order and sequence, our young students find consistency and safety. They are given many opportunities to try their best, make mistakes, problem solve and celebrate their accomplishments. We are thrilled to work with all our families towards a classroom where happy and loved children are excited to learn. 

Thank you for your continued support! I have linked a few articles that will help you better understand normalization and a few on the importance of  fostering independence here and here. Watch this video of Olivia, one of our new 3-year olds show us how proud she is of her work! =)

See you at school!

Always,

Celine Guerrero


Maddox and Maya worked on the Moveable Alphabet to build words.


Haylie graded the knobbed cylinders.

Ethan and Mark Anthony observed and cared for Digger.



Happy Birthday, Julieta!

Stefan sounding out letters while working on one to one correspondence.

Solomon completed the Teen Board.

Kindergarteners practiced Turn and Talking (Pair-Share).

The 9 Layout (Golden Bead Material)

Frances and the Sponge Squeezing Work.

Ms. Ada, our new Mandarin teacher stopped by our room to meet our students.

Santi showed Oona the Sandpaper Numbers.

Caleb graded the Knobbless Cylinders.

Our way towards "normalization." =)

Pouring Work (Hand-Eye Coordination and Independence)

Maya extended the Metal Inset work to show her creativity.

Sophia practiced some phonemic awareness.

Santi and his drawing process.

James showed focus and concentration towards his work.


Happy Birthday, Frances!

Ms. Castillo read at Sunset Meeting.

Ethan and Maddox played I-Spy.

Lea practiced her pincer grip using the Tearing work.

Children and their Practical Life works. 

Maya gave Frances a presentation on the 9 Layout.

Solomon sounded out his words.

Mark Anthony was so proud of his work!

Frances scrubbed the cup she used. (Care of Environment)

Amelia did the Hand washing work before snack.

Caleb concentrated while counting the Number Rings.

Maddox and the Vowel Tree.

Maya and Winter wrote a sentence about the picture they chose using inventive spelling.

Sebastian worked on the Sound Box #1.

Nijel and the 20 Board.

Sophia and the Moveable Alphabet.

Tyler worked on a Rhyming Sort work.

Calm Classroom with Ms. Castillo during Sunset Meeting.

OOna and the Hand Washing work.