Montessori Newsletter
Volume 3
Published by Montessori Homeschool
Archive of Montessori and homeschool e-mail newsletters for parents, teachers, homeschool, toddler, preschool, elementary
Archive of Montessori and homeschool e-mail newsletters for parents, teachers, homeschool, toddler, preschool, elementary
In This Issue . . .
Homeschooling? Need to evaluate your child's progress?
Introduction to Language
Montessori Home Journal
Montessori 12-song cassette: great songs for Montessori classrooms & HS!
USBORNE EDUCATIONAL BOOKS, and more! Great site!
Where to Have a Montessori Classified Ad?
Book Description |
“Introduction
to Language” an excerpt from
COSMIC EDUCATION
by Ursula Thrush Part One
“There is a parallel between the development of the human race
and the baby.
The human baby comes into the world with a natural attraction to
the human voice.
While [s]he is exploring and absorbing his[her] environment, first
through sight and then
through touch, [s]he is listening all the time and thus absorbs
the language spoken around
him[her]. According to latest research, the child’s hearing is already
developed while still
in the mother’s womb, so the child is born with perfect hearing,
but his[her] vocal cords
are not fully developed. These two factors plus his[her] inborn
attraction to the human
voice allow him[her] to make the language spoken around him[her]
totally his[her] own.
“[S]He comes to school to explore the environment and . . .
through more and
more experiences, [s]he has more things to express. It is the child’s
natural tendency to
increase his[her] vocabulary between the ages of two and one-half
to five years of age.
“It goes hand in hand with his[her] unconscious need to explore the
environment
sensorially, and by doing so [s]he increases his[her] need to express
his[her] experiences.
As [s]he comes to school the field of his[her] exploration widens,
his[her] vocabulary
needs to be developed accordingly, otherwise [s]he will feel frustrated.
. . . if we can
increase his[her] vocabulary the child will be happier simply because
[s]he is able to
express [her]self. It is during the first five years only that the
child has the ability to
absorb all of a language including inflection. Since this happens
without conscious effort,
[s]he can just as well absorb two or more languages.
“How can we help to build the child’s vocabulary? There are
various ways, but
we have to keep in mind first and foremost that words without experience
are nonsense
to a child. One cannot just increase [her] vocabulary. If you wish
to increase the child’s
vocabulary, we do not start by teaching words, but by increasing
the child’s field of
experience. Then we have to make sure that the child gets the exact
word by which to
express his experiences.
“In school [and homeschool] we prepare an environment which reflects
practically every
side or aspect of a child’s life. There are many field’s of activity
for the child to explore.
You let [her] choose, observe [her], let [her] experience, and then
we give [her] the name
that goes with the experience. Or, when we show [her] how to do
something, we first do
it without words or explanations that go with the expertise. Always
remember first to
give the experience, then the correct word [s]he can use to express
it.
“To express oneself clearly one has to have self-confidence
to say something at
the right moment and in the right way, to have ideas to express,
to have the vocabulary to
express these ideas, and to express oneself precisely. That is what
language is all about.
These are the points we have to keep in mind for language development.
We have to
make sure that the child learns about these points, and experiences
them in a Montessori
[environment]." End part one: to be continued in our July e-mail
newsletter.
Ursula Thrush was the directress (and founder) of The Montessori School of the Golden Gate and Montessori Teacher Training Center in San Francisco, as well as the chair of the Peace Education Task Force of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. She has developed Peace 101 for classroom education. Her writings have been widely published in Montessori publications.
Browse the Reading
and Phonics Room! And the phonics,
letters, and the alphabet materials!
Homeschooling? Need to evaluate your child's progress?
Many homeschooling parents, including Montessori homeschoolers, become concerned about the progress of their children's academics as compared to public or private schooled children. There are several tools to assess your child yourself, without expensive testing!
There are three homeschooling resources books
on our on-line
bookstore:
The
Homeschooling Book of Answers: The 88 Most Important Questions Answered
by Homeschooling's Most Respected Voices Linda Dobson..
The
Homeschooling Handbook: From Preschool to High School, a Parent's
Guide, 1997 Mary Griffith.
The
Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's
Classroom Mary Griffith.
Browse the Homeschool
Book Room!
One homeschool parent recommends (in her own words) "Using Diagnostic Prescriptive Services which you can find at homes-cool.com.This test serves is an effective pre-assesment for grade placement and provides objectives and scope and sequence for each grade level. Also can serve as a required yearly evaluation, portfolio and individual education plan. The test covers all subjects: language, reading, composition, handwriting, math, science, and history."
The most important thing to
remember, however, is to give your child a love for learning! Give her
positive learning experiences and do not highlight her failures; give her
the world through history, culture, and social studies that include trips
to monuments, museums (many now on-line!), picture books from the library,
and meeting people in your community who have stories to tell about their
heritage. Do not worry too much, but also know how to best prepare your
child for the outside world!
"Civilized
Behavior" by Carol Hill
"Making
Bedtime Go Down Easy" by K. K.. Kvols & Helen Hall
"The
Prepared Environment, the Montessori Materials, and Normalization"
"What
is Montessori Education?"
WHERE TO HAVE A MONTESSORI CLASSIFIED AD?
The on on-line community is
a great and affordable place to have a classified ad, reaching people from
all over the world! For Montessori classified ads, try the following:
FREE MONTESSORI CLASSIFIEDS
AT MTC: The Montessori Teachers Collaborative is now at http://members.aol.com/moteaco
and they will give you a free Montessori classified ad! (They have great
Montessori info & links too!)
PAID CLASSIFIEDS AT THE
MONTESSORI FOUNDATION http://www.montessori.org/classified.htm:
Ad rate is $2/word, with a $50 minimum and must be paid prior to publication.
Questions? tcmag@aol.com or contact Joanna at (703) 299-0330.
Montessori
12-song cassette!
"Taking My Dog to Dinner":
a 12-song cassette, highlights Montessori
materials, classroom areas, and philosophy
in wide varieties of musical style, with
children's chorus and studio musicians.
Written by Montessori teachers
Matt Levin/Burchie Green (1996 Parents'
Choice Award winner).
$12.00/ppd. (quantity discounts, great for
fundraising!).
Burchie Green, Montessori School of Northampton,
51 Bates Street E.,
Northampton, MA 01038 <mailto:montesso@javanet.com>
USBORNE BOOKS
http://www.edcpub.com/products.htm:
Over 900 books, kid kits, ed-rooms, models, puzzles, and more! Outstanding
summer and travel
activities. Most $9.95 and under! Browse
on-line or request a free catalog (800)
342-7774 9AM to 9PM ET. Mailto:CMDUCS1637@aol.com
END
