Reflections - The Sand Tray

Number writing practice with the Sand Tray.

As part of analyzing aspects of my classroom's Language area and writing in general, another lesson which I wanted to enhance is the Sand Tray activity.  The Sand Tray provides students opportunities for sensorially practicing writing skills.  The material consists of a shallow tray filled with sand (or cornmeal, etc.) in which the child practices tracing letters, numbers, and words.  In my classroom this is typically introduced to students who are learning to write with the Sandpaper Letters and Numbers.  I've always wanted, however, to add a pre-writing element to the lesson for children who are interested in the material but not yet using the Sandpaper Letters or Numbers.

To address this area, I've made a simple set of pre-writing cards to go with the Sand Tray.  It is by no means a novel idea, but I wanted to share it here on my blog in order for the parents of my students to see what I'm talking about!

Pre-writing Sand Tray Cards (fronts).

The backs of the same cards.

A card and Sand Tray in use.

Letter Writing Practice

These summer days have afforded me the opportunity to reflect on years past in my Montessori classroom.  Lately, I have been analyzing trends in the the progression of Language lessons as they pertain to individual students as well as the class as a whole.  For example, my students typically LOVE working with the Sandpaper Letters, but sometimes begin to loose interest beyond the Moveable Alphabet.  On one hand, this makes it challenging to identify when to present writing practice on the chalkboard and other subsequent lessons.  On the other hand, the children are excited to begin writing practice on chalkboards, but I feel that they need more opportunities for practice before moving to writing on paper.  Usually, their interest wanes with the chalkboards before they are ready for paper.  As a result, the paper for writing practice loses its intended purpose as it becomes "doodle paper."  Let it be known that I believe there is nothing inherently wrong with doodling - in fact is a necessary pre-writing skill.  In the context of the progression of writing lessons with the Montessori materials, however, I believe the writing paper should be reserved for writing - the child who is doodling can be guided to an art activity or other lessons which foster that intuitive movement.  In the classroom, I have found that writing practice can easily fall to the wayside.

As a response to these observed trends, I decided to make a few materials to "fill in the gaps."  One of the first materials I've made to allow more opportunities for self-directed letter writing practice are these letter strips:

In the making (again, at my dining room table!):  Letter writing practice strips before lamination.  

These will be introduced to a student who has already practiced writing on the chalkboards and some  paper work.  I simply feel this type of activity provides a meaningful point of interest (it's something different and new), while allowing more independent practice for forming letters.

Along the same lines, another place where I see a need for more practice is the transition from writing letters to writing words and connecting letters.  The following set of strips allows the student to practice writing words. 

A small selection of three letter phonetic word writing strips, one for each vowel, to begin practicing writing words and connecting letters.

This set of strips will be introduced a child who has not only worked with the Moveable Alphabet, but also has had plenty of writing practice on the chalkboards, papers, and the letters strips (above).  This idea came to me as I was making the letter strips, so I am approaching this aspect of writing practice as somewhat of an experiment and will assess the impact on learning once I'm able to make observations of the materials in use.

And while I was at it, I went ahead and made some strips for name writing and number writing practice, too!

Strips for name writing practice.  These are longer than the letter strips to accommodate longer names and repetition next to the names.

 Number writing strips.

The number writing strips will be for the student who has been introduced to the Sandpaper Numbers and has had practice writing numbers on the chalkboards and paper.  

Hopefully, these materials will allow ample opportunities for independent writing practice while maintaining interest.  I also have plans for some additional writing activities which I'll be sharing in the future.

Now, I need to go stock up on laminating sheets - I think I'll be needing quite a few...! ;)

Moving Forward

I've been accepted to St. Catherine University's AM2 (Acknowledging Montessori for a Master's) Program!  I fly to St. Paul, Minnesota in early August  for several days to begin coursework with subsequent studies completed through distance learning.  This has been one of my long-term goals, so I'm ultra excited to begin this journey.  The timing is right, I'm on a roll, there's no stopping now...!

Assistant's Album

I have finally put together an album for each of my assistants in the classroom!  It has only taken me six years to figure out that the best place to assemble my thoughts and wishes for how I want my classroom to run is in a separate album for my assistants... (We are always learning, right?! ) ;-)

This Fall, I will have two Assistants working with me - one who has been with me for several years and another who will be new to my staff.  In contemplating ways to effectively share information and ideas, I thought this would be the perfect time to compile what I want my Assistants to know in their own albums.

The following is a list of material in each album.  I have no doubt that additional items will be added throughout the school year, but here is a start:

• Montessori Quote: "Montessori teachers are not servants of the child's body, to wash, dress and feed him--they know that he needs to do these things for himself in developing independence.  We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit."
• A brief History of Montessori Education from the AMS website.
• Important Montessori Terminology, also from the AMS website.
• "The Role of the Teacher in the Early Childhood Montessori Class" written by me.
• "The Sensitive Periods" written by me.
• Another paper I wrote, "The Planes of Development."
• An article entitled, "Teach Peace to Have Peace" by Maren Stark Schmidt.
• Polli Soholt's, "Montessorians and Assistants:  A Partnership in the Prepared Environment."
• I also created a document outlining specific information as it pertains to my classroom and school called, "Assistant Teacher Duties."  Here, I have written exactly which lessons the Assistant may present (which can be added to or changed as needed), among other pertinent information.
• General schedule of the day.  
• School information including student names and ages, important dates, etc.

It is my hope that by creating this album, my Assistants and I will have a springboard for clear, consistent communication.  One of my (many) goals is to establish a clear understanding of roles in the classroom and I do not ever want any of my Assistants to feel as if they don't know what to do or where to be.  I think this album is a step in the right direction! :)

An Unexpected Gift

Speaking to my husband at the breakfast table over coffee: "Hmm, I really need to start collecting souvenirs and items from different countries.  I'm planning to do more cultural studies for next school year and want to highlight different countries of the world.  Do you think you could ask some of your colleagues if they might be willing to donate some items?"

My husband:  "Sure, I know many people who travel often.  I'll ask around."

No less than half an hour later, a message appeared in my inbox from a local school principal who happens have an extensive Montessori background :  Dear Sasha,  I'm cleaning out my garage and have      
about 15 Montessori Unit Boxes ranging in themes from Africa to Insects.  I'd love to give them to you if you are interested...

I was on the phone immediately - two van loads and an hour later, I was the new owner of years worth of a priceless bounty of materials, including one-of-a-kind collections from countries around the world!  Fifteen was hugely underestimated - it was more like 38!

Here they are, all lined up in my driveway before placing them in my storage area - years worth of Montessori Unit Study boxes, ready to be explored!

Can you even imagine the timing of the conversation with my husband the message I received about the materials?  I remain shocked and speechless at the enormity and significance of this most unexpected gift.  I have been given such a treasure and am so grateful!

Inspecting the contents of each box is going to be better than Christmas! ;)  Here is a glimpse of just a couple:

 Practical Life "goodies."  

Just the top of a 'North America' box...

I have a feeling I'll be having loads of fun sorting through all of these boxes and can hardly wait to begin planning new lessons and activities with my newly acquired inventory!  

Booklets and More Booklets...

Summer vacation.  Time to relax, rest, rejuvenate...  Well, perhaps in a perfect world that would be the case!  Between getting the floors refinished in the classroom, familiarizing myself with a new computer, and keeping up with three kids at home, however, I can't say we've been relaxing around here... ;)  Nevertheless, one of my favorite things to do (and believe it or not, it is relaxing for me) is to make materials for my classroom.

Can you guess what is happening here at my dining room table at home?

One of the items on my to-do list is to make new record keeping booklets for Sandpaper Letters.  Please read more about them in THIS POST if you are interested in understanding more about how these are utilized.  I know this little project is something that has to be done at some point before school starts, so I went ahead and finished it - one less thing to do in those busy days right before school  begins...

While making a new set for this Fall's students, I thought about how successful these record keeping booklets had been last year.  They not only helped me in keeping track of each child's progress, but also became a meaningful source of motivation for my students and me.  An exclamation could always be heard when a new letter was placed in a booklet - "Oh yay!  I got a letter in my booklet!" or "I have so many letters in my booklet - I only have two more left to do!  Let's do more Sandpaper Letters!"  One can imagine the motivation these exclamations from my students provided me.  As a result of the success with the Sandpaper Letter booklets, I have decided to make a set dedicated to math lessons with the Number Rods and Sandpaper Numbers.

Math Booklet for tracking lessons with Number Rods and Sandpaper Numbers .

Here, I will use the same principle as with the letter booklets - the first line of a triangle around a number will indicate introduction of a Number Rod for a particular number, the second line of the triangle will indicate that the child is working on the Number Rod,  while the third line of the triangle will indicate mastery of the Number Rod.  One aspect which slightly differs with the math booklets is that the record keeping is for  tracking two different  materials - the Number Rods and Sandpaper Numbers.  Therefore, once a child has a full triangle around a number, I will know they are ready for a corresponding Sandpaper Number introduction.  The introduction of the Sandpaper Number will be marked with a small dot inside the triangle.  When a child has mastered the Sandpaper Number, the triangle in their booklet will be lightly shaded and the number recorded in their booklet.  Also, if the child chooses, enough space can remain on each page to draw pictures which correspond with the number, i.e. eight stars to go with the number eight.

This shows that the child has mastered the Number Rod (triangle around the number),   has been introduced to the Sandpaper Number (dot inside the triangle), and mastered the Sandpaper Number (shaded triangle).

While it might seem a bit complicated, it works for me in the midst of lessons.  I can easily see which numbers have been introduced, and which one the child is working on or mastered.  Also, these booklets are a quick reference while inputting information in student Montessori Compass reports.

I have a feeling these math booklets might generate just as much motivation for lessons with the Number Rods and Sandpaper Numbers as the letter booklets made for language Sound Games and Sandpaper Letters!

Montessori Monday Link-Up

A Clean Sweep

Ready for the floors to be refinished.

Well, this is certainly something which doesn't happen often.  I must admit, seeing my classroom in this state and knowing the entire inventory of the school is out of place, is giving me a sense of uneasiness!  It is summer vacation, however, and this means routine maintenance for any classroom.  This year, I need to get the floors refinished and now is the time to accomplish the task.  Hopefully, all will go according to plan and everything will be back in place later this week.  The thought of beautiful "new" floors is exciting to me as I plan for next school year!  Wish me luck getting everything back in its place...