Elementary I Communications Page

After hearing an enthusiastic first grader talk about doing research, I often get the question, “How do such young students go about doing ‘research’?” Children in a Montessori elementary environment about research in much the same way older students do research.

In our classroom, we begin with a group brainstorming session of questions, often after a Great Lesson. These questions percolate a bit, then students choose a question or two to further investigate. An enormous advantage of having first, second and third graders in one room means a wide range of reading abilities. Newer readers can be paired with more skilled readers who have similar interests.

Students first look to the few carefully chosen books made available in the classroom, and read them aloud to each other. Soon they have exhausted our purposefully limited classroom resources and ask to check out what is available in the school library. (Think of them as birds leaving the nest.) Occasionally, our search in the school library does not yield they want and we look to the Public Library for just the right book. During this time, students are reading aloud, discussing the facts, connecting information to their personal experiences and negotiating understanding. They are taking turns writing down facts in their notebook, working hard to put the information in their own words as they have heard older students talk about the seriousness of plagerism. “And besides, if you write it in your own words, it shows you REALLY understand and you haven’t just copied!”

After students seem to have gleaned as much as they think they can, we conference about what they learned. Together we return to those initial questions and use them to help organize facts into paragraphs of related information. The next step for students is evaluating the numerous facts. What is worthy of being included in their report? What will help readers understand more about their topic? What are just interesting facts—ones that you’d share with friends at the lunch table?

Finally students begin work on their final draft, using their best cursive. They are motivated knowing they will soon get to create beautiful visual aid of their choosing to accompany their research and share with their peers.

 


Celebrations Calendar

Grocery Shopping Schedule
& Snack Info

Reading Log (printable pdf)

Classroom Photos

Class Schedule

Supply List

reading

Requests

Gym shoes— please make sure your child has a pair of gym shoes that can stay at school. Currently we have gym every Tuesday and Thursday.

Please send monthy reading logs to school and start filling out your new reading log.

To help your young reader, practice summarizing what happens in the story by re-telling the story. If needed, use the picutres to help.

Send in monthly milk money ($5). Please drop off money in the main office.

March often means MUD. We'll do our best to get all outdoor gear home so it can get dried. It is a good idea to have a spare pair of socks in your child's backpack in the event their socks get wet at recess.

Wish List

Legos— for use during indoor recess
More time—to spend learning and discovering with great kids