AMC Summer Supplement 2001 Part
I
Copyright©2001-2008
all rights reserved
American Montessori Consulting
P.O. Box 5062
Rossmoor, CA 90720
Heidi Anne Spietz, Editor
ISSN 1084-743X
Copyright 2001-2008
All rights reserved
To Visit Our New Primary Montessori Resource
Section
Contents in Part I of this newsletter include:
Creative Lesson Planning - Make Your Own Multicultural Lessons
I
This issue spotlights the new additions to our resource center. You'll
also receive extensive multicultural lesson ideas and plans for
preschool through high school in Part I and Part II of this issue.
We are delighted to announce *many* new additions to our *Montessori
Primary Recommended Resource Section*.
Visit this new section today to find lesson planning
resources. You'll find art, crafts, practical life, manipulatives,
books, magazines, cursive
writing, music, science, social science, math, classroom accessories,
multicultural resources,
furniture, foreign language, puppets, puzzles, teacher training, learning
programs, and
much, much more. These companies offer some terrific educational gifts
as well. You'll also want to read below to learn more about these
companies
and organizations.
Chinaberry, Inc. - Books and Other Treasures for the Whole
Family
Coaching for Learning-SuccessTM -A
Learning Style Model of Education
Cobblestone Publishing - The Best Fiction and Nonfiction
Magazines
for Young Readers in Grades K - 9
Creative Lesson Planning - Make Your Own Multicultural Lessons
I
Part II of this newsletter also contains detailed information about additional multicultural lesson plans. Be sure to read both parts so that you have a set of lessons involving multicultural art, music, history, geography, literature, and langauges. You can read the AMC Summer Supplement 2001 Part II by clicking here.
Spend the summer months creating some interdisciplinary lessons about Asian history and culture. Invite your students to learn about Korea, Japan and China through meaningful art, history, music, social studies, science lesson planning.
If you are looking for some interesting ways to educate your students about Japan and Japanese culture then stop by The Outlook Elementary School - Japan Project. You'll soon agree that this site a good starting point.
Worksheets are not used in Montessori schools. Montessori teachers will want to adapt the lesson planning suggestions and ideas to fit a Montessori setting. For example, The Doll Festival is a wonderful craft project that could be presented in steps to the student, consistent with the Montessori method. Likewise, the Tea Ceremony,could be adjusted by the Montessori teacher and incorporated into a multicultural study relating to Japanese culture. All teachers will appreciate the extensive internet resources and general resources mentioned by clicking on the Links page.
Visit Japanese Writing Link and Learn the Japanese Language for additional language and writing lesson planning activities.
Practical life exercises and cultural appreciation lessons can be enhanced by students learning how to create some Japanese meals. Yasuko-san's Home Cooking offers a nice selection of various Japanese dishes. If you would like to introduce cooking into your curriculum, using the Montessori method, visit The AMC Resource Directory/Cooking With Children Can Be Easy/. This complete system for single portion recipes is already being used in over 1,100 classroom/programs in more than 40 states and 10 foreign countries.
Visit KIDS WEB JAPN: Culture Corner for answers to your questions about musical instruments, the tea ceremony, and religion in Japan.
Young students who have been working with templates and learning the geometric shapes will receive additional practice by making the Origami Crane and Yakko. Complete instructions and examples are available at Origami Theme Page
Use an interdisciplinary approach when presenting lessons about Japan and Japanese culture. Children's Day, A Japanese Holiday: A Multicultural Unit that Introduces Primary Students to the Customs and and Traditions of Japan accomplishes this through an integrated study involving literature, writing, social studies, science, health/nutrition, art, math and more.
Patricia Berg Ward has compiled an excellent unit on presenting art to children. At Teaching Primary Children about Japan through Art educators will receive useful suggestions and resource information they can use for lesson planning. In particular, educators will enjoy the Infusing Japanese Art into the Curricula. ARTSEDGE:You Too Can Haiku applies integrated lesson planning for children in the six to nine year old age range.
To learn more about Montessori schooling
in Japan please visit
The Montessori School of Japan
Visit Chinese Resources and peruse through this comprehensive guide to finding the lesson information you will need for a Chinese unit study. Learn more about calligraphy by visiting Appreciation of Chinese Calligrahy
The Your Name in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc. will be of interest to many students. At this site, you will find a considerable amount of links to help you with other types of multicultural lesson planning as well.
Give your students a booklist of suggested reading, so that they can spend some independent time learning more about the cultures and countries being presented. You can cull some interesting titles from these next two websites. The Seattle Public Library offers an online booklist of Chinese culture and tradition books for children. Locate other booklists by stopping at the Asian American, Asian & Pacific Islands Children's Literature web page. You'll find a wide array of books covering all aspects of Asian culture. Many Asian countries are represented on the list.
Since music is such an integral part to the Asian culture you will also
want to bookmark
Asian Musical Instruments. A set of granite blocks by LP is available from
the AMC
Resource Directory/THE Port Washington MUSIC HOUSE. You'll find
Caribbean calypso drums, some Latin percussion, African and Indian
instruments as well through this music
source.
Find the information you need about specific holidays by going to Chinese Holidays. Children learn so much from hands on experiences. By visiting Chinese Food Index your child will be able to learn about the different types of Chinese food, basic differences from Western food, learn about food culture and tea culture plus receive infornation about recipes. Visit Chinese Holidays to discover additional lesson resources. You will even find some suggestions for celebrating a multicultural Thanksgiving.
Karen Eini recently shared the following with us: "Friends and Flags, is an Internet based, dynamic exchange which celebrates humanity, cultural diversity, equal learning opportunities, caring and the joy of giving. The project provides educators with a dynamic framework for cross-cultural communication. Participating schools are placed , according to grade, in mailing circles comprised of 6 classrooms, where each represents different country.
Friends and Flags also promotes tangibility, authenticity and equal opportunity. Participants that do not have extensive computer access, have been able to play an equal and active role in this collaborative effort. Each partner class is responsible for the preparation of 6 Friends Packs, one for each country member in their circle of 6. These packages are sent by traditional post and are a tangible and authentic reflection of the creativity, hard work, caring and generosity of the learners in each nation. In addition to cultural collectible items such as flags, pictures, postcards, popular brands of candies, popular cartoons, comics and stickers the package contains a student researched, written, and illustrated country guide book. The guide book, whether it be hand written, a word document or powerpoint, reflects personal impressions of the student's cultural environments, interests, art work, concerns, achievements and much, much more.
Participants also engage in the use of a variety technologies such as email, email lists, discussion boards, digital photography, chatrooms, audio technology. The Friends and Flags website is an integral part of the project and provides all members with a place for sharing information for all members interactive websites."
For information on how your school can participate in this project please visit The Friends and Flags Website
Visit Cantemos to purhase a Peruvian or Chilean rainstick, zampona (Peruvian pan flute) or Chackchas (goat hoof instrument). While at Cantemos, you'll also want to look at the marvelous supplies of French and Supplies learning aids. Georgette Baker is a multicultural performer, speaks five languages and plays the guitar, cuatro and charango. Georgette has traveled extensively to many exotic places and brings these experiences to life through stories and songs that children enjoy. These songs and stories are availble in the form of CDs, books and cassettes She enjoys performing and sharing her knowledge. Cantemos is based in Southern California, and those interested in knowing more about her performances should call (800)393-1336 for additional information.
Georgette's son, Michael Mastorakis is following in his mother's footsteps. This young author recently wrote a delightful account of his journey to the Galapagos Islands. The book. We're Off...to the Galapagos is a perfect addition to any school and/or homeschooling library. This is one book that is sure to be frequently borrowed by students seeking to read an exciting, true life adventure. The reader learns interesting facts about the Galapagos Islands while vicariously experiencing life on the Galapagos Islands through the pictures and interesting text. Teachers can also use the book to augment multicultural social studies presentations and reinforce bilingual presentations in Spanish/English.
Michael's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He won first place in the 2001 Latino Literary Hall of Fame for Best Educational Children's Book in Engilsh and was featured in a recent article appearing in the Los Angeles Times. Michael's book , We're Off...To the Galagapos is available from the AMC Resource Directory/Cantemos..
School and home educators working with those in the 14 - 18 age range will want to visit A Multicultural Lesson Plan for High School Students for some excellent ideas. Some school and home educators with strong religious beliefs may want to bypass the Module Activity 3: What is the animal for you?
Have you visited our resource directory?
Use this summer to plan some exciting lessons for your students. The Garden Game is just one of many exciting learning tools that The AMC Resource Directory/Ampersand Press has to offer. This inspiring board game is about gardening for food and fun. Players feed the soil, plant seeds, nurture the plants, have harvest festivals, and help each other through natural disasters.
Priority Montessori Materials offers a comprehensive list of hands-on science materials. Physical and life sciences are represented. The company has been featured in the 1995, 1997 and 1999 editions of *Montessori Resources*.
This company also sells nomenclature sets, underwater land forms, trays, nut matching, shell matching and rock matching exercises, mineral sets, land form cabinets, five senses exercises(NEW), the water cycle (NEW) and more. These fine materials are ideal for both home and school use.Visit the AMC Resource Directory/Priority Montessori Materials to learn more about the product line.
Schoolmasters Science offers over 2,000 items for the lab, school and home. School educators will be impressed with the fine selection of CD-ROMS in the areas of astronomy & space, biology, and earth science. The Science Sleuths CD-ROMS allow students to act as investigators. Students are given the opportunity to develop problem solving skills by becoming involved in collecting information, developing and testing hypotheses and reaching conclusions. To learn more about the extensive product line click here.
HANDS-ON EQUATIONS® is an exciting visual and kinesthetic teaching system for introducing algebraic concepts to students in grades 3 to 9. Developed by Dr. Henry Borenson, this patented teaching system enables young children, as early as 3rd grade, to gain access to algebraic concepts normally presented in the 7th, 8th, or even 9th grades.Visit the AMC Resource/HANDS-ON EQUATIONS® website for further information about this wonderful hands on math tool.
LORD Company is well known for product design and durability. The company manufactures children's furniture and educational equipment, designed to maximize self-help skills for infants, toddlers, pre-school and elementary-aged children.
The company is also introducing an "Easy Reading" series of books that can be downloaded for FREE from their website. To learn more about the product line click here.
The summer months offer an ideal opportunity to prepare lesson plans for the upcoming fall/winter holiday season. You can also add music to your summer camp experiences, family outings and summer curriculum.
Chinaberry,Inc.
The following is from Ann Ruethling, founder of Chinaberry, Inc.
"When Chinaberry began over 19 years ago, I personally handled each order
with my 2-year-old daughter Elizabeth's help. Elizabeth was my first
child, and it's because of her that Chinaberry, Inc. came to be. Now if
you are a parent, you know that NOTHING is good enough for your first
child! In my case, I was disturbed by the lack of caring and respect
expressed in many of the children's books we found at the library, not to
mention the sexism and violence. I began to search out books for
Elizabeth that were positive and uplifting by subscribing to numerous
children's literature publications and by scouting out as many libraries
as I could. I started keeping notes on index cards about the books I
liked and at what age I wanted to introduce Elizabeth to each book. I
felt that if all parents could just feed all those wonderful books into
the hearts and minds of their children, the world would have to become a
better place. Thus, Chinaberry was conceived - at first as a free
service, and then as a catalog business to make it easier for parents to
buy the books I was telling them about.
Today we sell more than one million books annually through our mail order
catalog and our Chinaberry Website. On our site, you will find ideas for
reading to young children, information on our extraordinarily successful
book fairs, books and other treasures for "Emerging Minds," and much
more. My vision is that Chinaberry remains as intimate and focused as
those days
when I packed a few orders on the kitchen table with my toddler."
To learn more about Chinaberry, Inc. please visit
the AMC
Resource Directory/Chinaberry,Inc..
Coaching for Learning-SuccessTM
The following is from Coaching for Learning-SuccessTM
"Philosophy of the Learning-SuccessTM - Model
of Education
What is the number one ingredient that leads to success of any kind?
It is belief - what a person believes about himself or herself. Every
day we
are building evidence that supports our beliefs about ourselves. If the
evidence shows that we're not so great, not doing too well, not very
smart, can't get it right, then we learn to believe that we are limited
in what we can do. But if we can see evidence of our own intelligence,
creativity, and accomplishments, and the appreciation from others, we
learn to believe that we are capable and that the possibilities are
unlimited.
How can we help our children believe in themselves and in unlimited
possibilities? We can start by helping them to build evidence for their
unique characteristics, their natural abilities, the genius inside each
one of them. A child who is forced to learn in ways that don't work for
him is given evidence on a daily basis of his inadequacy. A child whose
natural talents and interests are nurtured and encouraged, and who is
helped to discover the many aspects of her learning style and all the
ways she CAN learn, is given evidence of her value and competence.
We teach our children to believe in themselves when we believe in them. Allowing each person's star to shine - that is what Coaching for Learning-SuccessTM is all about.
The Learning-SuccessTM Model:
Identifies a student's learning styles
Respects a student's readiness for learning
Acknowledges a student's natural gifts and abilities
Treats the student as a partner in the learning process
Encourages students to explore their life missions
This model applies the C.A.R.E.S principles:
C - Celebrate each child's uniqueness
A - Accept your role as a teacher and coach
R - Respond rather than react
E. - Expand your view of how and where learning takes place
S - Stop supporting bell curve and school definitions of
students
This model encourages staying F.I.T.T.:
F - Focus on solutions
I. - Identify goals
T. Track successes (instead of failures)
T. Take the pressure off (back off when learning isn't happening -
it's probably not the right time)"
Learn more about Coaching for Learning-SuccessTM by clicking here.
Cobblestone Publishing
The following is from Cobblestone Publishing:
"We have learned, after many years of publishing high-quality children's magazines, that teachers (and parents) who use Cobblestone Publishing products on a regular basis can ignite a passion for history, social studies, and science in their students. We know that the creative use of magazines in the classroom can bring new insight and understanding to students, as well as greater levels of academic achievement, as they seek out answers to the world around them. Reading IS the key to all learning, and our goal is to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Cobblestone Publishing's magazines let young people experience the pleasure of reading, and learning, through an accurate, fascinating, and authoritative resource that is appropriate in the library, the classroom, and the home. Our publications educate and entertain through a creative mix of articles, primary source documents, photographs, and illustrations as well as enjoyable activities, puzzles, and cartoons. Each theme-based magazine takes a "story behind the story" approach that provides students with more than just facts and figures. Our goal is to make the mandated study of social studies and science topics a living medium, showing the history of daily life and how it still affects us today.
All the components of each publication are designed to offer a multifaceted look at the topic of a particular issue, going much beyond the brief and sanitized textbook mentions. We introduce students to the most current information, such as ongoing research and exciting discoveries, thus enlivening and updating textbook information and making it more relevant.
To develop this material, Cobblestone works with consulting editors, writers, historians, museum curators, and others who are experts in their respective fields. We strive for accuracy and sensitivity to the diversity of the many peoples of the world and seek to instill in students an appreciation for and an understanding of various beliefs and customs. This quality-focused approach has earned Cobblestone much praise and awards for its unbiased content. As an added resource and to encourage classroom use of the magazines, free teacher's guides are posted on our Web site for most recent issues.
To learn more about Cobblestone Publishing please visit the AMC Resource Directory/Cobblestone Publishing.
American Montessori Consulting
P.O. Box 5062
Rossmoor, CA 90720
Heidi Anne Spietz, Editor
The AMC Montessori Newsletter
Summer Supplement 2001-2008
all rights reserved
Copyright c2001-2008
For comments about this issue please contact
For general questions about American Montessori Consulting
Heidi Spietz at
contact AMC via e-mail
American Montessori Consulting