Welcome To the 2001 AMC Newsletter
Fall/Winter Page

Visit Navidades en Puerto Rico/Christmas in Puerto Rico for a thoughtful account. You'll also find many other holiday lesson planning ideas for school and home classrooms by visiting the AMC Fall 1999 Newsletter.

Click on About - Christmas in Central America and About - Christmas Traditions in Mexico to learn about some Christmas traditions celebrated in this region. Discover some marvelous interdisciplinary ideas you can use for your elementary students by reading the #246. Feliz Navidad (A Mexican Christmas Unit)

Two teens share their Christmas holiday traditions in Christmas in Our Country (Argentina). You'll also want to read December Holidays: Christmas in Brazil. Then, stop by Brazilian Christmas Turkey Dinner for some recipe ideas.

Extra Special Holiday Information Via E-Mail

Receive a free 2000 Holiday International Craft/Recipe Exchange Newsletter and a free 1999 Holiday Recipe Exchange Newsletter filled with international crafts and recipes by writing to HomeHwy@aol.com The contributors of this newsletters have been generous, sharing crafts and recipes, in some cases, that have been passed down for many generations. You'll want to read both newsletters so as not to miss any of the delectable entries.

Extra Special Information

The following links should provide you with any additional Christmas historical background, crafts, music and art information you need for your interdisciplinary lesson planning.

The CVC Christmas Page contains over a over 1,000 pages of Christmas related information. Other links containing information about worldwide holiday traditions include:

Christmas: The Global Celebration, provides a global overview of holiday traditions which are accompanied by some holiday international recipes.

Click here to see Christmas greetings in over 325 languages and here to see how Montessorian Chrystal Mueller introduces preschoolers to Christmas celebrations around the world.

Finally, to view some beautiful Kwanzaa, Christmas and Hanukkah art work stop by the Holidays and Art Gallery by Kidswork, The Montessori Art Program located in Palm Beach, Florida. For additional Hanukkah and Kwanzaa lesson planning information, visit the AMC Fall 1999 Newsletter.

INSTA-LEARN

The INSTA-LEARN Reading and Math Programs each have teaching objective(s), listed in the Teacher's Guides. These programs supplement and support the major basal texts and all programs are sequential by grade level.

INSTA-LEARN Features

A. SELF-CHECKING - Each program has built-in self-checking features.
B. MULTISENSORY MODE - With INSTA-LEARN, students learn through auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic modes.
C. SUCCESS ORIENTED - Immediate response to right or wrong answer.
D. SELF-PACING - INSTA-LEARN is designed to be used by individuals or small groups.
E. IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK - Reinforces and facilitates the learning process.
F. QUALITY - INSTA-LEARN materials are constructed of extremely durable plastic.

Curricula & Special Program Areas

A. Preschool
B. Early Childhood Education (ECE)
C. Head Start
D. Primary & Chapter I Reading
E. Primary, Chapter I & Intermediate Math
F. English As A Second Language (ESL)
G. Special Education
H. Adult Basic Education (ABE)

Word List

The phonics-based words used in the INSTA-LEARN Reading Program include words from the following major lists:

A. Dolch 220 Word List
B. Kucera-Francis List
C. Carrol List of Words Most Frequently Used
D. Stone Revised List
E. Word List of five basal reader

The INSTA-LEARN Perception Board, as pictured to the left, is designed for developing pre-reading and math skills. It is also an excellent diagnostic tool for identifying students with perceptual problems. Each piece is constructed so that only the correct answers will fit!

To learn more about INSTA-LEARN please visit AMC Resource Directory/INSTA-LEARN.

The following is from the owner of Joyful Noise Publications:

"Joyful Noise Publications specializes in dynamic and interactive curriculum materials for the multi-age or developmental elementary classroom. We provide kid-friendly and teacher-friendly learning materials in most curriculum areas. We believe that students should have the opportunity to learn with materials that support the development of independence, involve all the learning modalities, and maximize their learning. To this end, we offer a number of independent programs that individualize learning in the areas of reading, spelling, handwriting, keyboarding, and math. We also have many games and learning center materials that kids love to use over and over again.

One of our most popular programs, the Math Tiles Activity Cards (pictured to the right), allow children to practice their computation with a maximum of kinesthetic involvement and a minimum of writing. Students arrange the ten single-digit numbered tiles on the card until all the computation is correct. While solving the problems, students perform a myriad of mental computations and develop problem-solving strategies. We offer 16 different sets, each containing 15 cards, so students can continue working through the math curriculum in this stimulating way.

Our reading products include both phonetic and sight materials for students in grades k-6, including complete spelling, handwriting, and keyboarding curriculums as well as many language games.

Other math materials include the Math Baskets (a complete self-paced computation program), a problem-solving task card program for grades 1-6, math games and software. We also have some excellent map skills materials.

To learn more about Joyful Noise Publications please visit the AMC Resource Directory/Joyful Noise Publications..

Mind Ware

The following is from Christopher Kosel of MindWare:

"MindWare began with one simple idea to create and sell a distinctive, collection of quality, enriching products for parents, teachers or anyone looking to stimulate the development of children. MindWare looks for products that inspire and rekindle an excitement about learning. Many of the products in our collection are recipients of awards such as Parent's Choice, Teacher's Choice, and Games Magazine 100. Our product selections are focused on math, language, and strategy games, as well as creative and critical thinking skills and are chosen with input from both their Teacher Board and consumers.

Founded by Jeanne Voigt in 1990, MindWare has remained active in many groups dedicated to child enrichment including Destination Imagination (formerly Odyssey of the Mind) and the Roseville Foundation, providing grants to Roseville Area Schools for excellence and innovation in education.

You know that feeling you get from finding just the right gift for someone? That's what we go for when selecting products for our catalogs. We're always on the lookout for new and innovative products. Not the same old things you see in the mass retail stores, but harder-to-find items with exceptional quality. We know that parents and teachers are not looking for something to just entertain children, but something to challenge and involve them." To learn more about MindWare please visit the AMC Resource Directory/MindWare.

Discover some marvelous new resources to help you with your lesson planning. To see our general *extensive* collection of resources click here.

Don't forget to bookmark this page for lesson planning!

Don't stop now!! Read AMC Fall/Winter 2001 Newsletter Part I. You'll discover some additional holiday lesson planning ideas and resources for your home and school classrooms.

American Montessori Consulting
P.O. Box 5062
Rossmoor, CA 90720

Heidi Anne Spietz, Editor
Frances Henderson, Manager
The AMC Montessori Newsletter
Fall/Winter 2001
all rights reserved
Copyright c2001