October 10, 2016

This week in Morado, the children chose new books to read and discuss. The selection process buzzed with discussion and excitement. We told the Story of Numbers, which is the fifth Great Lesson. We talked about the Sumerians, who had one of the earliest writing systems and earliest numbers. Half of the class made cylinder seals, which you can explore at the British Museum website. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=cylinder+seals The other half will make these seals on Tuesday. 

Some children were introduced to BCE/CE (which is also BC/AD) and began to explore when events they are familiar with happened in history. Others examined the Timeline of Life, which shows the great extinctions and ice ages, as well as when different types of animals appeared on Earth. Others examined real vertebrae and thought about which animals are vertebrates.

Many children practiced exchanging when adding or subtracting large numbers. Some discovered what happens when numbers are multiplied by 10, 100, and other multiples of 10. Some learned about fractions. Some explored regular polygons while others learned terms related to angles.

Children reviewed parts of speech, and had lessons on nouns or adjectives. The Montessori symbol for nouns is a triangle, recalling the longevity and concreteness of the Great Pyramids. It is black in a nod to coal, which requires millions of years to form. Even in small ways, we refer back to the Great Lessons. They practiced skills needed for research, such as alphabetizing, classifying, and using the encyclopedia.
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We have almost finished reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and look forward to seeing it performed October 18. We also look forward to seeing you with your children for conferences next Thursday or Friday! Since the week is short, we will not do spelling. Enjoy your weekend,
Ben and Mary