Showing posts with label geography. Show all posts

Geography Charts - Protractor

Elementary Montessori utilizes many charts to express key concepts for the children to explore.

Geography has the largest collection of charts, with 3 subsets: normally numbered, a set for typically upper elementary numbered with an "a" following as well as a set of work charts.

One of the work charts is called the Protractor Chart.

The chart comes in two parts. The background piece and the protractor.
There are two protractor pieces so there is a back-up when the first wears out.

Cut out one piece, hole punch and use a brad.

Assembled

Naming the parts:

Yellow arrow = sun rays
Protractor piece = earth
Colored background = climate of the time
Degrees = lines of latitudes
dashed lines = tropics and lines of latitude on either side of the equator
red line = equator

Working with the chart:

Review previous work/knowledge (dates of the equinoxes and solstices in relation to the sun's rays).
Identify the parts.
Suggest that as we move the earth so that the sun's rays fall perpendicular to each line of latitude, the seasons change.
Select particular locations according to their latitude and explore the seasons accordingly.
Select locations from the opposite hemisphere and see where the city falls as the protractor is tipped accordingly.

This is one lesson (not provided in full detail here) that shows a key experience laying a foundation for further study. It invites explorations and potential questions. If this is as far as the child goes with the information, it is enough to have the basic information without wasting their time and energies for many days covering the same information; it fits within a grander set of other key experiences that includes much more already. Every child has their area of in-depth study, whether this one or another.

Elementary Science Supplies

Excerpt from related blog posts on "What Materials are Needed to have an Elementary Montessori Environment"?

Science supply area (in elementary) - you want the generic supplies available, along with a few resources to generate ideas, so that if they have a question about something, they can work it out relatively quickly.

Anyone using AMI-style elementary albums now have the option at Home Science Tools to purchase a kit for the geography and biology albums - with just about everything you need in one package!

(I do not make any money when you purchase that kit - it is simply something I set up to make the obtaining of the needed materials easier for those who are using AMI elementary Montessori albums).

Great Lessons - Materials

Within AMI (American Montessori Internationale), the following is a description of the materials for the 5 core Great Lessons to establish Cosmic Education in the elementary Montessori environment.

God with No Hands

4 impressionistic charts
materials for 6 demonstrations
NOTE: There used to be a 5th chart (solar system) which has been pulled to use at another time (a follow-up telling of the story)
NOTE: There used to be far more demonstrations (experiments is a misnomer in this case) which were pulled out to use as follow-ups, thus allowing the story to focus on the core keys, with plenty left for re-tellings and review - going deeper and encouraging a return to the Great Lesson.

Coming of Life

2 impressionistic charts
Timeline of Life (a mute version of the Timeline of Life is a follow-up work)

Coming of Human Beings

No materials
The focus is on the human connection itself - particularly on love; the children can look at their own arms and legs to see that they do not have specialized protection as animals do.
Note: The two timelines called "First Timeline of Human Beings" and "Second Timeline of Human Beings" are follow-up work in the history album. They are not part of this Third Great Lesson.

Communication in Signs

8 impressionistic charts showing the changes of writing styles through time and civilizations

Numbers

8 impressionistic charts showing the changes of numbers through time and civilizations

For further Montessori Nuggets on the Great Lessons:

First Great Lesson: God Who Has No Hands

God with No Hands is a slightly modified version of Mario Montessori’s publication in Communications in 1958, originally told by Maria Montessori.

The story is not meant to give just one idea of how creation came about; it is meant to contain some tidbits of factual information in a story format.

One important aspect to think about is the language of the story. The language should not be the same as used in day-to-day speech. The descriptive language should be more dramatic, a bit more extraordinary.

The tone of the story should arouse more than just the children’s interest but also his admiration and wonder if the idea of the universe has been presented properly to the children.

The story can be told in one’s own words and the guide must be comfortable with the version of the story told; the children are sensitive to hypocrisy. The guide must love the story that is told; make the story your own; much practice allows for comfort in the telling.

The story can be either told or read as the guide needs, but the tone needs to maintain enthusiasm and other aspects noted above. In the environment with children, throughout the following days, weeks, months and years, the guide can return to the story and recount specific sections, or fill in forgotten pieces.

Our goal? We hope the children begin to feel appreciation towards creation and the Creator.

General Notes on Great Lesson and Key Lessons

Materials for each Great Lesson

General search for Great Lessons on Montessori Nuggets

God With No Hands

Coming of Life

Coming of Human Beings

Communication in Signs

Numbers

Periodic Table of Elements

"When do we introduce the Periodic Table of Elements? Why is not showing up anywhere in the AMI (primary and elementary) albums?"

There are a few reasons, and a few ways to approach this topic.

If your child is interested in this topic, by all means, go for it! Interest over-rides any "universal child" observation.

But it's not there for everyone, because it's not a key. The periodic table of elements is actually the end-result of a process. A process that the child needs to go through as well in order to fully appreciate it and learn the most from it.

It becomes a key later - in adolescence! After they have experienced it!

How to approach the periodic table of elements - all of these are found in the primary and elementary albums:

Primary and Lower elementary: sorting objects by observable characteristics (color, shape, size, sinking/floating); explore the states of matter; explore magnetism; describe the characteristics of various objects; measure and compare using a variety of tools; explore substances vs. solutions
Upper elementary: continue looking at characteristics that are less obvious; consider volumes of solids; magnetic fields; affects on non-magnetic objects; which objects are good/poor conductors of electricity (electricity is not explicit in the elementary albums, but is something to be explored at the time a child expresses interest; and it *should* come up as the child explore each key further); in the final couple of tellings of the Story of God With No Hands, highlight those particles - those basic substances that make up all of creation. You can have resources in the room that share information about the elements; but try to avoid the "official chart" for now if at all possible.
Adolescence: Now we start to look at chemical properties, if the child hasn't gone there already; start sorting various substances by their chemical properties; build atoms and molecules; use the term 'elements'; pull out a set of cards that has information on the elements for sorting purposes. Don't show the periodic table until the child has created a few different organizations of it himself (based on magnetism; based on atomic weight; based on other characteristics of the child's choosing) - what are the patterns? What are the similarities and differences? Then pull out the chart itself; but also pull out (or pull up online) samples of other methods of organizing the elements - there are MANY! And they are BEAUTIFUL!

When an elementary child has an interest in this area of study, just pull out those cards and go from there.

Montessori Scope and Sequence: Elementary

The following links take you to a general scope and sequence for AMI elementary albums.

These Montessori scope and sequences -

follow ages 6-12
do not include remedial (bridge) work
are not set in stone - follow the children before you!
are general (they do not include every single exercise with an album page that might start in year 1 and extend to year 4 or 5) - so when you see a range of 1-3, figure that the album page probably starts in year 1 (or 2 at the latest) and should generally be done by year 3. It could be earlier, but it shouldn't be much later, because the age ranges are pretty generous already. If you want the detailed version that contains every exercise and follow-up, in both Word and Excel formats (easily adapted for personal use), you will find them at Garden of Francis (for elementary) and Garden of Francis (for primary)

The years you see noted in "start" and "end" refer to the year in Montessori elementary - year 1 is the equivalent of age 6, through year 6 which is the equivalent of age 11-12.

The last math work may or may not be completed in elementary and may extend into early adolescence. The other albums are typically easily completed in a 6 year elementary cycle.

Looking for detailed scope and sequence that includes every single exercise of the album page and more specific guidelines and ages? Check with your album provider. Or join us at Keys of the Universe.

Or looking for primary Montessori album scope and sequences? Those are trickier. Presentations that are introduced at age 3, might have extensions that go through age 4, 5, and 6 - so you'll want a very detailed one that includes all exercises for each album page. Ask your album provider for a scope and sequence to correspond with that album set.

Or some general ages are included here in various Montessori Nuggets.

Social Studies in Montessori

Where is "social studies" in Montessori?

Montessori sure does shake things up! History is obvious, but let's discuss the other albums first.

Our geography at primary is what we expect (maps, countries, capitals, flags), along with a great deal of cultural experiences.

Our geography at elementary is what most schools consider "earth science" - physics, geology, chemistry and the like - including climactic zones (and which people and animals live where). AND it then adds in Economic Geography - how people connect with one another, most particularly in regards to the earth itself: source of our food, economic interactions and taxes. Within economic geography is where we get into community helpers that many schools make their entire 1st grade curriculum.

Montessori, utilizing the precepts of cosmic education, emphasizes the link between the land (geography) and the people - who lives where, how they live and interact with one another and their environmental surroundings and the changes that take place... starting to sound like ecosystems in Biology, huh? ;)

Within the language album, we look at the history and development of languages, literature, and modes of communication. We look at the biographies of authors, their times and lives, to provide us deeper insight into their choice topics, their writing styles, their beliefs - their inner souls.

Within Mathematics and Geometry, we'll have the usual mathematical skills, but also have the Story of Numbers and various Geometry stories. These stories place mathematics and geometry in the context of history and within daily life - why are these subjects necessary and useful? How can we utilize these skills to be service to *people.*

Art and music are relatively obvious - these areas are not just about skills, but appreciation for the work of others. We study the history of artists and musicians in the same way we study authors - in the same way we study all of history: as a gift.

History is the most obvious as far as social studies. Montessori provides a framework within which to study history, not from any one resource (i.e. a textbook), but from a variety of sources utilizing one's own developing reasoning skills to sort bias from fact and create one's own view of history, within the framework of gratitude for the gifts given us by those who came before us and responsibility to those who are with us now and those who will come after us - how shall we hold dear and develop the gifts we have been given? How shall we then pass on these gifts that are a living heritage from ancient times to the present.

So you can see that social studies - the study of society, its people, its functionings and even the study of ourselves, truly is cosmic education, utilizing every aspect of a child's life, even outside these academic albums.

Geography Puzzle Maps in Elementary

Especially for homeschoolers, there are certain materials that always provoke questions: are they useful or not and at which ages?

The puzzle maps are one such material. Large puzzles of the world and each continent, with each continent or country its own pieces (and knobs placed at the capitals as much as possible).

The official AMI statement is that elementary children are too old for this material, even if they are all new to Montessori. Experiences by so many parents and teachers show that they most certainly CAN be useful, although they are likely to be used in different ways than primary.

In any area, the main points to consider when choosing a material that is "out of age range" are the following:

is this material FEEDING a child's needs?
is it useful?
how long will it be useful for?
Do you have money and space for it? Or do you need an alternative?
Is the child just going to hide behind this work? (it is ok for a 4 year old to spend 3 hours with the Africa map, just reconstructing it; but it is not ok for a typically developing 8 year old to do so - the 8 year old should be labeling the countries, listing the capitals, creating a booklet or chart of information, creating a new control map, etc - anything that is an extension and using his imagination to come up with new extensions).
is there a more appropriate material for the proper age range? if so, hone in on that material instead.

For the Geography Puzzle Maps:

Elementary children should not be working them "just as puzzles" if they work with them.
The outlines are not the most accurate. They are fine for the primary age as a sensorial impression. This is a good conversation starter at elementary and gets the children analyzing.
The ideal piece of material are pin maps, but if you have puzzle maps it makes sense to use them for as long as possible. The elementary children can ultimately create pin-maps themselves out of cardboard and pins - or skip the pins and just create their own maps.

Think through each material carefully and make the decision that is right for YOUR situation.

Geography - Table of Contents

Geography is another area that is interspersed among the primary albums. When pulled together, these presentations make for quite a lovely geography experience! We have sensorial aspects, language, people of the world by continent, country and region, globes, maps and more!

In elementary, it also encompasses the earth sciences and economics. Technically-speaking there is no official political geography section. We hope that the children have had the primary level experiences. We also incorporate Goings Out at the elementary age; practical life lessons in this area including reading and following maps of the local city, areas to visit (a map of the museum for example), and other practical mapping skills.

Through the child's study of history, mapping, graphing, coordinates, compass roses, and other experiences are incorporated in a "living" approach. Geography incorporates many of the "math skills" that seem to be lacking from the mathematics album (where we focus more on pure mathematics).

There is really little use for a geography program at elementary that is not, by nature, put into practical use immediately - either through Goings Out, re-creating maps on paper or three-dimensionally, including human geography (culture) or other practical purposes.

Primary:

Exercises of Practical Life
The entire Exercises of Practical Life album really prepares for geography; including the cultural aspects. Art experiences, as well as cultural experiences should be incorporated starting around age 5. First the child is adapted to his own culture until 4 1/2 or 5; then we can start drawing in aspects of other cultures for the children to experience - think art forms/styles, table settings, objects around the environment that could be polished are perhaps from other cultures. Share stories.

Think cultural experiences.

Sensorial:

Tactile

Sensitizing Fingers

Sensorial Aspects of the World

Introduction to the Sensorial Aspects of the World

Sandpaper Globe

Continents Globe

World Puzzle Map

Continent Puzzle Map

United States

Puzzle Map

Land and Water Forms

Oceans Globe

Flags

Climatic Zones Globe

Language:

Spoken: Vocabulary Enrichment

Language of the Sensorial Materials (games, card material)

Nomenclature Cards – Scientific (includes flags, countries/continents/oceans by name, etc)

Spoken: Language Development

Storytelling

Reading and Books in the Library

Poems

Conversation

Conversation – More than one person

Question Game

Cultural Folders

Extension: fictional story telling

Land and Water Form Folders

Land and Water Form Outline Maps

Biome Folders

Art Folders (cultural)

My State

Writing

Map Making

Reading Classification

Presentation I – Classifying the Environment

Presentation II – Cards with Labels

A. Social

B. Scientific

Presentation III – Definition Stages

Elementary:

Geography

Introduction to Geography

Practical Considerations for the Experiments

Notes on the Experiments

Command Cards

Geography Nomenclature

Chapter I: Creation of the Earth/Idea of the Universe

God with No Hands

Experiments with God with No Hands

Notes on the Story

Follow-Ups to the Story

Composition of the Earth

Further Details of the Composition of the Earth

Formation of the Mountains

Chapter II: Nature of the Elements

Three States of Matter

Further States of Matter

Different Ways of Combining

Separation, Saturation, Super-saturation

Attraction and Gravity

Chapter III: The Sun and the Earth

Rotation of the Earth and Its Consequences

Time Zone Chart

Earth as a Sphere and Its Result

Tilt of the Axis

Seasons and the Two Tropics

The Zones

Zones’ Work Chart

Protractor Chart

Seasons Work Chart

Protection of the Atmosphere and the Rains

Chapter IV: The Work of Air

Experiments Prelude to the Winds

The Winds

Land and Sea Breezes

Changes in the Winds Caused by the Seasons

Rains

Work Chart of the Winds

Ocean Currents Caused by Winds

Wind as a Sculptor

Chapter V: The Work of Water

The River

The Rains

Ocean Waves

Ice

Water Cycle

Spread of Vegetation

People in Different Zones

Chapter VI: Human Geography

Interdependence of Human Beings in Society

Economic Geography

Study of Natural Resources

Study of Consumption

Comparison of Production and Consumption

Imports and Exports

Volume of World Trade

World Commerce

Chapter VII: Functional Geography

(not an official section of the elementary album; utilized for those who need to verify learning for educational standards as well as those without any primary level experience - just a list of topics to be covered in other areas)

Geography - Elementary and Primary

Get away from the idea that geography is a subject in the curriculum;

rather, geography is the manner in which the child is oriented to the earth and the way in which he lives.

The earth and the laws which govern it were in place at creation and those very same laws govern the earth today.

Human beings also have laws to be followed and be governed by. Civil law should be organically tied to natural law. So we have economics in our geography album at elementary; we have studies of people in our primary albums.

Elementary Continuum

The same curriculum is given at 9-12 as is given at 6-9.

In terms of geography, for example, all of the general areas of the work need to be introduced in the 6-9 group in some manner; however, every presentation will not be covered, and many of the details are not reached until 9-12, when the children are interested in those details.

6-9 is an introduction to and a preparation for the work at 9-12.

What does this mean for us adults?

It means that it is not for US to decide what is upper elementary or lower elementary - it is up to the internal workings of the child to reveal to us what is appropriate for them at that time or not.

It means that when we have outside-of-the-child requirements (ourselves, local educational standards), we seek to find a way to provide what is necessary in the present situation, but not as a burden - focus instead on the child learning about fulfilling responsibilities, in an environment that respects their developmental needs.

Pages

"When do we introduce the Periodic Table of Elements? Why is not showing up anywhere in the AMI (primary and elementary) albums?"