What is Montessori Nomenclature?

Do you know the parts of an apple? Nomenclature cards and booklets identify and name the various parts of the object or animal you are learning about. Each part is isolated in color, which draws your attention to that particular part and not to other details.

Why do we use it?  Children gain a much clearer and deeper understanding our world when they have vocabulary to put with movements and images. From a very young age children ask what things are called. Nomenclature cards are used to name "parts of" things. Once a child has learned the vocabulary for a set of nomenclature, they are free to practice it using 3-part cards. They can match the picture with the labels, and then use the labeled picture as a 'control card' to check their own work. When the child has a good understanding of all the parts they can then use printed copies to create a booklet. 

Booklets are great extension lesson that call for an understanding of:

• the vocabulary of each part
• the concept of each part
• precision with colored pencils
• neatness of printing/writing
• presentation of the completed work

Apple book nomenclature

This past Tuesday both Children's House classrooms ventured to Green Mountain Orchard for our annual apple-picking trip. Great fun was had by all!!!

Our classroom has exploded with math work this week! We can observe the transition from the concrete to the abstract as the students move up through Lower El. First comes a review of the Bank Game, in which children can actually feel and see what "9" or "40" are. Then it's onto the stamp game, where "100" is represented by one red stamp with "100" printed on it. And finally, the bead frame, in which numbers are represented by the place value colors: green for the units, blue for the tens, red for the hundreds, and back to green for the thousands. Right now, Youngers and Middlers are focusing on addition, and the Olders are working on multiplication.

Julian uses the beadframe to add into the thousands

 In our History studies, we passed through the Proterozoic Eon this week. This eon of "Earlier Life" saw the formation of the first complex cells on Earth. The Youngers have sculpted scenes from different time periods to compliment their Timeline of Life study. Everyone has been enjoying the third book in our series of how life on Earth came to be, Animals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story.

Leo sculpts his volcano scene

Our new science experiment this week is on the attraction of particles. After adding sugar to a test tube filled with water, students must shake it to find out what happens to the sugar. Unlike the mixture of sand and iron filings that is also on the science table, the sugar cannot be separated from the water! The water and sugar are attracted to each other.

Emmy observes the sugar particles in water 

Susannah performs the experiment 

Reminder: Our field trip to the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center will take place on Monday, October 15th, from 10-11:30. Our focus while there will be on insects, and we hope to enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds afterwards - if the sun decides to show itself!

Speaking of the lack of sun, we have many Lower El students who have been coming to school without suitable wet weather gear. Please send your child to school with both indoor and outdoor shoes, rain boots, and a jacket. Like the post office, neither snow nor sleet nor rain will keep us from getting fresh air (most of the time).

This week the sixths prepared for Tuesday's sixth grade trip to Old Sturbridge Village. Students studied reports generated by the 1821 Quincy Committee in Massachusetts. This committee was charged by the Massachusetts legislature to examine how towns were handling relief for the poor. By examining excerpts from the Committee's report, plus reports sent to the Committee by individual towns, the sixths considered three different ways local municipalities were taking care of the poor. This work created two important opportunities for the sixths. First, this work continued their exploration of self-governance in early American history. Second, this work met an important developmental need. Nine to twelve year olds are very interested in exploring issues of justice; it's a hallmark of the age. By examining and discussing how towns decided to support the poor and the reasons for doing so, the sixths are exploring an important moral issue. Next week at Old Sturbridge Village the sixths will continue exploring this issue by asking villagers for their opinion on the treatment of the poor.

The fourths and fifths concluded their study of the properties of air and moved onto the study of global wind patterns. The first lesson on global winds connects the properties of air to the global wind patterns. The fourths also worked this week on organizing information into paragraphs. Students worked together to organize large note cards into well-organized paragraphs. Students did a great job explaining their organizational choices.

           Upper El'ers doing math works

We had a really wonderful and fascinating visit to Harrisville, New Hampshire on Tuesday. We started the day with Linda Willet, the director of Historic Harrisville. Historic Harrisville has purchased most of the original buildings including the woolen mills, boardinghouses, tenements, mill owners' houses, and the general store. They are charged with the restoration, re-use, and maintenance of the buildings. After extensive stabilization and restoration, the buildings are being leased to various manufacturing companies (Harrisville Designs being the largest) and artist's studios. Linda took us through the Cheshire Granite Mill and told us about the challenges of authentic and functional restoration. We then utilized the perspective lesson Finn gave to students on Monday and everyone went off to draw and paint one of the spare but beautiful examples of Harrisville architecture.

As the new Physical Education teacher, I have been thoroughly enjoying my days at Hilltop. In our first month, we have enjoyed a combination of activities. We've learned and practiced how humans ran before relying on shoes. We have played soccer, handball, and various non-competitive games. Two indoor days have allowed us to examine just how much sugar really is in soda and juice and get in some balloon games, too. Hikes in the woods around Hilltop's property and the Memorial Park trails have turned into spontaneous fun runs and students have found wood frogs, red efts, chrysalises, lightening-struck trees, and which direction is South. The Upper El and Middle School after school soccer teams are looking solid and have winning records. The National Walk to School Day attendance included students from every classroom and several parents, too. I am looking forward to more adventures in PE and feel very fortunate to be involved in the Hilltop Community. Thank you!

Walking to school through the woods 

This Saturday, Oct. 6, is the Hike for the Homeless fundraiser for Morningside Shelter. Hilltop has been promoting the hike and families have been signing up to attend. I'll be there at 10:00 a.m. If you are unable to attend and want to make a donation, click here http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/bjames/hikeforthehomeless2012  

to donate online in Hilltop's name.