A good friend of mine recently sent me an article with the same link you’ll find below. As a researcher and scholar myself with a focus on empathy and social/emotional learning, I became ecstatic by what I read. Not only did it affirm my thinking but it restated for me what I believe is one of the most important values a TNSM Montessori education stands to provide. Very quickly, the article pointed out that in addition to an environment where empathy and the social/emotional well-being of children is nurtured, “focusing on process” is more important in assuring high achievement in …
The Seven Triangles of Reality
Fourth graders learned to identify and use Montessori geometry sticks to identify triangles by the length of their sides. Then they studied triangles based on the size of the angles. This week they combined it all to identify triangles using both the angle AND side name. Through this work, the students discovered there are only seven possible types of triangles in the whole wide world. Montessori calls these the “Seven Triangles of Reality.”
TNSM families had fun at CAC’s Unmuseum.
If you’ve been to the Unmuseum at the Contemporary Art Center, then you’ll understand just how much fun TNSM friends and families had last weekend. Enjoy the pictures below that were taken by TNSM parent Eric Brouwer.
Alumni Updates – Community Newsletter Winter 2015
We are saddened to report the recent passing of two figures instrumental in the early days of The New School. Joan Wyzenbeek (co-founder) and Harry Whittaker were both lifelong supporters of the mission and work of the school. Joan and her partner Pat Ritz lived in Lexington, KY. They remained connected with TNSM and were pleased to attend our 40th anniversary celebration of the school in 2010. Harry and his wife Molly were also strong supporters of TNSM and gave generously through the William P Anderson Foundation throughout their lives. Congratulations to TNSM alumni Elisha Aaron (’09), Zoe Cheng (’09) and Sofia Goodman (’09) whose PSAT scores …
Multiplication explained using Montessori materials.
In this video Eli, a third grader at TNSM, explained multiplication using Montessori materials. The cloth checkerboard and the bead bars help students develop a concrete understanding of the meaning behind the steps to solve long multiplication problems.
TNSM Alumnus Jake Whitman – Teacher, Author, Leader and Businessman
Upon graduation from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Business Economics, Jake Whitman (’99) applied for a chance to be part of Teach for America (TFA). It is a national corps of young leaders chosen from the top of their college class. When selected, these graduates give a two-year commitment to teach in low-income communities to help close the achievement gap. Jake was selected by TFA and taught special education math in a public high school in North Philadelphia. Jake discovered that the vast majority of his students wanted to learn and to succeed saying, “It …
Preprimary students are hard at work.
Multiple Montessori works are available for children throughout the day to practice and master a variety of skills. Teachers change the works regularly to give children opportunities to experience new challenges.
Learning about minerals, their chemical formulas and how they can mix together.
In physical science class, 4th – 6th graders learned about minerals and how they each have a unique chemical formula made up of elements. Those elements are mixed together in a way that each piece of a specific mineral is chemically alike. To demonstrate this, students made their own mineral Apatite (Pumpkin Bread) by mixing together “calcium, phosphorus, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen.” They used flour, eggs, pumpkin, oil, spices, sugar and water to represent each element and watched how the “elements” or ingredients mixed together. With time and heat their “apatite” turned into a perfectly baked mineral – pumpkin bread.
From the Classroom to the Lunchroom.
Teacher Kira Hinkle’s goal was to integrate her 3rd grade students’ study of the human body and nutrition into preparation for this year’s Thanksgiving celebration. Kira ended up doing much more than that; the biology and nutrition lessons learned have made their way from the classroom to the lunchroom for both students and teachers alike. Study of the human body with a focus on the digestive system. The project started with studying the vital organs of the human body. Life-size replicas of their human bodies were traced and cut out with organs glued into the proper places. Students learned about the digestive system and the journey that food takes …
4th graders create and solve their own story problems.
Our 4th graders created their own math story problems to solve about TNSM’s Growing Room cafeteria. Every good story deserves illustrations which are included below. There are 5 bowls of watermelon, and each bowl has 20 pieces. How many pieces of watermelon are there in all? There are 13 girls and 9 boys on one side of the food table. On the other side there are 8 girls and 3 other boys. How many children are there in all? There were 7 people in line and they each wanted 10 peas. How many peas were there in the bowl? 2 pineapples …