OFMS December 2022 Newsletter

Oak Farm Montessori December 2022

Where did we come from? How do I fit into the world? Who created letters and numbers?

The umbrella of ‘cosmic education’, as prescribed by Dr. Maria Montessori, seeks to encourage students to examine these questions and come to their own conclusions. Unlike traditional education, Montessori saw a great benefit in weaving epic stories with scientific facts to ignite a passion for independent learning in children.

She created five ‘Great Lessons’ that are introduced to elementary students at the beginning of the year. The first three are foundational in the sciences, while the fourth and fifth emphasize more of a philosophical or humanities approach. Most importantly, these lessons are not meant to be memorized; but, rather, to encourage and engage students to research and explore.

The first Great Lesson, the Coming of the Universe and the Earth, includes an introduction to the solar system, meteorology, chemistry and physics. Next, students explore the Coming of Life through the use of a timeline that characterizes the importance of every living creature. The third Great Lesson, the Coming of Human Beings, places special emphasis on the three gifts that make humans special: a mind to imagine, a hand to do work, and a heart that can love. Commonly referred to as the communication lesson, the Story of Writing examines early hieroglyphics and the evolution humans made to put thoughts onto paper. The fifth lesson, the Story of Numbers, discusses early numbering systems and the importance of the decimal system used today. While these lessons are introduced in quick succession at the beginning of the school year, they are built upon throughout the year with in-depth curriculum and study in each classroom. Where one student may become fascinated with the solar system and delve deeply into the Hubble telescope to examine a world we cannot see, another child may research the impact geometry and religion played in the building of Egyptian pyramids.

Montessori said, “To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.” From choosing work from a child sized shelf to encouraging individualized pursuit of interests, she observed the importance of choice in creating an adult who is a critical thinker, life long learner and self actualized human being.

While the great lessons look different at each level, the spirit of science and imagination are the core values behind the genius of Montessori.

Candice

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Melissa Witt, Primary 4 Teacher

“Why??”

The question every parent hears countless times a day, so often, in fact, that it’s a running joke. Young children just seem to love to ask, “Why?” They are naturally curious about the world around them and the Five Great Lessons of Montessori mark a huge change in the way students are learning.

Leading Into the Five Great Lessons

Primary students are making the leap from concrete to abstract concepts. Concrete thinking is a more literal form of thinking that focuses on the physical world. Children in this stage of development take the information that’s given to them at face value without thinking beyond what they can see, hear or touch. Abstract thinking is the ability to consider concepts be yond what we observe physically. It’s our job in the primary environment to help facilitate this jump.

Harnessing The Power of “Why”

One of the ways we help children make the jump from concrete to abstract is to harness the power of “why”. Instead of giving them the answers for all their questions, we embrace those questions and encourage them to delve deeper. As their guides, we ask them important or leading questions and show them how to find the answers. Through this process we are prepar ing young children for receiving big information.

Cosmic Education

As a cornerstone of Montessori Philosophy, Cosmic Education tells the story of the interconnectedness of all things. So, what would this look like with your child? We immerse ourselves and the children in the natural world. The students are a part of all our daily tasks, both indoors and out, helping to care for our community. An everyday example of this might be a student asking, “Why are we taking this paper to the recycling bin?” I can explain to the child that at the recycling center they will break down the paper, turn it into paper pulp, and make new things with it. I might also encourage them to think about where that paper came from. It came from the store. Before the store, it was at a factory. What is paper made of? Trees! Let’s think about everything it took for us to get this paper. After talking about all of this we could do a lesson on making our own paper, connecting the abstract with the concrete.

By the time they leave the Primary environment, students will be the ones asking the deeper questions. They will be ready to receive those bigger lessons:

The Creation of the Universe

The Coming of Life to Earth

The Coming of Man

The History of Language

The History of Numbers/Mathematics

Careful preparation in Primary will give students the experience necessary to retain the information given to them during the presentations of the Five Great Lessons.

IN THE BEGINNING…

Abby Roughia, Lower Elemetary 4 Teacher

The Great Lessons are a series of lessons given each year to Montessori elementary students in hopes of igniting a fire for learning in our students. These lessons are like the engine of the train. As we begin the year, we present the First Great Lesson; The Coming of the Universe. Next, we give the Second Great Lesson; The Coming of Life. Then the Third Great Lesson; The Coming of Man. Followed by The Fourth Great Lesson; The Coming of Language and finally the Fifth Great Lesson; The Coming of Numbers.

The First Great Lesson is a fun, exciting lesson that really gets the imagination running wild. The grandiosity that is described through this lesson gives their brains room to run with ideas and thoughts. It’s like the engine leaving the station. The story is told to be what scientists be lieve to have happened based on research, but since no one was living, scientists are putting the pieces together the best they can and this story is what they believe may have happened. We also share that there are several different stories all describing how the universe began and we often lead them to discover those as well. The story begins with, “In the beginning there was only darkness.” This gives our students the idea that in the beginning there was nothing. Out of this nothing came stars, planets, earth, rock, oceans, atmosphere, and volcanoes. Known as the Precambrian Era, this is the universe before the existence of life. Students begin studying astronomy, geology, geometry, history, and scientific experimentation.

The Second Great Lesson is the story of The Coming of Life which kicks off biology and botany. Now the train is picking up speed. The Third is a story of the Coming of Man which leads to history and peace lessons. The third is the story of how language came to be which leads to our reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and word study. The fifth and final great lesson is the story of the coming of numbers which leads into our mathematics lessons. Once the “engine” is running, the rest of the train cars fall in line following behind and our classrooms are running like a well oiled machine.

Lasting Legacy

Kim Davidson, Strategic Partnerships Director

With the Great Lessons playing such an important role in the elementary Montessori curriculum, it is not surprising that the Portrait of the Oak Farm Montessori Graduate (Lifelong Learner, Emotionally Literate, Leadership, and Citizenship) is a reflection of the very skills the Great Lessons are intended to foster. While these lessons focus on the elementary years (1st - 6th grade), our trained Montessori teachers work with our youngest students to invoke the love of learning that lays this important foundation.

The Portrait of an Oak Farm Montessori Graduate begins when students join our community and, through the carefully designed role of faculty, foster a desire to learn and explore topics of interest. The long term impact of such learning, and the ultimate goal of OFMS is to have our students develop the skills needed to be a responsible citizen of the community in which they live and to be contributors in their local workforce as well. As we look a bit closer at the Portrait of a Graduate, the skills OFMS alumni possess are many of the skills employers will cite as those lacking in many employees today. Those skills are: critical thinking, the ability to problem-solve, being selfconfident, always striving for improvement, self-disciplined, self-motivated and collaborative. While this is only a short list of the many applicable skills our students have the opportunity to develop at our school, having students who are well prepared for their life’s work, regardless of the role they play, is an investment in the future of Northeast Indiana and beyond. If you believe these skills are vital to supporting the future of our communities, children and grandchildren, we invite you to make a gift to the Tall Oak Fund by visiting our website at oakfarm.org. If you have questions about making OFMS a part of your legacy, please contact Kim Davidson, Strategic Partnership Director.

Let them climb trees, please!

Audrey Horstman, Primary Outdoor Specialist, Kinderforest Enthusiast

At the Primary level, it’s not yet age appropriate to formally introduce students to The Great Lessons- that fun comes at the Elementary level. At the earlier levels, we work to expose your children to the world in a way that creates intrigue & wonder. Before children are ready to learn and retain information about the formation of the earth & its order, they are ready to learn about it with their senses. While it’s great for them to hear about how moss is one of the oldest living things, it’s even better for them to first discover how soft it feels on their bare feet. Later in life, as they pursue more elaborate lessons, these tangible experiences will help them to make connections and have a deeper comprehension of the information they are being presented.

I am not an expert, I am however, a lifelong learner. I learn from peerreviewed articles, I learn from my children’s National Geographic magazines, I learn from my peers, I learn from your kids. My favorite way to learn, which I believe is true with everyone, is when I’ve been inspired. I find the great outdoors, especially with children in tow, incredibly inspiring. I am writing this in hopes that I can inspire more people to brave the outdoors, with their children.

You don’t have to know any facts about nature to help your children learn about nature. You just have to help them get outside, and encourage them to touch the funky looking mushrooms, and to climb the old gnarled tree. If you have even one lone tree in your yard or at a park, and your child climbs it for years, they learn about how roots get bigger and stronger as the tree gets sturdier, they learn about the changing of the seasons, they learn about bugs and nesting animals, they learn about different perspectives as their view changes from the ground to the top branches. Even if they can’t put it into words, yet, they are learning.

I began my Montessori journey 30 years ago, and that is something I cherish. Being a part of the team that gets to start your childrens’ journey is not something I take lightly. Since a child’s caregivers are the biggest part of the team, I will leave you with one little tip, that I believe has helped to both inspire students to tap into their own quest for knowledge, and helped me expand my patience. Instead of having to say “I don’t know” every time your child asks you the name of a plant or perhaps tougher questions like, “Why is it called a sandwich?” try saying “We’ll have to research that.” That simple turn of phrase, and mindset, was shared with me by a veteran Montessorian and I have used it successfully more times than I can count. Starting with that, and then observing your child to see which topics they revisit, is one way you can discover their early passions, and in turn, guide them towards environments that will further spark their passion for learning.

Making connections

Making connections

The Great Lessons were developed by Maria Montessori to be presented in the first few weeks of school. Montessori teachers show how the universe, life, animals, communication and numbers came to be. We show how these lessons help to contribute to life on earth. In Upper, the great lessons have already been heard, but it is inspiring to see the imagination and abstraction part of their understanding emerge.

These five lessons are presented as an impression, and the children are encouraged to research and find out more about what interests them after hearing each one. In the first great lesson, there are opportunities to learn and absorb information in the areas of physical properties of matter, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology. Later lessons give opportunities for biology study, development of humans, communication, and numerical expression.

As guides, we connect student interest and research from the great lessons to work that students are interested in. For example, after studying the Timeline of Life, we might ask students to choose a species to research from the Paleozoic Era. We then connect this research to lessons on nonfiction writing. Connecting these lessons to purposeful work enriches our cosmic curriculum.

April VanOsdale, Upper elementary 3 teacher

April VanOsdale, Upper elementary 3 teacher

Putting the in their hands

Oakleigh Butler, Middle School Teacher

Maria Montessori wanted to present the whole universe to children during their elementary years. Montessori stated, “Let us give them a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality… all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity…” (Lillard 54). Thus, she created the 5 Great Lessons. At Oak Farm Montessori School these lessons are given each year from first through sixth grade and then, occasionally, throughout the secondary years. After hearing the lesson year after year, students get more eager; they explore different topics, they dive deeper into material and overall they become more knowledgeable about the universe as they begin to discover their cosmic task.

The fifth Great Lesson, the story of numbers, starts with the earliest history of numbers and different civilizations’ numeric systems. The story continues as it unfolds the many different number systems that appeared before our current decimal system. This lesson prepares students to discover and study the history of numbers, mathematical operations, algebra concepts, geometry,

and eventually leads to mathematical applications.

We work together across levels to create stepping stones of the most important components that start in lower elementary. Specifically in math, we continue to give Great Lesson #5 throughout their middle school years as they are learning more advanced topics and are beginning to move from hands-on-materials to abstracting mathematical ideas. At middle school, we make connections to the fifth great lesson through our themes: community and change. We discuss the impact mathematicians had on the community and their contributions to the mathematical world. We often refer back to Great Lesson #5: The Coming of Numbers as we discover how math developed in the world, how it has changed and how it is continuing to change. We take time to stop and appreciate the mathematical change and students discover the communities, cultures, and people from many years ago that still have a huge impact on us today. Through this we are continuing to give students what Maria Montessori suggested; a vision of the whole universe.

Disciplined Study

Doug Desper, High School Teacher

The Great Lessons in a Montessori environment introduce students to the “beginnings” of many academic disciplines. Presented in a generalized form, students encounter these lessons throughout their life and academic career in a manner that allows for students to decide for themselves how these “beginnings” came to being. One such academic endeavor for some of our high school students is physics. Physics has its basis in experimentation and observation using the fundamentals of mathematics. Mathematics, a discipline that all of our high school students continue to be immersed within throughout high school, has been debated as to whether it is man-made or divinely created. In the discipline of physics, new discoveries are constantly rewriting our understanding of the universe and its properties (i.e. recent discoveries that contradict The Big Bang Theory, as well as the existence of dark matter), but in mathematics we find a constant discipline in which new discoveries only reaffirm previously discovered mathematical concepts. Let’s first take our focus to the realm of physical properties that our students discover through laboratory experiments. So far this year, our

physics students have completed experiments that 1) verify the gravitational pull of the earth, 2) verify the concept of torque and its relationship to equilibrium, 3) verify the Laws of Conservation of Momentum and Conservation of Angular Momentum, and 4) verify the Conservation of Energy through conversion of gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy and vice-versa. Upcoming experimentation will turn their focus toward density, pressure, buoyancy, heat, waves, electricity, magnetism, optics, and radioactivity. Our understanding of our world and the universe around us is constantly changing with the new challenges put before us through observational and experimental discoveries. Our students at Oak Farm Montessori School (OFMS) will be part of the next generation that brings us an even clearer picture of our world and our universe. This will be achieved through their ever expanding skill sets gained through experience in science and supporting mathematics classes.

Now, taking our focus to the mathematics classes here at OFMS, we find the courses creating a gateway to college mathematics and the

numerous science, engineering, and business majors and careers that students may choose to pursue post high school. Mathematical applications through real-world experiences are a consistent and challenging part of each mathematics class here. Examples include, but are not limited to, developing business models for maximizing profits given data from past sales and cost, physics models that determine appropriate tools to use for torque in the bike shop, biological models that determine carrying capacities for our environment, half-life models that inform medicinal decisions for fighting diseases, engineering models for determining the strength of supporting structures, and geological models that determine the approximate age of our earth and the universe. Each of these applications is supported by the mathematics that each student is invited to master at Oak Farm Montessori High School.

More specifically, if we turn our focus to our senior this year, Wesley Wolheter, we find that he has chosen as his Capstone Project to

investigate the quantum indeterminacy of why light can act as both a wave and a particle, even though waves and particles have entirely different properties. This is more popularly known as wave-particle duality in the physics world. He is currently working with a professor from Purdue Fort Wayne, and some of her physics students, to narrow down his research question to a format that will direct his research in this discipline of quantum mechanics. You are all invited to view his results and hear his presentation this spring when he presents his Capstone Project in May.

As our high school continues to grow (and it is growing even faster than we first anticipated) we will continue to see more and more exciting Capstone Projects that capture the ingenuity of students as they gain skills and knowledge in the disciplines of mathematics and science that will change our understanding of our world and the universe around us. These may even lead us to a better understanding and appreciation of The Great Lessons Dr. Maria Montessori initiated.