montessori materials Archives - Rowntree Montessori Schools

2020/03/10 by R.M.S.

A Hands-On Approach to Learning Fractions

A female student working on fractions using an imaginary pizza — A student working on fractions using an imaginary pizza

Our PrepONE students use a hands-on approach to learning Fractions. During Montessori, they enjoy using concrete hands-on materials that make an abstract concept more clear. For example, when learning about fractions, they appreciate the use of the Fraction Circle Box. Additionally, this particular Montessori material has made learning about fractions easy and fun! Students learning about fractions using this Montessori material benefit greatly from the concrete, consistent, and gradual nature of the Montessori approach. This compares to using drawings representing fractional parts. Activities like this help students visualize fractions and understand that fraction segments are equal parts of a larger object. Lastly, this type of lesson teaches skills that are necessary for more advanced fraction concepts.

For some great tips on how to teach fractions to your children, read this great article that provides ideas and fun games to help your little one learn.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2020/01/28 by R.M.S.

Science and Candy?!

Brought to you by Rowntree Montessori Schools

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

For an inquiring young mind, what can be more exciting than a lesson that combines science with candy? At Rowntree Montessori, we combine modern and traditional methods to create a dynamic learning environment for all students. While our students are often engaged in hands-on activities using various Montessori materials and technological tools such as Chromebooks and interactive whiteboards, we have found that everyday materials can also help to enhance our young learners’ experiences. Our students can often be found using cardboard in creative ways in solving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) problems, and in the examples below, they are learning about colours and the Scientific Method with the help of milk, dish soap and Skittles! This type of creative and interactive teaching and learning sets Rowntree apart as a place where both academic expectations and fun in the classroom are set to a very high standard.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2020/01/10 by R.M.S.

The Benefits of using Montessori Materials to Teach Math

Recently in our PrepOne Math class, we have been using our workbooks a lot lately. So to try something new for our unit on creating 3D shapes, we implemented a hands-on STEM activity that helped students learn this skill. This teaching method is especially helpful to students who are kinesthetic or tactile learners. It provides them with a better understanding of the points and sides of each shape. Savera, has always done well in Math and she really loves to take part in any hands-on Montessori activities. During this lesson, she created 3D shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks and was able to identify each shape with its points and sides.

Rowntree’s mission is to use differentiated learning to teach our students various concepts and core skills. With this particular activity, students really benefited from the lesson because they were actively involved in joining sides and points of the 3D shape and were able to actively see the shapes come to life.

As today’s teachers, it is our responsibility to identify the various ways our students learn and encourage learning through different methods.
Savera was really excited as this was the first 3D shape she had created independently, without any assistance from her teacher.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/10/22 by R.M.S.

Kindergarten Students Learning to Spell and Read Using Montessori Materials

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Brought to you by Rowntree Montessori Schools…Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969.

A Movable Alphabet is a tool used in a Montessori learning environment to teach reading, spelling, and writing. The Movable Alphabet makes it fun for the child to practice alphabetical order, beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds, and the formation of entire words. It is a wooden box containing 26 wooden letters.

Typically students are approximately 3.5 years old or older when they start using and learning with the movable alphabet. You will know when they are ready to use the movable alphabet when they are able to recognize 3-4 consonant sounds and one vowel sound.

The goals of this lesson are to familiarize the child with the movable alphabet, to teach students to be conscientious of their work by being careful with the letters, and by organizing and straightening letters in the box.

To learn more about the benefits of using Montessori materials in reading and writing, click here.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/08/30 by R.M.S.

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, Math is Fun!

Not everyone will agree that math can be fun but the students at Rowntree Montessori Schools love math. As the great, William Paul Thurston stated, “mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms; it is about understanding”. The teachers at RMS are excellent at teaching one of our core subjects, math, and fostering a love of this subject.

Rowntree Montessori School students shopping during Math Day

Math is one of the core subjects taught in Prep-ONE (Senior Kindergarten) that we teach at Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS). During our math circle time, we start the year with counting from 1 to 100, counting by 2s to 20, and 5s and 10s to 100. We often make this engaging for students by adding songs because studies how that children learn well when lessons are fun. We teach students greater than and less than, as well as before and after numbers (up to 100). Students really enjoy this because the lessons are conducted using Montessori manipulative materials. These materials include number cards and object counters.

We also teach our students addition and subtraction to 10 using the Montessori Addition and Subtraction Boards. When students are learning double-digit addition and subtraction, we use the Stamp Game. This provides children with a learning tool that they can touch and see. At an early age, we also introduce 2D and 3D shapes, sorting, time by the hour,m and by the half hour, graphing, fractions, and place value.

Recently, our students learned about Canadian money which they used it in a real-life setting, during our annual “Math Day.” On this day our whole school transformed into a shopping mall and all of our students became shoppers. They learned how to purchase items and budget their mock money to buy toys, books, clothing, etc. Another exciting activity was teaching our students about “place value” through the use of Montessori materials. In this activity, students were able to create numbers by using the Montessori Golden Beads.

As a Kindergarten teacher, I can truly say that our Math programme is well-organized, and well balanced to suit the needs and learning styles of our young children. Our programme is truly ahead of the Ministry set guidelines. I look forward to many more years of watching our young students build a love for math, as they become interested in it through well thought-out activities and an excellent planned curriculum.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/02/27 by R.M.S.

Montessori Learning Time

When you look into one of our Brampton Kindergarten classrooms during Montessori learning time, you will see a variety of things taking place. For example, you might see children practicing their cutting skills, using scissors to cut along different kinds of lines. Maybe you would see a child practicing pouring sand from a jug into smaller glasses. You might see another child using tweezers to move pompoms or buttons from one container to another, counting as they go. Perhaps you would see a child using the Montessori Moveable Alphabet to practice making words on a Montessori mat on the carpet, or the sandpaper letters to practice writing individual letters. Another child might be using the Montessori Addition Strip Board to practice their adding. Continuing to look around, you might see children matching up letters to pictures or objects, working on their initial or ending sounds. No matter what, you will undeniably see a lot of different learning taking place in our Kindergarten classrooms during Montessori learning time!

Kindergarten students using Montessori materials at Rowntree Montessori Schools Private School in Brampton

Students using different learning and practical life materials during Montessori learning time

Montessori learning time has so much value in our Kindergarten classrooms. The hands-on nature of the Montessori Method truly allows for children to grow in their independence across multiple subject areas. The children have opportunity not only to work in areas such as Language and Math using Montessori materials, but also in practical everyday life ways, such as practicing using cutlery or practicing zipping up a zipper on a zipper frame. It is a valuable educational approach, used not only in these independent sessions but also in our lessons. Children respond so well to these materials, and can take the learning that they do here and apply it elsewhere with ease. Our students are always excited for Montessori learning time!