AMI Primary into Elementary

My Boys' Teacher over at What DID We Do All Day? had this to say in a recent post on sentence analysis:

That's one thing I've never liked much about AMI albums.  The primary albums are so relaxed and breezy and "some of this is advanced work and you might not get to it."  Then the elementary albums are all stern business and like "the child should have covered all that in primary."  

She is picking up on this far more than I did - but I also went straight from Primary training (academic year) into Elementary training (multi-summer - so I started elementary a few weeks after graduating from primary, moving across the country in the between-time) --- and the training centers are probably (?) the two geographically closest centers to one another (don't quote me on that!). I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but with the general Montessori culture of that entire area of the country being AMI-flavor because of the wide-spread communities of Montessori that build up around training centers, I think it raises the calibre more than a bit. Also, the city of my elementary training has a large community of AMI public Montessori schools - they have a whole public Montessori school system! So I am sure THAT raises the calibre quite a bit.

Even in primary training, doing my observations (10 locations required, more preferred) and student teaching (2 locations), I did get the sense that "most" children DO indeed finish the primary albums - or come really, really close. Again - culture of the area? Plethora of elementary Montessori options, so the schools are preparing the children more?

Within elementary training, I also picked up on the early elementary work in each area of "what to do if a child comes in without ample primary experience". So for me, the flow was there, regardless if the children had the primary experience or not. And I can easily pick up with the elementary album and modify as needed - but that might be me.

So I got the transition part for every area. And don't personally see the disconnect as much (I'm not saying it's not there - it's just not as clear to me).


In all areas except ONE.

Clock Time.


In primary we were told, "This is an elementary work, but we could do some language exploration with it." In elementary we were told, "This should have been mastered in primary with basic math functions with time to practice now."

Seriously!?

I submitted self-designed album pages to the assistant of my primary training course because she said she was looking to put something together - in hopes of collaborating to get some great album pages going. She never did anything with it (she was busy, to give her credit) - and I figured I would get the work in the elementary albums. Then... I didn't.


I have to admit - I felt cheated. But that could be tied into the reality of the training center I was at.
(new post coming on!)

First Work Plan and Work Journal

At 5 1/2 or so, Legoboy started his first work-plan, elementary Montessori style!

It really started a year or so earlier when he would continually ask me the plans for the day. Now, I'd already made a habit since he was newborn (and I bet it started in utero... ;) ) of letting him know what to expect at various times. He may or may not have remembered everything, but at least he heard what was going to happen at least twice before we got to the part where he actually had to start thinking about doing something about it.

Around 4 or so, it really became almost an addiction of his - he could handle *anything* - just let him know ahead of time. There was a span of several months, he truly did not handle sudden changes well at all. But we lived through that.

And he continued to ask for the daily schedule, asking the night before what to expect for the next day, and slowly started caring about what was coming in upcoming days. Then he was following up with it all, and trying so hard to remember everything and be independent about things.

It was time for a work-plan, whether *I* was ready for my little boy to grow up or not!

I created some of these from the Catholic Heritage Curricula Lesson Plans, and I added a LOT, to cover all the possible bases for our own family's particular needs.

I printed them and Legoboy helped color the pictures.
I laminated and trimmed them. 

Each card indicates something to do. I would select the cards from the basket and place them in the "work basket". Sometimes I housed certain ones together in an envelope or with a paper-clip, to show that I expected those things to be done together or in that particular order. The others could be done in any order. 

Sample of handwriting, geography, and music. 

We didn't do everything every day, but if he had the "free time" or "free choice of work" card, he could go back to the original basket and pull out additional items he wanted to do. Sometimes he would bring the card for a new lesson; sometimes he went further with his own work. We had a third basket into which all the completed cards were placed so I could mark down what he had done, or make adjustments for the next day - we could call this third basket his work journal. 

Oh, I also had sticky notes that I sometimes added to the back if I had a particular task in mind or he had asked for a reminder (the music card might have had "practice for choir" and "new song from 'Our Liturgical Year'" with stars for "must do" and another couple of suggestions related to the bells or something else for what he wanted as a reminder or because I knew a new lesson was upcoming. 

Every evening, I gathered the completed cards, changed up any notes that needed it and laid out the new cards for the next day. This took me about an hour of preparation in the very beginning - to make the cards and print them; another half an hour to laminate and cut. Probably another half an hour to find the right baskets ;) (we're a bit picky around here!). Once we had the sticky-notes going and my album scope and sequences laid out, it really took less than 5 minutes every evening to plan for the next day. Then if he was going to be off to someone else's home for the next day, I'd take another 5 minutes to gather together the supplies he needed. 

The end result is a happy, creative, high-functioning planner and do-er ;)

UPDATED 1/23/13 to ADD: 

The Word file I used to create many of the above photographed cards. Additional images came from CHC (Catholic Heritage Curricula) First Grade Lesson Plans - Character Development - so those are not included in this file. Brushing teeth would be in that set for example. 

I printed it all in black and white and my son helped me color them in before laminating them. I intended to round the corners but never did. I have left it in Word, so if you would like to use it, you can modify it as much as you would like. Feel free to share by sending others to this post. :) 

File of our first Montessori work plan and work journal (click here to download the Word file)

The Montessori Elementary Material: Sort of a Review

Here is a list of all required Montessori reading for the various AMI training centers around North America.

Of these books, you will see that many are required reading for both primary and elementary; some are just for elementary. Of the elementary required books, the one I find the absolute most practical for us homeschooling moms is The Advanced Montessori Method Volume 2: The Montessori Elementary Material.

Yes, I tout those theory albums to no end - because even with all the reading out there, every single AMI Montessori trainee must still compile a theory album for each level. Why? Because the theory album is so crucial.

But it is not the only piece of the puzzle. Coupled with the theory album is reading the words of Maria Montessori herself.

While a full set of albums with complete album pages (presentations) is still a necessity, this book helps to put those presentations in a "practical light". The Advanced Montessori Method Volume 2 provides a *fantastic* transition from primary to elementary, outlining an almost seamless transition from the use of the AMI primary albums into the use of the AMI elementary albums.

It outlines the main materials used in the following areas:

• Language: The main thrust of the lower and upper elementary materials is described here. Word Study, Parts of Speech, Sentence Analysis, Word Classification.
  
• Reading: Mechanical process; Analysis. It even includes a section on "reading aloud" - how the child is given a set of booklets (the text for some of the booklets is included!) to read to himself, and only when he is ready, he reads aloud with gusto and confidence. If a child has been in the primary Montessori with AMI albums, these booklets are actually quite appropriate for kindergarten as well as the 1st grade. The subject of the first book is "Children's House", thus implying kindergarten.
  
• Mathematics and Geometry: the transitional materials from primary into lower elementary; as well as some upper elementary. It is important to note that the area of mathematics was fleshed out much more after the original publication of this book, when Mario joined his mother in this work. Thus mathematics is one area I say, "Focus on the transition from primary into elementary with this book; then you will be much more confident to apply the album pages from the full elementary mathematics and geometry albums."
• Drawing: Art is an important part of human life and of education. It is a direct fundamental need of humans - under the title of "veritas." It has a fantastic, to-the-point chapter on getting the basics of artwork covered.
  
• Music and Metrics: These two chapters help the "untrained Montessorian" and even the trained ones (!) to really understand the basic foundation of the music area.
  

This book is straight-forward, yet rather conversational in nature. I love the tone of this book over anything that came out of my AMI training ;)


Almost the best aspect of this book is the inclusions of materials - contents of booklets, contents of the grammar boxes (via a translator, so modified for English usage), and more.


If I could only choose ONE book to go along with a full set of elementary albums (including theory!), THIS book would be IT!


And the best part!? If you are willing to read it on a screen, you can get the original publication for FREE.
(The Clio version of this books appears to have been drastically modified - I could be wrong, so someone please let me know if they have the new Clio version and can compare to this free online version to see if they are the same - I would SO appreciate it!)

I personally own the 1973 Schocken version - a complete re-print of the Google archived version, minus the first photo and a list of included photos. All other photos are included.


Now, The Advanced Montessori Method is also very good; it reads more as the theory, background, philosophy... where Volume 2 is the more practical materials-application.

:)