A Peek Into the
Middle School Classroom

The best way to understand the Montessori method is to observe in the classrooms. Please call 773.714.0646 or email  for more information or to make an appointment.

Observation is the cornerstone for connecting the children to our carefully prepared Montessori classrooms. In addition, our parents stay connected to the classroom happenings through weekly blog entries, written by the Middle School students.  Here’s a sample of a typical blog.  

The King’s M&Ms

Last week the Middle School class partook in a game simulating the American Revolution. In the game, there was the King of England, parliament, tax collectors, and colonists. Everyone was given 8 M&Ms to start the game. The King of England issued that there was a new tax on shoe laces, so everyone in the class wearing shoe laces had to pay the King 1 M&M. In the next round, the King taxed all citizens wearing shorts and so on and so forth. The point of this simulation was to make people pay for everyday items, much like the colonists did, and to understand the situation the colonists found themselves in as they debated taking a stand against their government.

 

Photography

This week, in the Middle School classroom, we had a project in photography class. As a group, we learned about the different strategies in taking quality photos. These strategies are:

  • Varying the distance
  • Rule of thirds- Putting the main focal point off to the side, to draw attention to the surroundings
  • Framing- Having the objects around the focal point create a frame
  • Leading lines- Having lines lead your eyes toward the focal point
  • Repetition- Patterns make photos more interesting
  • Angle/Point of view- Using bird’s eye view and worm’s eye view make for a more interesting photo
  • Contrast- Making different colors stand out
  • Selective Focus- Draw attention to different points in the picture

After we learned about these qualities as a class, we looked through different photos taken by famous photographers to try to point out these qualities.