Montessori: Short Bead Cards- 11, 12, 13.
Well, today I am almost back to my old self. *I think*.
Still a bit sickly, but better and more energetic.
Spoke to Chew Foong yesterday about my internship, and she gave me some pointers. *Not for disclosure.*
Summary: Nothing much happened today.
Today the kids were all present except for Zi Jing. He didn't come for the past few days as he was ill.
This conversation took place between Joyce and Seen Yan. Joyce was telling Seen Yan that the latter shouldn't "stick" so much to her as they were older. I am not sure what that means!
Every morning when Angel comes in, her mother gives her a bags of sweets to persuade her to come in. Her mother calls her "baby", so I told the mother that in class, Lillian calls her "Jeh-Jeh", being that Angel has already either a baby brother or sister waiting in her mother's stomach. (Angel's mother was pregnant lar!). So her mother at once called her "Jeh-Jeh". Angel became shy all at once, protesting and turned away from me!
I gave the children these Practical Life activities for the first lesson of the day:
1) dry pouring (pasta) into two identical jugs: Nico, Jasper, Zhi En, Annette, Guo Xuan.
2) dry pouring (pasta) one jug pouring into two smaller identical cups: Joyce, Nico, Nicholas.
I told the children that if they worked with the materials so roughly, how could I give them liquids to work with in the jugs?
3) spooning (pasta) using two identical bowls: Cheng Wei, Guo Xuan, Eugene.
Guo Xuan was observing Eugene doing the activity and went to him. After Eugene was done with it, he brought the activity to Guo Xuan. It is surprising that Eugene was so considerate.
4) grasping buttons using tongs: Qing Zhe, Moreesh.
Mooresh took forever to work with it as he was dreaming when he did. In the end, I took it away.
5) Opening and closing bottles: Eugene, Guo Xuan, Seen Yan, Joyce.
Eugene had brought in the activity from the shelf in the hall. After he worked with it, then Guo Xuan took it from him and worked with it. Seen Yan and Joyce then took it and worked with it. The children will put the two smallest bottles (which is one shampoo bottle and one brown glass bottle) into the tupperware and try to shut it. I always have to ask them to take it out.
I have observed that the girls like to think of this activity as 'masak-masak', and then the boys will follow suit.
Nico will take the make up container and pretend she is putting on makeup!
************************************************************************************
Activity: Revising with Short Bead Cards.
Area: Mathematics.
Reasons: To revise the short bead cards with the children.
- To revise numerals 11, 12, 13 (and so on, if children are capable of doing it).
- To revise bead cards with children.
- To ask children to compose the correct amount with the bead cards corresponding to the numeral cards.
- To see if children are able to compose the correct amount of bead cards corresponding to numeral cards.
Implementation:
Presentation is done on a board. Children are seated at their chairs. I lay out the number bead cards and children call out the corresponding amounts.
I show the numeral card "11" on the board and show the children how to build amounts using the cards.
Joyce and Nico were not watching the presentation initially, as they were busy with their own worksheets. I asked the both of them to come and build the amounts, but they are unable to do so. Lillian then asks them to keep the worksheets in their backpacks, and join the group in the lesson.
The other children are able to build the amounts using the bead cards. Even Guo Xuan and Jasper are pretty enthusiatic about being called out to build the amounts, although they may not really know what it means.
Joyce and Nico are able to build the amounts using the bead cards after observing the other children working with it as well.
I asked the children to build amounts for 12, 13, and 14 as well. I stopped the lesson soon after as the children were getting restless.
Evaluation: The children find it harder to build using the bead cards when I give the oral instruction in English. They find it easier when I give the instruction in Chinese, as the Chinese vocabulary for amounts directly addresses the amounts of the beads which is not so in English. So I explained it in Chinese as well as in English.
Then I pointed out that one number on the numeral card signifies a certain amount on the numeral card, and the amounts have to be corresponding.
The children are able to build the amounts after watching the other children build the amounts. I always find it easier to work with the children as a group than in solitary, as the children can learn from watching the others, therefore saving unneccesary presentations on my part.
Personal Learning: Although the children may have worked with worksheets on the amounts up till about 14, they are still not fluent in building amounts using the bead cards yet. It is definitely easier for the children to learn the amounts in Chinese than in English.
Still a bit sickly, but better and more energetic.
Spoke to Chew Foong yesterday about my internship, and she gave me some pointers. *Not for disclosure.*
Summary: Nothing much happened today.
Today the kids were all present except for Zi Jing. He didn't come for the past few days as he was ill.
This conversation took place between Joyce and Seen Yan. Joyce was telling Seen Yan that the latter shouldn't "stick" so much to her as they were older. I am not sure what that means!
Every morning when Angel comes in, her mother gives her a bags of sweets to persuade her to come in. Her mother calls her "baby", so I told the mother that in class, Lillian calls her "Jeh-Jeh", being that Angel has already either a baby brother or sister waiting in her mother's stomach. (Angel's mother was pregnant lar!). So her mother at once called her "Jeh-Jeh". Angel became shy all at once, protesting and turned away from me!
I gave the children these Practical Life activities for the first lesson of the day:
1) dry pouring (pasta) into two identical jugs: Nico, Jasper, Zhi En, Annette, Guo Xuan.
2) dry pouring (pasta) one jug pouring into two smaller identical cups: Joyce, Nico, Nicholas.
I told the children that if they worked with the materials so roughly, how could I give them liquids to work with in the jugs?
3) spooning (pasta) using two identical bowls: Cheng Wei, Guo Xuan, Eugene.
Guo Xuan was observing Eugene doing the activity and went to him. After Eugene was done with it, he brought the activity to Guo Xuan. It is surprising that Eugene was so considerate.
4) grasping buttons using tongs: Qing Zhe, Moreesh.
Mooresh took forever to work with it as he was dreaming when he did. In the end, I took it away.
5) Opening and closing bottles: Eugene, Guo Xuan, Seen Yan, Joyce.
Eugene had brought in the activity from the shelf in the hall. After he worked with it, then Guo Xuan took it from him and worked with it. Seen Yan and Joyce then took it and worked with it. The children will put the two smallest bottles (which is one shampoo bottle and one brown glass bottle) into the tupperware and try to shut it. I always have to ask them to take it out.
I have observed that the girls like to think of this activity as 'masak-masak', and then the boys will follow suit.
Nico will take the make up container and pretend she is putting on makeup!
************************************************************************************
Activity: Revising with Short Bead Cards.
Area: Mathematics.
Reasons: To revise the short bead cards with the children.
- To revise numerals 11, 12, 13 (and so on, if children are capable of doing it).
- To revise bead cards with children.
- To ask children to compose the correct amount with the bead cards corresponding to the numeral cards.
- To see if children are able to compose the correct amount of bead cards corresponding to numeral cards.
Implementation:
Presentation is done on a board. Children are seated at their chairs. I lay out the number bead cards and children call out the corresponding amounts.
I show the numeral card "11" on the board and show the children how to build amounts using the cards.
Joyce and Nico were not watching the presentation initially, as they were busy with their own worksheets. I asked the both of them to come and build the amounts, but they are unable to do so. Lillian then asks them to keep the worksheets in their backpacks, and join the group in the lesson.
The other children are able to build the amounts using the bead cards. Even Guo Xuan and Jasper are pretty enthusiatic about being called out to build the amounts, although they may not really know what it means.
Joyce and Nico are able to build the amounts using the bead cards after observing the other children working with it as well.
I asked the children to build amounts for 12, 13, and 14 as well. I stopped the lesson soon after as the children were getting restless.
Evaluation: The children find it harder to build using the bead cards when I give the oral instruction in English. They find it easier when I give the instruction in Chinese, as the Chinese vocabulary for amounts directly addresses the amounts of the beads which is not so in English. So I explained it in Chinese as well as in English.
Then I pointed out that one number on the numeral card signifies a certain amount on the numeral card, and the amounts have to be corresponding.
The children are able to build the amounts after watching the other children build the amounts. I always find it easier to work with the children as a group than in solitary, as the children can learn from watching the others, therefore saving unneccesary presentations on my part.
Personal Learning: Although the children may have worked with worksheets on the amounts up till about 14, they are still not fluent in building amounts using the bead cards yet. It is definitely easier for the children to learn the amounts in Chinese than in English.
Comments