The following is the text from this section of the 2009-2010 edition of Child of the World, Montessori from Three to Twelve Years
To see other sections of this publication return to: http://www.michaelolaf.com/CWcontents.html
INTRODUCTION
How often is the
soul of man, especially that of the child, deprived because one does not
put him in contact with nature.
There is no description, no image
in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and
all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates
from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum
is capable of giving. The wood reveals that it is not only the trees that
exist, but a whole, interrelated collection of lives. And this earth,
this climate, this cosmic power are necessary for the development of all
these lives. The myriad lives around the trees, the majesty, the variety
are things one must hunt for, and which no one can bring into the school. —Dr. Maria Montessori, MD
In the elementary class, for children from age six to
twelve, the study of biology has three main focuses:
(1) experiments and observation of plants and animals
to discover their needs and the amazing variety of each;
(2) evolution of plants and animals;
(3) classification of plants and animals.
At the beginning of each year the teacher inspires children
to carry out research in these areas by telling stories, and presenting
beautiful books, posters, charts, and timelines. Then each child begins
a personal journey of discovery, joining others for research projects
and presentations. Every year is unpredictable, not even the teacher knowing
what will be covered, as the rule is to "follow the child."
CLASSIFICATION OF
PLANTS & ANIMALS
The discovery of the multitude of kinds of plants and animals helps children
understand why there must be a system of sorting and naming them—this
is biological classification.
Children want to know how and why plants and animals have been classified
and how the systems of classification change as we learn more about biology.
This work links biology to logic, math and language, English and Latin.
When subjects flow into each other like this, a child following an interest,
the knowledge is in a sense recreated by the child and becomes a part
of his long term memory, instead of a subject to be memorized, tested
on and forgotten. Biology often becomes a lifelong interest for these
children. EXPERIMENTS &
OBSERVATIONS
Experiments and observations help the child to
discover first hand just how plants and animals live, to find out how their
needs are met, and to discover the amazing variety of life forms.
Children become aware of the environment in a new way, discovering, for
example, the tiny plants in the cracks of pavements—growing wherever
they can find a little light, moisture and nourishment. This close hand
experience makes children appreciative and protective of all of life.
ADAPTATION &
CHANGES OF PLANTS & ANIMALS
Experiments and observation lead to discoveries which help the child travel,
through his tremendous imagination, back through time to the very beginning
of life, to discover the miracle of variety and the transformation of
plants and animals through time.
OUR HUMAN BODIES
The child from birth on is constantly learning
about bodies, from the way we handle an infant, the way we respect and
care for the growing child's body, and from the way we feed and care for
our own bodies, even the way we treat our spouse.
A natural and healthy attitude develops about bodies and sex if these
topics are part of the daily conversation at home and at school. Otherwise
a child is put into the position of learning about these things from the
media or from other questionable sources.
Caring for our bodies and learning to respect the bodies of other people,
sex, love, relationships, families—what could be more important information
for us to pass on correctly to our children during these very curious
years from age six to twelve, and beyond. |