DK-1863 SHAHER BANO
PMC Module 8 Culture 1 (Geography & History) Solved assignment |Early Childhood (3-6) | Pakistan Montessori Council | SB Online Academy
 |
| PMC Module 8 Culture 1 (Geography & History) Solved assignment |Early Childhood (3-6) |
Assignment Module 8
Write answers in your own words. Your
answers should be at least 2 typed pages or 3 handwritten pages. Please don’t
forget to write your name and roll number on each page of the assignment.
Q1: Discuss
the significance of Montessori cultural
exercises.
Answer No 1
In a Montessori classroom, experiences in Life
Sciences (Botany and Zoology), Physical Science, History , Geography, Dance and
Music are given to the child under the header of ‘Cultural Exercises’. The
Montessori Cultural Studies Curriculum
provide children with an opportunity to
explore the whole world including continents , people, cultures, terrain,
natural phenomena, science and arts. The Montessori Cultural Studies are aimed
at helping the children develop their personality , adapt to their culture, as
well as become an independent , useful member of his society.
During the early years, a child is quick to
grasp culture and absorb most of the
culture around him during 0 to 6 years. A child’s natural ability to
absorb the cultural understanding and norms of life prevalent around him are
universal regardless of the fact that the child is born in America or a
primitive tribe of Africa.
The Sensitive Period for culture, according to
most psychologists, also sustains through 2 to 5 years of age. It is crucial to
expose children to direct cultural experiences, including way of living,
history, science, geography and arts during the absorbent period to maximize development in this area. Cultural
subjects are character forming and they
cultivate the spirit of child. Children develop cultural values naturally and
undoubtedly, but still something lacks in today’s complex world, most of which
has been designed by the adults for the adults, which hindered the child’s
fullest cultural development. There are strong reason to support the point that
it should be the local culture of the land which should be incorporated in the
Montessori Curriculum and not some foreign culture.
In Montessori classrooms the cultural
activities are very intelligently incorporated in the environment. Along with
familiarizing children with the culture, these meaningful and interesting
activities fulfill the developmental needs of the children.
·
Exercises of practical life (EPL): These
exercises enable a child to learn how to perform everyday living activities in
a purposeful way.
·
Sensorial Exercises: The
Sensorial materials help the child become aware of the details. At first
children are exposed to materials with strong contrasts such as tall/short,
rough/smooth, loud/ soft. Next, the child is exposed to more materials where the contrasts are more subtle. They
work on organizing 10 objects from tallest to shortest. Each of the sensorial
material defines one quality such as length, height, width, weight, color,
shape, sound, texture and smell. The Montessori Sensorial Materials helps the
child to distinguish, categorize and relate the information to objects they
already know.
·
Language Exercises: These
exercises including a variety of gross and fine motor skill activities that
help the child develop hand and eye coordination. Montessori modules may be taken in any order, emphasizing the
fundamentals of the phonics approach to reading, developing a child’s
vocabulary, writing and reading skills.
·
Mathematical Exercises:
Ø Montessori Math- Memorization
Ø Number Rod Addition
Ø Short Bead Stair Addition
Ø Addition Snake Game
Ø Addition Strip Board
Ø Dot Game
Ø Stamp Game
Ø Subtraction Snake Game
Ø Subtraction Strip Board
Ø Short Bead Stair Multiplication
Ø Multiplication Board
Ø Division Board
Cultural studies help to teach the children how
to respect people from other countries and religions. At this stage, the
directress involves the class in a study of life and culture on earth. The
curriculum then branches into different directions, such as, geography,
culture and history. Children are taught
history parallel to the concept of time.
Q2: Prepare
the following material and send to your
tutor along with the assignment;
Answer No 2
·
Four part nomenclature material for the layers of the earth.
·
Two part classified cards of the flags of Asia.
Q3: Name
and briefly explain all the exercises
that can be carried out using the Jigsaw
Puzzle Maps of the Continents?
Answer No 3
v Naming
the Continents on the Jigsaw Puzzle Map
Material:
·
Jigsaw
puzzle map of the hemispheres
Presentation:
This exercise helps teach the names of the
seven continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North
America, South Africa and Antarctica) and five oceans ( Arctic ocean, Antarctic
ocean, Atlantic ocean, Indian ocean and Pacific ocean). The directress begins by inviting
a child and has him lay out a mat and shift the continent puzzle map to
the mat. She selects and lay out three continents which are contrasting in
color, as well as in shape including the child’s own continent. The Three
Period Lesson is given and the exercise
continued on the following days until the child
become well familiarized with the names of each continent. When the child has learned
the names of the first three continents, more continents are added and the Three
Period lesson continued, while simultaneously reviewing previously learned
names as well. Once he has learned the
names of all the seven
continents, the names of the five oceans
are taught in the same way through the three Period Lesson.
v Oceans:
·
Pacific Ocean: It separates Asia and Australia from the
America.
·
Atlantic ocean: It separates the America from Europe and Africa.
·
Indian Ocean: It washes upon southern Asia and separates
Africa and Australia.
·
Arctic Ocean: It covers much of the Arctic and washes upon
northern North America and Eurasia.
·
Antarctica Ocean: It
encircles Antarctica.
v Puzzle
Maps-The Continents:
Material:
·
A set
of six wooden maps, one for each continent except Antarctica
·
Each
continent is divided into puzzle pieces according to the countries
·
The
wooden knob is approximately in the position of the capital city of each
country
·
The Puzzle Map of the world
Presentation:
This exercise helps children with the visual
recognition of the forms of the
political division of the continents and helps familiarize with the
memorize the names of the countries. A child is invited by the directress to
come work with her and a mat laid rolled
out with their help. He is brought over to the puzzle maps and told that they
will be working with the puzzle map of one of the continents. The directress
starts with their home continent, for example, Asia, pointing to it on the
world map, and asking the child for this
continent’s name. she shows the child
that the Asia on the world map and large
on the continent map.
She tells the child that now, on the Asia map,
they can see the countries (putting the world map aside for
now). Slowly by using the knobs, three of the puzzle pieces of three different
countries, not touching and not the same
color, are taken out. Each one is placed on the map to the left of the
puzzle , as another three pieces are
taken out and replaced in their correct spot by the child. Similarly, four
pieces are taken out i. e Pakistan, India and China and repeated their names.
The child is then asked to replace them
using their names. This is repeated until all the pieces have been put
back. The child is then asked to take
out the same three pieces, one by one and by name. Once all three are out ,”
What country would you like to put
back?” ( The child should respond with the name
of one of the countries.)
Three Period Lesson is repeated for the other countries until the
child knows all of the countries by name. This may take some time. Once the
child knows his home continent, he can choose to work with another continent map.
Q4: Explain
how land and water forms are introduced to the child.
Answer No 4
Definitions
of Land and Water Forms:
1.
An
ISLAND is a piece of land surrounded by
water.
2.
A LAKE
is a body of water Surrounded by land.
3.
A BAY
is an inlet of the sea surrounded mostly by land.
4.
A CAPE
is a piece of land jutting into body of
water beyond the rest of the coast line.
5.
A
PENINSULA is a piece of land jutting
into the water and is almost surrounded
by water.
6.
A GULF
is an arm of the sea extending far into the land.
7.
An
ISTHMUS is a narrow strip of land which
joins larger portions of land.
8.
A
STRAIT is a narrow waterway connecting two larger portions of land.
9.
An
ARCHIPELAGO is a group of islands.
10. A SYSTEM OF LAKES is a formation of several
lakes grouped together.
Presentation
1- Land and Water Form Trays:
Material:
·
Following
ten models of land and water forms
prepared in trays, with each land and water form having its exact opposite.
§ Island and lake
§ Cape and bay
§ Peninsula and gulf
§ Archipelago and system of lakes
·
Pictures
of real examples of land and water forms
·
A
small tray
·
A jug
·
A
small bucket with water
·
A
sponge or towel to dry out the trays and
clean up spills
·
Boxes
of objects, tray and towel
Exercise: This exercise helps provide concrete sensorial
impression and names of major land and water forms. The directress invites a
small group of children to work with her and
introduces them to the place where the land and water form trays are kept. She
first selects the island and its opposite, i. e the lake and shift the material
to the work place with the help of the children. She tells them that she is
going to pour water in the trays carefully to make geographical land and water
forms and then does it, before pointing
to the tray and telling them its name.
She should also give a brief definition of the
land and water form, for example, “A lake is a body of water which is
surrounded by land”. Alongside showing the real pictures of lakes. Next, she
puts this tray aside and asks one of the children to pour water into the other
tray, giving the name of the form, its brief definition and showing real
pictures. Then puts the trays side by side and complete Three Period
Lesson. After exercise, the water is
poured back into the bucket and with the help of children, the trays are wiped.
Children may familiarized with the names and definitions of other geographical
forms in the same manner.
Presentation
2- Land and Water Forms Cards:
Material:
·
A set
of ten cards representing major geographical
land and water forms
·
Land
and water form trays
Exercise: The directress begins
to inviting a small group of children who have worked with land and water form
trays to work with her , as she ask
them to bring land and water trays. She introduces them to the place where the land and water form cards are kept, and asks
a child to shift the material. The
children are asked to tell the names and give a brief definition of
each model in order to
review and reinforce the previous
learning . The cards are taken out from
the boxes and piled up, before a card is selected and placed
in front of the children. They are
asked to place the card beside the appropriate land and water form tray,
and exercise is continued until all the remaining cards have been matched against the corresponding trays. At the end, the trays are removed and the Three Period Lesson is completed with
the cards, taking three at a time.
Q5: How
are children trained to tell the time in a Montessori house?
Answer No 5
The purpose of the following exercise is to
help the children to understand the concept of time and to be able to know as
well as the time on a clock.
Material:
·
A
model clock with moveable arms and changeable numerals in a box
·
A
series of cards, set of corresponding labels and stand
Presentation
1: The directress invites small group of children
who can count and identify numerals. She familiarize the children with the
place where the material is kept, with their help and shifts it to the work
place. She points to the empty slot for numbers on the clock face and shows how
to put the numbers in order, one by one, starting with 1. She tells them that
these numbers on he clock face represent hours.
Presentation
2: The directress ask the children to arrange the
numerals on the clock. Once the children can comfortably arrange the numbers on the clock face from 1 to 12, she
demonstrates how the clock arms can move around. Pointing to the short arm, she
says, “ This is the short arm. It shows what hours it is”. She moves the short
arm onto number 1 and says “1 o’clock.” Finally, she asks the children to make
different times for her.
Presentation
3: Ask the child to numerals on the clock.
Pointing to the long arm and says, “This is the long arm. It represents
minutes. There are 60 minutes in an hour and it shows minutes before or after
the hours.”. Pointing to 12 and 1, explain that between 12 and 1 there
is a time span of five minutes. Then begin to skip counting by 5 with the child from 5 to 60 along with moving the long arm around the clock. Make
different times on the clock and complete Three Period Lesson.
Presentation
4: Introduce the clock cards showing clock faces
for all of the hours. Show one card to the child i. e 1’o clock and ask him to tell you the time.
Then introduce the labels and have the child
match the appropriate label to each card. Have him check his work when
finished.
Extension:
Ask the
child to draw various clock faces and label
them . When the child has learnt the concept of fraction , introduce
half past, quarter past, quarter to, etc.
