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ASSIGNMENT MODULE 8

CULTURE 1 (GEOGHRAPHY & HISTORY)

Prepared by:
Name: Rama Ali
Roll No: DK-2059
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Question 1:

Discuss the significance of Montessori cultural exercises.

Answer 1:

Modern Montessori Method of education not only teach students traditional educational subjects like
mathematics, English etc. but its subjects also includes cultural exercises. Cultural exercises includes
exercises related to Life Sciences (Botany and Zoology), Physical Sciences, History, Geography, Dance
and Music. These exercises provides opportunities to students to learn about the whole world including
continents, countries, 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 grip 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 anywhere in the world.

According to most psychologists, sensitive period of children for grasping and absorbing culture is between
2 to 5 years of age. It is very important for children to direct cultural experiences, including ways of living,
history, sciences, geography and arts, during the absorbent period to maximize development in this area.
Cultural exercises help in developing cultural values naturally in children but still something lacks in today’s
complex world, most of which has been designed by the adults for the adults, which hinders the child’s
fullest cultural development. There are strong reasons 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 fulfil the
developmental needs of the children. These exercises includes following;

 Exercises of Practical Life (EPL):

These exercises enable a child to learn how to perform everyday living activities in a purposeful
way.

 Sensorial Exercises:
In sensorial exercises, first children are exposed to materials with strong contrasts such as
big/small, rough/smooth, full/empty. Next, the child is exposed to more materials where the
contrasts are more delicate. They work on organizing 10 objects from tallest to shortest, or lightest
to darkest. Each of the Sensorial Materials define one quality such as length, height, width, color,
weight, shape, texture, sound, or smell. The Montessori Sensorial Materials help the child to
distinguish, categorize, and relate the information to objects they already know.

 Language Exercises:
These exercises include 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.
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 Mathematical Exercises:
The mathematical material gives the child his own mathematical experience and to arrive at
individual work. The focus here is on the hierarchy of the decimal system and how the system
functions. It also starts the child on the Exercises of simple computations, which are the operations
of arithmetic. The third group will be started when the decimal system is well underway. The
mathematical exercises includes following;
 Montessori Math – Memorization
 Number Rod Addition
 Short Bead Stair Addition
 Addition Snake Game
 Addition Strip Board
 Subtraction Snake Game
 Subtraction Strip Board
 Short Bead Stair Multiplication
 Multiplication Board

Cultural studies help in teaching children how to respect people from other races, countries and religions.
At this stage, the teacher involves the class in a study of life and culture on earth. The curriculum then
branches into different directions, such as, geography, culture (mannerism of life), and history. Children are
taught history parallel to the concept of time.
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Question 2:

Prepare the following material and send to your tutor along with the assignment;

Answer 2:

Four part nomenclature material for the layers of the earth

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Two part classified cards of the flags of Asia

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Question 3:

Name and briefly explain all the exercises that can be carried out using the jigsaw Puzzle
Maps of the Continents?

Answer 3:

Purpose:

To teach the name of the large land masses and water bodies.

Material:

Continent Globe

Presentation:

 Invite the child to join you and show him where map is kept.
 Help the child to carry the globe to a table.
 Tell the child that it is a Continent Globe.
 Use one hand to support the globe and rotate it using two fingers of the other hand.
 Do one full rotation and on the second rotation introduce the world “Continent” to
the child for the colored portions and “Oceans” for the blue portions.
 Tell the child that big piece of land is called continent and big piece of water is
called ocean.
 Invite the child to have a turn in the same way and ask him to show you continents
and oceans.

Jigsaw Puzzle Map of the Hemispheres:

Materials:

 Continent Globe (blue hollow ball with the continents drawn in black ink and cut in
half)
 Jigsaw puzzle map of the hemispheres
 Tray
 Scissor

Presentation:

 This exercise helps teach the names of the seven continents (Asia, Africa, Europe,
Australia, North America, South America and Antarctica) and the five oceans
(Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Antarctic Ocean).
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 The teacher begins by inviting a child and has him lay out a mat and shift the
continent puzzle map to the mat.
 She selects and takes out three continents which are contrasting in color, as well
as in shape (also including the child’s own continent).
 The Three Period Lesson is given and the exercise continued on the following days
until the child becomes well familiarized with the name 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.

Jigsaw Puzzle Map – The Continent:

Materials:

 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
divisions of the continents and helps familiarize with and 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 teacher begins 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 is the Asia that is in 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 (three different countries,
not touching, and preferably, 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.
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 Similarly, four pieces are replaced correctly and so on.

 The child is allowed to work with the pieces of the country map, three pieces are
taken out, for e.g. China, Bangladesh and Pakistan and their names repeated.
 The child is then asked to replace them, using their name, for example, “Please
put back China.” This is repeated until all of the pieces have been put back.
 The child is then asked to take out the same three pieces, one by one, and by
name, for example, “Please take out Pakistan.” Once all three are out, the child is
asked, “What country would you like to put back?” (The child should respond with
the name of one of the countries.)

This 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.

Jigsaw Puzzle Map – The Country:

Materials:

Jigsaw puzzle map of child’s own country

Presentation:

 This exercise helps children with the visual recognition of the forms of the political
divisions of the country and helps familiarize with and memorize the names of the
states and provinces of own country.
 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 country. The teacher begins with their home country, for
example, Pakistan, pointing to it on the world map, and asking the child for this
country’s name.
 She shows the child his own country e.g. Pakistan on the world map.
 Slowly, by using the knobs, three of the puzzle pieces (three different states, not
touching, and preferably, 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 replaced correctly and so on.
 The child is then asked to replace them, using their name, for example, “Please
put back Karachi.” This is repeated until all of the pieces have been put back.
 The child is then asked to take out the same three pieces, one by one, and by
name, for example, “Please take out Islamabad.” Once all three are out, the child
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is asked, “What State would you like to put back?” (The child should respond with
the name of one of the State.)

This Three-Period Lesson is repeated for the other States until the child knows all of the
States by name. This may take some time. Once the child knows his home country, he
can choose to work with another country map.
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Question 4:

Explain how land and water forms are introduced to the child.

Answer 4:

Definition 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 out 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.

Land and Water Form Trays:

Materials:

 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.
 Box of objects, tray and towel

Presentation:

 This exercise helps provide real sensorial impressions and names of major land
and water forms.
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 To start, 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.
 First selects the island and its opposite, i.e. the lake and shifts the material to
the workplace with the help of the children (along with the other material
required for the presentation).
 Tell them that she is going to pour the 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.
 Also give a brief definition of the land and water form, for example, “A lake is a
body of water which is surrounded completely by land.” alongside showing
them pictures of real lakes.
 Next, 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
picture examples as before.
 Then put the trays side by side and completes the Three Period Lesson.
 To finish up, the water is poured back into the bucket and with the help of the
children, the trays are wiped.
 In the same, children may be familiarized with the names and definitions of
other geographical forms.

Land and Water Form Cards:

Materials:

 A set of ten cards representing major geographical land and water forms
 Land and water form trays

Presentation:

 Alternatively, to help associate three dimensional models with two dimensional

forms on the card and to help prepare children to identify land and water forms on
flap maps, the following exercise may be used.
 The teacher begins by inviting a small group of children who have worked with land
and water form trays to work with her, as she asks them to bring land and water
form 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 previous learning.
 The cards are taken out from the box and piled up, before a card is selected and
placed in front of the children.
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 They are asked to place the card beside the appropriate land and water form tray,
and this exercise is continued until all the remaining cards have been matched
against the corresponding trays.
 Finally, the trays are removed and the Three Period Lesson is completed with the
cards, taking three at a time.
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Question 5:

How are children trained to tell the time in a Montessori house?

Answer 5:

While young children may not easily grasp the abstract concept of time, they are
nonetheless inundated with references to the measurement of time. They observe that
understanding time, knowing what time it is, knowing how much time something is going
to take, and the like, seem to be very important to the adults around them. The cultural
structures of time are absorbed in the same way that children integrate other cultural
norms.

The Early Childhood classroom includes some specific lessons to help children to make
sense of those norms, to name qualities of time and to learn to "tell time," a skill many
children are motivated to learn as they model the values of the adults they love. While
other activities may support children understanding of time, the Language lessons best
support children's ability to describe time as they learn to use those descriptions in their
daily lives. Early Childhood lessons on Time, like the other materials of the Early
Childhood classroom, allow children to organize and systematize the world around them.

Materials:

 A model clock with movable arms and changeable numerals in a box.

 A series of cards, set of corresponding labels and stand.

Presentation 1:

 The teacher invites a small group of children who can count and identify numerals.
 She familiarizes the children with the place where the material is kept, and with
their helps, shifts it to the workplace.
 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 the clock face represent hours.

Presentation 2:

 The directress asks 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 say, “One o’clock.”
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 Finally, she asks the children to make different times for her, for example, “Can
you please make six o’clock for me?”

As an extension, the children may be asked to draw various clock faces and to label them.
When they have learned the concept of fractions, they are introduced to half past, quarter
past, quarter to, etc.