Introduction
Whereas many educators in her day ran classrooms like battlegrounds between teachers and unwilling pupils, Italian doctor Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was convinced that children rejoice in learning so long as teachers do not meddle. The following anecdote appeared in a pamphlet written for the Board of Education in 1912, and shows that joy in abundance.
ONE beautiful December day when the sun shone and the air was like spring, I went up on the roof with the children. They were playing freely about, and a number of them were gathered about me. I was sitting near a chimney, and said to a little five-year old boy who sat beside me, ‘Draw me a picture of this chimney,’ giving him as I spoke a piece of chalk. He got down obediently and made a rough sketch of the chimney on the tiles which formed the floor of this roof terrace.
As is my custom with little children I encouraged him, praising his work. The child looked at me, smiled, remained for a moment as if on the point of bursting into some joyous act, and then cried out, ‘I can write! I can write!’ and kneeling down again he wrote on the pavement the word ‘hand.’
Précis
Dr Maria Montessori described how she had taken her pupils one day up onto a roof terrace for their lessons. She gave a piece of chalk to one young boy and challenged him to draw a picture of the neighbouring chimney stack. To her amazement, he declared that he could write, and chalked the word ‘hand’ on the rooftop. (59 / 60 words)
Dr Maria Montessori described how she had taken her pupils one day up onto a roof terrace for their lessons. She gave a piece of chalk to one young boy and challenged him to draw a picture of the neighbouring chimney stack. To her amazement, he declared that he could write, and chalked the word ‘hand’ on the rooftop.
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Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, may, must, otherwise, until, whereas, whether, who.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Where did this lesson take place?
Suggestion
Up on the roof of the school. (7 words)
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Montessori went onto the school roof. There was terrace there. She took her pupils.