Circle Time on the First Day – Establishing Routines Part 2
This is the second of a two-part series on Circle Time on the first day of the school year. Part 1 is about greeting and getting acquainted on the first day.
Orientation to Open and Closed Shelves
I might then explain to the young students that there are many special ‘works’ in the Montessori classroom, but there are some very important rules that they need to remember about these works. I would then physically show them the ‘open’ and ‘closed’ shelves so that they know exactly which shelves I’m referring to. This year I have done something a little different and instead of writing the word, ‘closed’ on the shelves that house the Montessori learning material, I have placed a visual sign showing a picture of a teacher working with a child. I feel it is a softer, more subtle way to remind the children that the ‘works’ on those shelves are special. I plan to show the children the sign at circle time and explain that if they see this sign on a shelf, it means that the works on that shelf require a special lesson and they must be done with the Montessori teacher.There are only a few shelves that require this sign at the beginning of the school year; all of the other shelves are “open” and include entry item activities that do not require a formal presentation, and that the Montessori preschool students may use whenever they wish. The returning students are usually the first ones to receive lessons from the closed shelves, as they may already be familiar with the material. I also remind my Montessori students that each work is for one person at a time, so students may have to wait their turn if the work they wish to do is being used by a classmate. I explain that it is important to be patient and to wait until the work is returned to the shelf in the same manner in which it was found.
