1. Description of Our Community
Our community is made up of the students at our school and their families, the local area, and the state of Delaware. Currently there are 60 children at the school. We range in age from 3 to 12 years old. It is a parent cooperative school so parents play an active roll in the school, helping with the cleaning chores and maintenance, marketing, hospitality, as well as assisting in the classrooms. Students come from up to 30 miles away to attend. Two of our teachers drive from Pennsylvania to be here. It is a great place to learn and grow. We walk to the local YMCA for gym class or swimming. Classes also walk to the Grand Opera House for theater, dance or movement classes. On Read Across America Day we’ve welcomed the Mayor of Wilmington and the Lt. Governor of Delaware into the classroom to read to us. Once a student wrote to the Governor about a recycling project we were doing and she came to our school to hear about the children’s work. As a Montessori School we take many field trips – some walking, some driving. Another community-building aspect of our Montessori School is the fact that our classrooms are multi-age. Students are in the same classroom for three years. They learn to work together and help each other. Older students are delighted to be able to help their younger classmates. The After Care Program Director tells her favorite story about a five year old that learned to tie his shoe. After several years of needing help from older students, he succeeded and announced proudly that now he can help a younger friend.
2. Summary of Our Project
Elementary Workshop Montessori School is in downtown Wilmington, Delaware and is designated an historical building. It is within walking distance of many local historical sights. We spent September through January learning about Delaware history and the roll Wilmington and its communities played in the history of the area and the United States. We have learned to appreciate where we are and the many ways to learn about history.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:21-50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
The summer of 2006 brought many wonderful renovations to the inside of our building including a new Multimedia Center that contains our computer lab and our library. Students have been thrilled with the new look and the great space for researching. We continue to have internet access in the classrooms as well as the computer lab. Whether we need a book or the internet to answer a question we know we can look it up!
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Always the pressing problem is time. Time to plan, time to fit everything in, time to take field trips, time to do research. Working together with the classroom teachers we were able to do much more than if we had been working alone in computer lab. Teachers planned field trips and helped students make sense of what they were learning.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
http://www.elementaryworkshop.org/In_the_Middle/ProjectNarrative.html
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