Montessori Curriculum – Cultural & Language

Book choices for today:

Giant Turtle    Rebecca Stefoff
Box Turtle at Silver Pond Lane   Susan Korman
Tell Me, Tree   Gail Gibbons
Are Trees Alive?   Debbie Miller
Be A Friend to Trees   Holly Keller
Hello Tree   Joanne Ryder
The Apartment House Tree   Bette Killion
A Grand Old Tree   Mary De Palm
Terrific Trees   Learning Ladders
Sea Turtles   Laura Marsh
One Tiny Turtle   Nichola Davies

Zoology: (first circle)

Need for lesson – Pictures of reptiles, Parts of a Turtle and turtle puzzle.

Zoology 20

We have talked about four of the five classes of vertebrates. Which ones have we learned about so far? Mammals, fish, amphibians, and birds. We will now talk about our last vertebrate group. Can you think of which one it is? Reptiles. Turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians are all reptiles. What is it about these animals that make them reptiles? Many reptiles are nocturnal. Reptiles are cold-blooded. Can we remember what that means? All reptiles have lungs and breathe air like you and me. Their skin is covered with dry scales. Most reptiles lay eggs on the ground. As soon as a reptile hatches from its egg, it can take care of itself. They are not like mammal babies, who need a parent to take care of them.

We are going to talk a little about turtles first. Turtles can live on the land or in the water. A land turtle is called a tortoise. The head of a tortoise can be withdrawn into the shell. Another name for this kind of head, that can be pulled back into the body, is retractile.The tail of a turtle is also retractile. The carapace is the upper part of the shell. It is very strong. The lower part of the shell is called the plastron. Turtles have five short toes on each of its legs. The toes have sharp claws on them to help them dig holes in the ground for when they hibernate during the winter.

Sea turtles are reptiles that spend most of their lives in the seas. They have four flipper-like legs which makes them good swimmers. A sea turtle cannot pull its legs and head into the shell like other turtles. They breathe air and so have to come up out of the water for a breath. The female turtle comes out of the water at night to lay her eggs in the sand. When the turtles hatch they immediately go the water to begin their life as a sea turtle.

Additional Works:

Turtle Matching – These are stickers that I used to make a matching work.

Turtle Skeleton – I cannot remember where this is from. The turtle page is stapled on top of the skeleton page and so when lifted the skeleton is under the turtle.

Art:

Turtles – This is an outline of turtle body shape and the children can glue small pre-cut shapes onto the shell.

Reptile Coloring Page – This is an older coloring page.

Songs/Poems:

The Turtle Song
I have a little turtle,
He lives in a box.
He swims in the puddles
And he climbs on the rocks.
He snapped at the mosquito
He snapped at the flea,
He snapped at the minnow
And he snapped at me!
He caught the mosquito
He caught the flea
He caught the minnow,
But he didn’t catch me!

Botany: (Second Circle)

Need for lesson – The book ‘Tell Me, Tree’ and if possible a tree that has been cut or a part of one to show the rings inside and Kinds of Deciduous Trees.

Review parts of a tree with the children. Talk with the children about the rings of a tree. As a tree grows it produces new layers of wood around the trunk. In general, one layer of wood grows each year, which is a way to tell how old a tree is. Go over the names of some different kinds of deciduous trees. Read the book “Tell Me, Tree.” Children can paint a tree by painting their arm and hand to make a trunk with branches print. They can add leaves using sponges or paint brushes.

Additional Work:

Tree Leaves Puzzle
The Giving Tree – Read the story and then children can make a tree booklet (The Mailbox) or tree art idea below.

Art:

Trees – Children can make trees with toilet paper rolls, adding the branches, leaves, and roots. The book, Hello Tree fits in nicely with this art idea.

Songs/Poems:

My Tree (Poems to Grow On)
Over by the meadow
Is the tree that I like best,
It’s straight and strong and smooth-barked,
And taller than the rest.
This tree is great for climbing,
And if you climb up high
And stretch your arms, you almost can
Almost touch the sky.

Song (CD) choices for today:

You Can’t Make a Turtle Come Out   Rabbits Dance
Under a Shady Tree   Laurie Berkner
Many Pretty Trees   Ella Jenkins
The Turtle   Hap Palmer
Tree Dancin’  Tickle Tune