We are a small public charter school that serves children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Our Erdkinder program at BMS is for the 7th and 8th grade students. "Erdkinder" means "children of the earth," Maria Montessori's term for young adolescents preparing to engage in the larger world around them. Erdkinder provides a unique educational experience for junior high school students, blending elements of more conventional academics (grades and homework) with a learning environment based on the principles of Montessori education (self-directed, active learning).
One of our major goals for this program is to provide a learning environment with diverse and integrated curriculum where adolescents are respected and appreciated.
Although our classroom is small, these 39 students are all unique and provide each other with inspiration to learn.
My Project
Each quarter, our students delve into a different theme of cross curricular studies. During the third quarter of this school year, students focus on "balance." They study Maslow's hierarchy of needs as well as war and peace in social studies. In Language, students study theatre vocabulary and read The Diary of Anne Frank. Connecting to their reading, students measure and tape up the Annex.
This trip provides an opportunity for our students to compare and contrast literature with performance as well as connect virtues learned in school to real life events.
After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, we would like to take students to a professional performance of Anne Frank so they can see literature and history come to life!
During this quarter students will also be learning about courage, honesty, faithfulness, and justice as virtues. They will be asked to connect these virtues to their own lives, the life of Anne Frank and the world around them. We want to help students practice these virtues by providing different service projects, including packing meals at Feed My Starving Children.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Lund and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
