GEOGRAPHY, BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY

GEOGRAPHY, BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY

Module 10 –Culture2

Muhammad Naseem Khan –Roll Number D-2499

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Q 1: write a comprehensive note on the importance of cultural exercises in early

years.

Answer:

Education is meant to transfer social and cultural heritage from the one
generation to the next. The 3-6 years of age are considered to be very important in the
transfer of cultural heritage from the society to the children. It is the period of
personality development which becomes the permanent feature of the child life. This
fact entails that the culture be introduced formally through the Montessori way in the
early period of a child life.

In the simplest word culture can be defined as the way of life of a society; it is
the sum total of one’s habits and ways of behaving.

The culture can not be cultivated by force. The use of force will make a
resistance or opposition on the part of children. It should be naturally cultivated. There
is a need of presenting culture as meaningful and interesting activities in daily life; this
will become a part of the children very personality.

The cultural activities be incorporated in such a way that fulfill the development
needs of the children. We have seen in courtesy and grace exercises that how children
learn the ways of culture. These exercises help in the building of a child character. The
grace and courtesy exercises should be based on all fundamental religious and cultural
values. When we talk of Pakistani culture we shall have to include in grace and courtesy
exercises values like, how to greet, how many times a door may be knocked, how to
behave with elders or minors, how to eat, what to say in the start of eating meals and at
the end of your meal eating, etc.

In Montessori institutes instead of conventionally telling the children what to do

their inner need of performing and practicing culture is accomplished. These objectives
are achieved in the following ways:

1. Concrete things and real experiences are presented to the children.

2. Picture cards and picture books of the relevant topics are used.
3. Study visits are frequently made to cultural sites.

The child has a lot of interest in exploring the environment and culture around
him. The directress in a House of children utilizes this interest in culture to acquaint the
children with his culture. The exercises of practical life are mainly consisting of cultural
contents.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

The children are keenly interested in he culture and environment around them. This
interest of the children in a Montessori school is wisely utilized by the directress in
imparting culture to them. She makes them realize the greatness of life lies in the
goodness of the life; other creatures equally deserve care and respect like human
beings; they are also made to realize that all creatures are dependent on each other;
they are also made to internalize cultural values; the directress also gives them an
understanding of the natural phenomenon; she also makes them love their culture as a
whole.

Dr. Montessori was of the view that culture first be introduced as a whole and
then its individual parts in a Montessori curriculum. It is therefore she followed a
general to particular approach in her method.

Montessori cultural material provides individual activities which help in acquiring

more comprehensive knowledge in the areas of biology, geography, history and science.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Q 2; How can a child be introduced to land and water forms in a Montessori

classroom? Explain all the related activities in your own words.

Answer:

The related activities are explained as under:

Exercise 1:

Material

1. Water jug
2. Sponge
3. Tray
4. Trays representing gulf-peninsula, bay-cape, lake-island, isthmus-strait

Objectives:

1. Introduce to land and water forms

2. aware the child about the existence of these forms
3. refine eye-hand coordination
4. prepare for advanced geography

Presentation:

1. It can be group or individual exercise.

2. The directress pours water into one of the form and says, “This is a lake. Lake is
water surrounded by land. ”
3. She allows the child to repeat the same.
4. She then repeats for the island.
5. She repeats land and water forms in pairs.
6. Then she repeats for other forms in the same way.

Exercise 2

Land and water forms cards

Material

Cards representing the following forms of physical geography with rough surface
representing land and smooth blue surface representing water:

Gulf-peninsula,
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Bay-cape,

Lake-island,

Isthmus-strait,

System of lakes-Archipelago

Objectives:

1. Strengthen the concepts of land and water acquired in the earlier exercise.
2. Concrete experience through tactile sense use
3. refine eye-hand coordination
4. prepare for advanced geography

Presentation

1. The directress introduces cards in pairs of opposites.

2. She tells the child that rough surface representing land and smooth blue surface
representing water.
3. She feels the surface of the cards with her fingers and says the name of the land
and water form, e.g., a bay or an island.
4. She then invites the child to repeat the same.
5. She does the exercise in three period lesson formats.

Exercise 3

Layers of the earth Cards

Material

Cards of the layers of the earth

Objectives:

Introduce to the layers of the earth

Presentation

1. The layer of the earth which is shown to the child is colored and the rest is in
black and white.
2. She tells to the child that each card shows one particular layer of the earth inner
core.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

3. She introduces the names of layers in three period lesson.

4. Labeling will also be done by the directress if the child can read.

Exercise 4:

Land, air and water

Material

1. See-through clear cylinders:

a. One with lid and a bottom painted brown for land
b. One with lid and a bottom painted blue for water
c. One for air
2. Water jug
3. Sponge
4. Tray
5. A spoon for soil

Sets of pictures of scenes that highlight some aspects of :

 The air (clouds) mounted on white card

 Water mounted on blue card
 Land mounted on brown card

Objectives:

1. giving concrete experience of land air and water

2. having active learning opportunity

Presentation:

1. The directress asks the child to get bring some soil from the garden and put it in
the pot.
2. The child is also asked to fill the jug with water
3. She asks the child to put soil in the brown container and water in the blue
container.
4. She explains the water and land characteristics while the child does the activity.
5. Then the air is blown into the container and lid is closed.
6. She then explains that air is invisible; normally it can not be felt; it can be felt
when the wind blows; we require air for breathing.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Exercise 5

Land and water globe

Material

A small globe on which the land is covered with sandpaper and water painted blue

Objectives:

1. Introducing to the concept earth as a sphere

2. giving the child sensorial impression of land and water

Presentation

1. The directress introduces to the child globe. She says that it model of the earth
on which we live.
2. She demonstrates the holding of the globe and feeling it.
3. She tells the child that rough surface represent land and smooth parts as water.
4. She also tells the child that there is an invisible layer of air around the globe
called atmosphere.
5. Then the child is invited to feel the same.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Q 3: There are many different types of pairing cards, classified cards and
nomenclature Cards that can be used to give various concepts in cultural subjects.
Design at least five different sets of such cards and paste them on your
assignment.

Pairing cards 1: Plants

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Pairing Cards 2: leaves Kinds

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Classified Cards 1: zoology

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Classified cards 2: Botany

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Nomenclature cards 1: Fruits

Nomenclature cards 2: birds

Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

Q 4: There can be no limit to cultural activities. A good directress always works

creatively and develops new activities. She does so by incorporating unlimited
cultural elements present in the environment into her activities. Can you think up
of any two cultural activities that can be done with children aging 2.5 to 6 years of
age? Please explain them in the same as other activities have been explained in
the book.

Answer:

In the following lines two cultural activities are explained which can be done with
children aging 2.5 to 6 years o age:

Exercise 1-Use of different things in history for lighting

Material

1. Wood sticks
2. Oil pots
3. Lantern
4. Candle
5. Bulb
6. Tube light
7. Energy saver

Objectives
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

 To know the names of the things used for lighting in the past and the present
 To think how people live in the past and the present

Presentation

i. It can be done as group activity.

ii. The directress places all lighting goods on the table in chronological order.
iii. She tells the names of all the things one by one by pointing towards them.
iv. She then introduces all things which were used for lighting over different
periods of history.
v. She then tells the children that old people used to burn wood sticks to get
light.
vi. Then she points towards the oil pots which were used for lighting in the past.
vii. Then she indicates towards lantern as a source of light.
viii. Similarly, she points towards bulb, tube-light, and energy savers and tells the
children that these are things which are used in the present day for lighting.
ix. Then she invites a child to repeat the exercise.

Exercise 2- How to greet

Material

Children, classroom

Objective

Teaching good manners to the children

Presentation

1. The directress enters the classroom and say to the children assalamoalaikum.
2. She asks them to reply waalaikumussalam.
3. She tells them how they will enter in the classroom or in the home.
4. Then she asks two children to go outside the classroom and enter the classroom
turn by turn and repeat the words which she said while she entered the same.
5. She says waalaikumussalam in reply to them and tells the children to say the
same words in reply to the children.
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499

References

1. Montessori Pakistan. Geography, Botany and Zoology: Islamabad, Montessori

Pakistan
2. http://faculty.fullerton.edu/syen/mts/life/d1-8.htm
Module 10 Assignment, Muhammad Naseem Khan Roll Number –D2499