The Montessori Great Stories
Occasionally, parents ask about ‘The Montessori Great Stories’. They have heard their children mentioning these ‘stories’ and want to learn more. This blog will provide some background information on the Great Stories, which are a central part of the Montessori curriculum. Dr. Maria Montessori referred to these stories as ‘Cosmic Education’, a term that might seem a little abstract today. However, the Association Montessori International clarifies that the word ‘Cosmic’ comes from the Greek word for ‘order’, making this term quite fitting for a foundational aspect of Montessori education. Let’s delve deeper into this topic and discover more about The Montessori Great Stories!
The Five Great Stories
Cosmic Education is presented through five Great Stories. These offer narratives that entice exploration into the worlds of physical sciences, biological sciences, human history, as well as the stories of language and mathematics. The 5 Great Montessori Stories are purposefully designed to stimulate a child’s imagination and curiosity. Of course like all things Montessori, they exist congruently and in sequence; each one expanding from the previous and leading to the subsequent. They exemplify the interrelatedness of the sciences, the Arts, history, geography and more, showing how our Earth evolved over billions of years. They also tell that there is law and order through this evolution, even today, hence the word ‘Cosmic’. Children are introduced to the Great Stories with a presentation of ‘small’ ideas which then expand into complex concepts and in this way, the Montessori child gradually understands how little ideas lead to larger. The Great Stories provide teachers with the framework for individual lessons and presentations forming a unique infrastructure. They are are unified, cohesive and wonder-filled. These ‘Great Stories’ proudly and boldly act as catalysts for creative thinking and introduce a means for children to understand their own special place in the world.
These five Great Stories are:
- The Coming of the Universe and Earth
- The Coming of Life
- The Coming of Human Beings
- The Story of Writing
- The Story of Numbers
These big and broad concepts involving huge amounts of information and explanation. For the Montessori teacher who presents these themes each year, the first Great Story – the Coming of the Universe and Earth – is arguably the most striking as it provides an explanation for how our universe began. It introduces subjects such as astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, geography, even metrology and climate. It subtly introduces order and laws to these complex narrations. The Coming of Life centres around a picturesque Montessori manipulative, known as the ‘Timeline of Life’. This much-loved Montessori material explains about micro-organisms, habitats, fossils and classifications, integrating Science and Geography and more. We are then introduced to the Coming of Human Beings, at which point the learning becomes very real and relatable to the students. How important are human being in the grand scheme of things? What makes us different to other life forms? The exploration of human values, beliefs, attitudes are included here. Communication, voice, word study and modes and media of communication are amongst the 4th Great story, the Story of Writing. Finally the magnificence of mathematics is examined as part of the 5th Great story, the Story of Numbers, again with laws of science, physics, instruments of measurement and even money is included. Thus, the Great Stories which are ever-evolving texts are relatable today as they were more than 100 years ago, thereby enabling Montessori students to critically think, not just about the present world, but also about the future. The stories are enhanced further inside and outside the classroom by introducing live experiments and displays, bringing excitement and a hunger for knowledge for subjects that too often have become mundane curricular hand-outs. Believe it or not states of matter, ie, solids, liquids and gas can be fun!
Examples of Great Stories in the classroom
Digging deeper for examples of Montessori’s Great Stories, recently our Manta Rays Class studied the first Great Story – The Coming of the Universe and Earth. Their area of study covered the are of light, and how light travels. This story became even more ‘grand’ in the classroom, as live demonstrations supported the students’ understanding of the concepts; keeping this important audience engaged! Multi-sensory displays, with hands-on experiences bring a sense of awe and wonder to the subject at hand, making the learning experience more compelling, more memorable and better understood. How does light travel? Why does it refract? What’s a rainbow?
The Montessori Coming of Life story and associated work in science and geography focuses on living things, biomes, adaptations, animals and ecology. Sometimes, our classrooms request loans of learning materials such as books or artefacts related to these areas from our parent community or borrow kits from the Queensland Museum to facilitate learning in these areas.
As a further example of the Third Great Story, ‘Coming of Human Beings’, the Amphibians Class engaged in a project called ‘Form a Tribe’ which included the construction of a display on the grounds of the school. Through immersive experiences, the class explored how early humans lived. They collaboratively formed a tribe, agreeing on a tribal name, rules, laws and beliefs. They explored human survival, examining what makes Human Beings different to other life forms. They were able to integrate creative thinking, art, history timelines, ancient civilizations, culture and more. This learning experience which became a whole-of-school display piqued the imagination of all who visited; children were able to crawl into the shelters to sense and feel what it might have been like to live in such a place. This subsequently provoked animated conversations around anthropology, social studies, creative construction, simple machines and even current events.
Weaving an encouraging tale of the origins of our universe, the Great Stories are unapologetic in their ‘greatness’ giving authentic explanations to children about the amazing aspects of our world. These stories encourage further inquiry and convey values of empathy, respect and understanding for others and the environment. This is the essence of Montessori.
The Great Stories are truly Great
Describing the Montessori Great Stories as ‘great’ is entirely fitting, given their foundational role in the educational philosophy. The narratives intricately interconnect to form a rigorous and robust framework for the curriculum. They seamlessly directing knowledge from one to the next, crafting a unified, compelling storyline, entirely grounded in Science. They boldly ignite creativity, scientific inquiry, and curiosity among children, fostering a deep understanding of their own place in the world. By highlighting the profound depths of human potential, these stories also unveil the inherent order governing our existence. Moreover, they uniquely cultivate in children a thirst for continual learning—a vital ingredient often lacking in our schools today and are a testimony to the wisdom and insight of Dr. Maria Montessori.
