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Fundamental Needs of People
Initial Presentation:  1st Grade
Continued Review:  Throughout the Elementary Curriculum

Materials:  Fundamental Needs of People cards/chart, pictures representing the fundamental needs.  Easily made with a printer and some magazines (see below).

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Possible Presentation Methods- Do one of these initially and review yearly, or as needed.
  • Through discussion about needs/wants, build the chart with the children providing correct vocabulary as necessary.
  • Lay out the chart with words only, work with the children to sort the pictures.
If you are well versed in educational or social psychology you will see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs reflected between the physical and spiritual needs.  Note that “Art” can include a variety of art, music, literature, drama, and even sports in some places.  Some things may also be included in more than one category.  The shoe for example is clothing, but our feet are also a type of transportation.
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Possible Follow Up Works (From most basic to most advanced)
  • Replicate the standard layout (above) individually or in small groups
  • Create an individual chart for the “Fundamental Needs of (Child’s Name)” reflecting their family values and culture
  • Create a chart for a specific culture from another time period or geographic region (download a FREE blank Fundamental Needs of Human chart from my Teachers Pay Teachers store)
  • Create a timeline of a specific area (defense, transportation, etc) and how it has been met/developed over a period of time.
  • Social Justice- discuss the unmet needs of a specific group or culture and brainstorm ways we can help meet their needs.  Websites for child sponsorship groups are a great place to start for this.  In addition to photos of children in need, there is also information about how the organization uses funds to meet each of these needs.
Why I consider this presentation “Core Montessori”

The Fundamental Needs of People provide a framework for the entire elementary study of culture and correlates with history, peace/social justice, and even language.  When studying a new culture, region, or period of history the fundamental needs provide a child with an instant outline for research questions.  Those outlines then provide a framework for a well composed paragraph on a specific culture, tying into written language skills.

This lesson is also perfect for multi-age learning, vital to both classroom and home based Montessori.  Both the initial presentations and follow up work are ideal for small group work even if students are not at the same level.

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Books for Talking About the Fundamental Needs

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