A Montessori observation is evidence, not a report card. This template keeps fact in one place and interpretation off to the side so a substitute guide — or you, in June — can still use the note.
Use one row per moment. You do not need a paragraph. If it cannot reconstruct the work, it is too vague.
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No sign-up. Fill by hand, or use it as the paper version of the same record you keep digitally.
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- School / classroom
- Guide
- Date
- Work cycle (morning / afternoon)
For each observation
- Time
- Child (first name is enough on paper; use your school’s privacy practice)
- Material or moment
- What you saw (duration, independence, repetition, self-correction)
- Interpretation (optional, labeled — skip it if you are guessing)
- Follow-up (present next, invite again, share with family, none)
What not to write here
- Praise with no evidence (“had a great day”)
- Diagnoses or labels
- Other children’s names in a note meant for one family
How to use this template
Keep a clipboard during the work cycle. After pickup, transfer anything that should live on the child’s record. The same three-layer idea is in the record-keeping guide: observations sit under progress states and portfolios.