Hearing things like, “I remember hearing about this in a movie but didn’t know where it was” or “I didn’t even know that was a country” has shown how valuable our recent learning has been. There are many common misconceptions about Africa. Many people don’t know just how massive it is; If you combine the USA, China, India, Europe and Japan – they all fit into the continent of Africa. People are also surprised to learn Africa has 54 distinct, separate countries. PNA students seek out opportunities to learn and are eager to explore about the world around them. They are a pleasure to teach.

In social studies, we are currently studying Sub-Saharan Africa. We’ve been moving our way around the continent, focusing on the similarities and differences of each region (East, West, Central, and Southern). We have been reading about the history of those regions, as well as discussing how they are developing. However, we’ve been particularly focusing on the geography. Our mission is to learn all the countries that make up the second largest and second most populated continent in the world. The flow of class looks like this:
1. Preview/Predict what we know about a region
2. Read aloud, searching for claims/evidence
3. Examine the geographical elements
4. Practice pronunciations
5. Individual practice with their personal map or an online map matching game
6. Team location practice on the board (first with a list of options and then just from their own memory)
7. Play review/recall games for retention

The students have been exceptional—engaged, curious, and brave. Some students have been competitive, trying to learn the content before their friends. Others have been focused on obtaining their own personal best time. The classroom is lively and students are leading the charge.

On another note, I offered Swahili as an elective option for this 6-week session. I was skeptical how many students would choose to study a new language instead of using technology or doing engineering challenges. I was pleasantly surprised when 12 middle school students signed up. They’ve been making connections to their social studies content and recognizing similarities between their Spanish language learning as well. We’ve simply been having a ball.