"How hard does a shark bite?" "Why do turtles leave their eggs on the sand?" "Which shark is the fastest?" "Do all turtles live to be the same age?" "Why are shark eyes black?" Kids are naturally curious and easily inquisitive about the world around them. They...
NEWS FROM THE CLASSROOM
GRADES
Latest news from the 2nd Grade classes
Playing Our Way Through Fall- Music for Preschool through Second Grade
Oct 9, 2021 | 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Kindergarten, Preschool, Uncategorized
I love fall. I love the colors, the smells, being able to still camp, and being colder but not too cold to have to pull out the heavy coat. Instead of shoveling snow, it is sweeping and raking leaves, rituals that mark time. I...
Growth Mindset
Sep 18, 2021 | 2nd Grade
The words "Growth Mindset" , "Beautiful Oops" and "Yet!" are commonplace in our second grade classroom. These came about from our exploration of the work of Carol Dweck, a world-renowned Stanford University psychologist. Dweck took decades of research on achievement...
Bridges Number Corner
Sep 11, 2021 | 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Kindergarten
Number Corner is an essential part of the Bridges math program used by PNA from preschool through 5th grade. While a large part of number corner revolves around the classroom calendar, it is so much more than just finding today's date. Using a spiraling theory,...
Good Morning!
Sep 4, 2021 | 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Kindergarten
Such simple words but yet so powerful! At PNA, we start each morning with a morning meeting as part of the Responsive Classroom approach that we utilize in our classrooms. Morning Meetings are an integral part of our day as they build a strong sense of...
Building Strong Foundations
Aug 28, 2021 | 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Featured, Kindergarten
We've had a great start to the year in K,1 and 2. Students were excited and ready to be back and to explore not only their new classrooms but the school in general. Here is a quick glimpses of how we all started to build a positive learning community. PNA utilizes...
Marble Math
May 16, 2021 | 2nd Grade
It was marble mayhem this week as students tackled the last unit in math...building marble runs. While this might look just like a fun project - and there was plenty of fun involved - there was also some deep critical and mathematical thinking going on. Students...
Magic in the Mess…
Apr 24, 2021 | 2nd Grade
Learning is an experience...a unique and personal journey that is not always a neat and tidy presentation. It is true that one can learn by seeing or hearing, but the real breakthrough learning happens when students are immersed in the process. It happens when they...
The Hows and Whys of Differentiation
Mar 24, 2021 | 2nd Grade
A large benefit to the smaller class sizes at PNA is the opportunity for differentiation for students. It sounds great but what does that actually mean? In an article entitled "What is Differentiated Instruction?" on the Reading Rocket website, it is defined in the...
Homework: To Do or Not To Do?
Jan 30, 2021 | 2nd Grade
Just the mere mention of homework sends both shudders through students and parents alike. Do the benefits outweigh the cost? In a recent article by Britannica ProCon.org three pros and cons for homework were outlined and are summarized below. 1. With homework,...