​If you are wondering how students learn content and skills or if you want to know more about authentic learning, then this blog entry will be worth reading for you. Students learn from experts. In a project-based learning unit, experts are invited to come to our...

Fourth and Fifth Grade wait in the lobby of the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. This week, the Fourth and Fifth Grade went to Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center to attend one of the museum's science labs. The main focus of the trip was science, but to prepare,...

Looking good for picture day! All dressed up and ready for blast off! This week was picture day at PNA, and in the shots above you get a sneak peek at what Third, Fourth and Fifth grade classes will look like! This week, though, Sheryll and I would like to focus on...

​As a parent, you have probably heard of PBL or project-based learning from your child, from a teacher, at the curriculum night; or you've probably seen PNA's PBL wall featuring the essential project design elements. But do you really understand what project based...

Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade participated in PNA's annual Fall Outing this past week... Pacific Northern Academy started the week off venturing out into the wilds of Alaska! No PNA school year would be complete without the annual beginning of the year Fall Outing!...

​Have you even been in a group project where you ended up doing all the work? Or maybe you just sat in a corner and let someone else do all the work? Have you encountered a time when you'd rather work alone than in a group because you have different opinions, needs,...

Each and every morning, the Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders start their day with a morning question, part of PNA's Responsive Classroom program... The Responsive Classroom Over the last few years, the Third, Fourth and Fifth Grades have used what is called the...

​Welcome to Third Grade! It is a brand new year, a new school, two new teachers, and some brand new classmates! It is a new and exciting adventure for our third graders!At PNA, we believe that the first six weeks of school is a critical period because this is when we...

​In third grade, students engaged in a yearlong study of Alaska through culture, economics, geography, government/civics, and history. During their visit with Mayor Berkowitz, students learned that millions of tourists travel to Alaska each year. They learned that...

As technology makes the world smaller by developing apps like Skype to make communication across continents possible, softwares like Rosetta Stone to make learning a new language with just a computer, and digital maps like Google Maps to see places virtually. This...