5th and 6th graders are still getting used to the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. Too often, kids start to feel burdened by obligatory nightly reading assignments and disengage with the idea of “reading for fun”. Collaborative reading is the...

Being a teacher at PNA means I have the privilege to fully invest myself into my 16 students. We have developed an incredibly strong relationship in the five months we’ve been together. We know things about each other; I know their academic strengths and areas for...

At the beginning of this 2020 school year, PNA had to make the difficult decision to put some of our “specials” on hold. At that time we were navigating how to best keep our students safe. Thankfully, we found ways to safely integrate art education back into our...

Despite sounding cliched, every single day I wake up feeling thankful to work with our PNA 5th and 6th grade students. Here are eight of the reasons why: Transformative developmental time. Ages 10-12 are pivotal years for physical, mental, and emotional development....

“A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.” By 5th and 6th grade, many students have made up their minds about reading. Either they see it as a fun, leisure activity OR they see it as a chore, something adults make them do. There are many reasons as to why...

10-12 year olds are beginning to navigate their place in the world. Their scope is expanding and they are starting to see the “big picture” forming around them. Our social studies content aligns with this developmental change; our curriculum is called World Regions,...

Developmentally, 5th and 6th graders are curious, talkative, and eager to learn. This age group cares a lot about fairness and the rationale behind decisions or events. Therefore, students at this age often enjoy science class in particular, because they love asking...

The PNA community prides itself on our integration of Project Based Learning in our teaching.  This summer I was able to go to a conference hosted by PBLworks. PBLworks defines PBL as, “A teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and...

​We weren't in our classroom together to celebrate the close of our school year. It's been empty since February 28th, when we last were in that colorful, cozy space. We weren't together to take our spring trip, to have field day, or to do all the things we do each...

The recent news that we will be finishing our 19-20 school year via distance learning was hard to hear. In a school community that strives for hands-on, face-to-face, multi-age, active learning, it’s sad to know we won’t get to be in the same space together until next...