On Tuesday, we had a MIddle School Information Night via Zoom for rising middle schoolers.  To prepare for this, I went to the experts.  One expert, Dr. Thomas Armstrong, lists a number of requirements for best educational practices for early adolescence.  Those...

Historical Fiction (Adapted from a blog piece written by Martina Henke 2018)We are wired for story. Tell us a story and we are hooked. A simple search on the topic of storytelling will quickly show that we humans learn through story, connect through story, grow...

Planning, Organizing, Divvying up tasks, Working collaboratively, Making decisions, Meeting deadlines, Listening, Communicating, Contributing, Problem solving, Revising, Engaging, Executing.Many would argue that these skills far outweigh the academic skills of...

One of the main goals of science at the middle school level is to provide a solid foundation of scientific concepts, vocabulary, and skills so that students can confidently understand the world around them to ask deeper, meaningful, and more connecting questions in...

​Teaching students how to write engaging, meaningful stories can be very challenging.  One way to ensure that students buy into the process is allowing them to choose what they want to write about.  In our most recently completed unit, Investigative Journalism,...

by Pete Johnson How do kids learn best? To some degree, that depends on the child; however, most of us would probably agree that first hand experience is the best teacher. Project based learning (PBL) provides that first hand experience to students, which is why PBL...

On Friday, PNA teachers attended a virtual conference put on by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS).  The keynote speaker was Rick Wormeli who is a leader in the education world pressing for practical change to celebrate and promote youth to...

One of the main goals of science at the middle school level is to provide a solid foundation of scientific concepts, vocabulary, and skills so that students can confidently understand the world around them to ask deeper, meaningful, and more connecting questions in...

Even in times that we must physically distance, there is still room for learning by doing.  This week students continued their studies on simple machines.  While wrapping their heads around the physics behind the machines through focused labs, students decided if they...

Last Thursday, 22 middle schoolers and three teachers (Ms. Mariner, Mr. Bissell, and I) made our way to Birchwood Camp, located just outside of Eagle River. When we arrived, we explored and got settled in our cabins. Forts were built, bunks were designated, and...