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...

What is student directed learning and how do we know if a student is engaged? What do "engaged" students look like? What do they sound like? Teachers at PNA really try to push students to direct their own learning.  Research shows that as students take part in...

It's that time of year, Where everyone spreads joy. When teenagers learn It's about more than a toy. Regardless of what you celebrate, What you believe or how you feel, The idea of spreading generosity Is actually quite ideal. Our Middle School family Has come...

Students are learning how to formally argue in school!  Whaaaaaat?! Well, they are getting a hefty dose of writing (and speaking) from evidence. In science this is called the CER (Claim- Evidence- Reasoning); in Social Studies it’s Document Based Questions; in ELA...

Our social studies curriculum this year is World Regions and Cultures. Before we start delving into specific regions, we’ve been discussing the characteristics and foundational ideas that diverse places have in common. This past week we discussed human rights. ​I...

Teachers have just completed first trimester progress reports which can be very challenging to compile.  One of the main reasons it is challenging has to do with ELA (English Language Arts). From reading for information, to writing notes, to grammar, to reading...

"We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage, and integrity." We know our school’s vision. It’s printed on the walls of the school, handwritten by students on posters in our classrooms, and even woven into our school...

This blog is adapted from the Teacherease website and Educational Leadership October 2008 | Volume 66 | Number 2, Expecting Excellence Pages 70-74; Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading by Patricia L. Scriffiny Standards Based Grading Video link For those of you...

We give young children puzzles to help practice their fine motor and other developing skills. We give adults puzzles to escape from the stresses and strains of the day. We give elderly people puzzles to keep their minds sharp. Whether you are a four-year-old doing a...

This week Middle Schoolers had a deadline; they had to complete their colony and make it ready to present for the Space Week Community Event on Thursday evening.  All those ideas researched and discussed last week (see Mission to Mars blog post) had a deadline. The...