Outdoor School
9/27/2019
4th and 5th Grade had the great opportunity this week to attend the Fall Pilot Program for the new Anchorage Outdoor School down at Portage. This was a chance for students to get out of the classroom and get real hands on experience of science and nature in their own backyard. For the three days students were engaged in active experiential lessons and activities to develop their understanding of Portage Valley and the many natural systems and sciences that can be found there. As well as developing their STEM education students also developed their confidence and independence, being introduced to new instructors each day who lead our field study sessions, and thrown into groups with students from other schools whom they had to collaborate with to succeed. All students from PNA rose to each challenge that was presented to them and it was commented by the instructors from the Outdoor School how well our students performed. Luckily the weather held during our stay there and fantastic time was had by all! A picture is worth a thousand words and we certainly took a lot of pictures! Can you spot your child and invite them to discuss what they were learning and doing during their stay in Portage Valley! Hunting for Macro-invertebrates and learning about the water cycle in the Amazing Aquatics Field Study. Listening for soundscapes and discovering the history of Portage Valley. Our Glaciers Galore Field study, finding out all about the 7 glaciers that surround Portage and other pictures from the trip. The Fall Outing
9/20/2019
PNA has a mission statement that everyone works towards; "We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage and integrity". With this in mind and taking students forward developing 21st century skills there are 4 learning skills that are a cornerstone to the PNA curriculum: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. It is through the continual exercise of these four skills that students explore and learn subject matter. Whether it's art or algebra that's the focus, PNA students are required to communicate with each other, collaborate effectively, stretch themselves creatively, and think critically. PNA's Responsive Classroom program, which helps us structure our daily morning meetings, focuses on team building, games that make kids (and teachers) move, laugh, and mingle, and on setting expectations for classroom behavior that allow the classroom to coexist and collaborate harmoniously. However, we serve up lots of extra helpings of games and exercises during the first 6 weeks of school; the overwhelming emphasis is on getting the 4Cs juices flowing. For some students, new to PNA, working with their peers toward a solution may be a new and difficult challange. For some naturally reticent students, or some naturally forceful students, collaboration is a delicate balance of give and take that can be hard to negotiate. But we know that collaboration is imperative to fruitful inquiry and healthy relationships. Through collaboration, the outcome is, generally, far greater than the sum of the parts. This is where the Fall Outing comes in. The idea of the Fall Outing is not just to get the kids outside, but to build school spirit. Teams are mixed at every level, and students each find their own moments to shine as they use their individual strengths to help their teammates out through the day! It is a chance for the elementary school to mix, mingle and team build. The younger kids need to know that they can depend on the older kids, and the older kids need to know that there are younger kids looking up to them (this ethic continues throughout the year with the class Buddy system). This event and other future trips or events are an opportunity for a small group of peer learners to bond together, and start honing those communication and collaboration skills that ensure success at every level. Mapping Energy
9/13/2019
We are now 3 weeks into the new school year. Routines are starting to fall into place, systems have been set up and school life is moving along briskly. At the start of the year, there is always hustle and bustle as things get figured out. Teachers have new students and students have new teachers. Everyone though, has a lot of energy after a long summer break and is eager to dive into learning. How apt then that our first science unit is on 'energy' itself. To introduce this science unit 4th grade was presented the question; 'How is energy transferred when objects collide?' After some discussion we explored Newton's Third Law "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." To have a tangible example of this law to to develop an answer to the posed question 4th Grade created their very own Newton's Cradles. Following on from our time capsule project and the use of grid references in our early exploration of map reading, we delved deeper into the many types and many uses of maps. Learning to read maps using grids, latitude, longitude and cardinal directions. Learning to read maps requires the understanding, comprehension and application of many new and complicated ideas and technical vocabulary. Understanding what each map is showing you, having comprehension of the data and what it means and being able to use and apply the data to solve problems and find information. Personally, I think maps are really cool, so this unit I am really enjoying teaching. Hopefully some of that enthusiasm has rubbed of on the students. Whenever I visit a new place on vacation or a trip, I always collect a map and spend hours pouring over it, much to the ire of my wife who greets me with a fanfare of sighs and eye-rolls whenever I pull my map out my pocket to check directions or locations. We haven't gotten lost yet though! A moment in time...
9/6/2019
The beginning of the school year is a busy time for students, families and teachers alike. Full of excitement and new adventures but if we are not careful the school year will be over just as quickly as it came. Everyone says "time flies" and “cherish every moment, it goes by way to fast” and as a new parent I am starting to see what they mean. My son is just turning 5 months old and has already changed so much. With this in mind and the rush of the star of the year it seemed apt to slow down and take a snapshot of where we were. At the beginning of the year at PNA we take the time to come together as a class, to build a classroom community, to think about what we want to achieve with our time and to identify our hopes and dreams for the coming year. This year 4th Grade took a different approach to this work with our first project; 'The Time-Capsule' . |
Martina HenkeMartina Henke has been a K-8 educator for 30+ years. A life-long learner, she loves working with kids of all ages, new technology, great books, fiber arts, and her wonderful family! Archives
April 2021
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