Revel Recap: November 8 - 12, 2021
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
Monday’s mindfulness was focused on breathing and imagination as we explored the “Floating Smiles” and “Inhaling the Universe” Mindful Kids cards. The studio played calming music during colouring for Tuesday and Thursday, where our art centred on Space Week and Remembrance Day. The Sparks continued their yoga practice with Cosmic Kids on Wednesday, connecting their yoga positions with outer space movements. On Friday, we read My Attitude of Gratitude which helped spark some new entries in our gratitude journals.
Quest
Astronauts and rocket ships were the Sparks’ top vocabulary words heard throughout this week’s Quest! The Sparks have been working so hard creating their masterpiece of a rocketship, and with the help of the Discovery Studio, Rebels worked together to make a plan and design that fit their budget. For the Sparks to get ready for the building phase, they had the opportunity to draw their rocket ship at the beginning of the week. This led to a discussion about everything they thought a rocketship needed. The Sparks also made mini rocketships that a Spark brought in for the studio, which learners frequently used in their dramatic play.
As the Sparks understand there’s no gravity in space, they asked questions such as how astronauts sleep, how astronauts brush their teeth, and how they eat. The Guides found videos from the NASA website that Chris Hadfield filmed demonstrating these day-to-day tasks. The Sparks found it very entertaining, and some of the Rebels have changed their minds about becoming astronauts now that they know more about the less glamourous side! We also talked about what we would bring to space if we were only allowed to take five items. Many Sparks agreed they would bring their favourite stuffed animal. We were all laughing while listening to an astronaut read a book on the International Space Station, and we saw her stuffed animal floating all around and imagined our furry animals floating around as well! Lastly, the Sparks had astronaut job interviews with the guides. The questions they had to answer were, “Why would you be a good astronaut?” and “What Activities would you like to do as an astronaut?”
French
This week, Spark Rebels focused on the letters I and J. On Monday, we began with reading the date : “Aujourd’hui c’est lundi 8 novembre.” We started this routine last week, and we’re getting better at it every day! We then, we wrote the letter I on the whiteboard and practiced its pronunciation. This one can be tricky because it sounds just like the English letter E. We looked at a few words beginning with I: igloo, iguane, île, and insecte. Finally, Didou and Yoko guided us through drawing our very own igloo! On Tuesday, we filled out our letter I sheet, and we started reading 3, 2, 1...Comptons les Pommes! by Isabelle Montagnier and Jean Holub, which we finished the next day. On Wednesday, we looked at the letter J and the words, jaune, jupe, jardin, jouet, jambe and jambon. Lastly, on Thursday, the Spark Rebels completed their letter J sheet and watched an episode of Mouk called “Le Jardin Japonais” about a Japanese garden.
Additional Highlights
Throughout the week, the Sparks have become even more interested in learning as much as they can about space. Ms. Kaitlin has started reading the Magic Tree House series with the Sparks, beginning with Magic on the Moon, which led to the Sparks wanting to continue to the next book in the series, Dolphins at Daybreak. Everyone is engaged in the stories, and we are finishing them super quickly! This week for our sight word and letter of the week, we took time for a review. The Sparks made sentences using the sight words as a group and then wrote them in their notebooks. To review our letters of the week, the learners worked in groups to sort out objects and place them with the correct letter they started with. This week, the Sparks have been working really hard on their reading, writing, and math skills. Having individual goal sheets created at the beginning of the week has encouraged the Sparks to use many of the learning materials on the shelf.
As Remembrance Day approached this week, the Sparks spoke about peace. They listened to stories such as The Peace Book, written by Todd Parr. Listening to the stories and each other, the Sparks learned that peace has a different meaning for everyone. The learners painted beautiful peace signs using watercolour paper, tape and then answered the question, “What does peace mean to you?” We also discussed the meaning of Remembrance Day and the importance of the poppy. We read A Poppy is to Remember and then created our poppies using loose parts and tissue paper to create their poppy for the wreath the studio made for the ceremony.
We ended our week with a visit from the Wild Bird Care Centre. It was a very informative presentation with the Sparks asking some great questions. They were super excited to meet Indigo the American Kestrel and enjoyed holding and identifying various birds’ feet, beaks, and feathers. We can’t wait to see everyone next week!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
On Monday, the Rebels explored meditations with sound, learning about the history of the marimba and handpan. Some preferred the slow, atmospheric trance of the marimba, while others liked the rhythmic percussion of the handpan. Tuesday and Thursday, the yogis focused on their leg muscles, trying new poses such as pigeon. On Wednesday, the Rebels made tissue paper poppies to add to a wreath in advance of our Remembrance Day ceremony and chose colouring for Friday’s mindfulness.
Launch
Let’s imagine that you are going to become a member of an elite global crime-fighting force. You will train in one of three specialties; martial arts, computers and electronics, or languages. Which would you choose and why? After Rebels had time to discuss their reasoning for their choice of specialty, we also voted on what we’d like to focus on as a studio this week between personal intentionality, warm-heartedness as a studio, or tough-mindedness as a studio. The learners all felt that our warm-heartedness was going quite well, so personal and peer accountability would be our focus for the week. Rebels practiced talking about their weekend with Mme Marie on Tuesday, using “J’ai…” and “Je suis allé…”. Wednesday’s launch featured a read-aloud of the story Bunny the Brave War Horse written by Elizabeth MacLeod. Rebels took time to link their poppy-making activity from that morning to the theme of sacrifice and remembrance and discussed the many contributions to the war effort by people they know or relatives in their family tree. On Thursday, one of our Rebels led a launch about Merchant Mariners in honour of his great-grandfather for Remembrance Day. We learned about the way these civilians helped the Allies during the World Wars and the risk associated with their work. Friday’s Current Events report featured the exoplanet K2-239 c, the extended state of emergency in Iqaluit, and Canadian kids’ reactions to the goals of the COP26.
Math Lab
Math Lab this week focused on the mathematical process of c-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-n-g. Rebels connected their thinking in Three-Act Challenges, moving from what they notice and wonder about the scenario in Act I, to helpful information provided in Act II, to how their estimates, calculations and solutions compare to the reveal in Act III. Draw and Anchor Rebels had to determine how many gummy worms were in a jar, working backwards based on clues about how many worms were outside of the jar and how many there were in total. Some Rebels wrote subtraction sentences, while others noticed the repeated groupings in the clue and were able to use multiplication to help them. In Aim and Release, Rebels had to determine how many candy wrappers were in a container, with some linking ideas about area from previous weeks to the concept of volume. Others tried to use the given measurements in Act II or create a smaller model using Base Ten blocks to revise their original estimates. It was a yummy week in the lab!
Reader/Writer
Aim and Release Rebels used their Reader/Writer period to complete this week’s spelling quiz, work on the dialogue for their Field Trip to the Moon project, and develop one of their writing choice board pieces. Rebels also had the opportunity to attend the Hidden Figures read-aloud on Tuesday and Friday afternoons if they were interested in reading together as a group. Draw and Anchor Rebels finished their second spelling quiz before listening to the story, Let’s Investigate with Nate - The Solar System. Learners then had time to work on their writing pieces on their Session 2 checklist.
Civilizations
Full S.T.E.A.M. ahead in the 100 Point Project! As Rebels continue their investigations into Ancient Egypt, they are facing design challenges head-on! Whether it be S for science (like how does a shaduf really work?) or T for technology (hello Minecraft pyramid models!), Rebels are figuring out how to fasten materials (E is for engineering) and exploring cultural practices (A is for arts). Some even connected that certain geometry concepts come into play when building 3D prisms and pyramids (M is for math).
French
On Tuesday, the Rebels filled the witch’s cauldron with words in which they could hear the sound “ON.” We then copied ten ON words on a sheet that will help us prepare for next week’s spelling test. Only five words will be on the test; la maison, le potiron, le bonbon, la potion, and le champignon. Finally, in groups of three, Rebels picked one word related to la sorcière and wrote one or two descriptive sentences.
Physical Development
On Monday, all the Rebels played outside to enjoy the beautiful weather! A group of Rebels played freeze tag with Mme Marie while the group played football. On Wednesday, Rebels could choose a fall hike outdoors with Mr. Deagan or extreme dodgeball in the gym with Ms. Mel led by Exploration Rebels. If a player was hit by a dodgeball and “out,” they had to go to the perimeter, roll dice and complete an exercise from our circuit training menu last week to rejoin the game.
Quest
Many NASA Rebel Recruits have been granted Top Secret Security Clearance, and all have been promoted to Part 2 of the mission based on their performance on Monday’s first emergency simulation! Rebels were put through intense mental and physical strain as they worked in two teams to decipher a code needed to turn off an alarm signalling a potential ammonia leak on the International Space Station. When debriefing, the Rebels reflected that the risk and mortality of space exploration are in some ways similar to highly competitive sports and that some were even able to tune out the alarm sound to concentrate on the task at hand. From there, we worked as one team to outline the details of the deliverables for the upcoming symposium, creating our Mission Vision Board. On Tuesday, Rebels reviewed critical aspects of our Solar System and planetary science to extend their thinking to a new galaxy with new planets. On Wednesday, a second emergency simulation brought out the best in the learners. They worked with their squads to prioritize materials for a hike back to a lunar base after landing 50 km off course. Based on NASA’s rankings, many teams had a fair chance of survival based on their choices! We then tapped into astrobiology and spacesuit engineering/robotics concepts as they prepared to design ETs or EMUs for their planets. On Thursday, Rebels had the opportunity to catch up on planning for Deliverable 1 and 2 or reach ahead. There was also a special option to work with the Sparks to construct a giant rocket ship using recycled materials. Rebels that chose this option had to record and manage associated costs for their materials (hint: their budget was millions of dollars!).
Additional Highlights
Rebels attended a beautiful Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday with special guest Major Stephen Buckley, RCAF (aka Evan’s dad!). Rebels thought about the day in terms of the promises we can make, hearing about the people in Major Buckley’s life who served before him, his experiences in the Air Force, as well as the history related to the World Wars. Many Rebels also shared memorials for relatives who served in war efforts of the past and asked very thoughtful questions, which kept the conversation flowing for an hour! Thank you so much, Major Buckley, for joining us! On Friday, we had three special visitors from the Wild Bird Care Centre: Indigo the American Kestrel, with staff Patty and Sandra! Thank you to all Revel families who participated in the Tupperware fundraiser hosted by Duncan’s mom, Nicole. Indigo and his friends at the centre will put the donated funds and containers to good use!
Exploration Studio
Launches
We had a very "news" heavy week of launches surrounding Remembrance Day and Canada's first-ever Indigenous Veterans Day. On Monday, Rebels learned some facts about France's role in the First World War with a video from 1 Jour, 1 Question. We had three learner-led launches that covered the topic of remembrance from an Indigenous perspective and led discussions on what remembrance means. To mix things up, one learner had the studio participate in an entertaining game of charades, while Friday's learner-led launch discussed Greek and Indigenous creation myths.
Flex Tuesday and Thursday
This week was the first experiment of an increase in freedom for the learners. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the learners have a full day of work periods in Core Skills, Documentary, Podcast, and Elective or Apprenticeship Prep. Since all learners have different priorities with their deliverables at this point in the session, we are developing their executive functioning skills further, thinking about how long each task will take to complete and having autonomy over their work. Both days went well, with learners taking advantage of the flexibility of time, some breaking their day down into 20-minute increments to get core skills finished, some breaking it down into longer segments to get into flow. The learners demonstrated great teamwork by checking in with group members on when they wanted to collaborate on their projects throughout the day. Rebels stuck to the "must-dos" of the day (exercise, reading, screen-free time) and stuck with their intentions. Next week we will also have a flex Tuesday and Thursday, as will the sessions in the future once we reach the independent work phase of the project cycle.
Math Lab
After having the week to collect data, Exploration Rebels met to analyze their Dear Data project information! After discussing the data we gathered, where we ran into challenges, and our collection method, the learners reflected on whether their SIQ made them more mindful. Many felt that they were more in tune with what they were doing throughout the 24 hours, while others thought they may have skewed their data to have more things to write down. Most Rebels had the necessary data entries to begin designing their rough drafts using a postcard template. Next week we will complete our final copies which will be on display at Exhibition.
French
On Monday, Exploration Rebels finished completing their "Le Monstre Poilu" worksheet and preparing their articles. The first steps were to pick a topic and research the required vocabulary. We then started writing our articles on Wednesday before taking a well-deserved break to play a round of Loup-Garou!
Documentary
Both documentary periods fell under the flex days this week. Most learners met with their groups on those days and progressed on their project plans that they broke down at the beginning of the session. The next big due date for the documentary will be when we hold a progress showcase at the end of Session 3.
Quest
This week we took time to work on our Exhibition plans. The learners decided that each Podcast group will have a booth at the event and that attendees will travel through the different podcasts they would like to hear. Some learners signed up for extra jobs such as making signs and maps to improve the attendees' experience. Only six more quest periods until Exhibition on Tuesday, November 23rd!
Physical Development
Two Exploration Rebels have been running excellent exercise sessions on Mondays, this week leading a game football and Extreme Dodgeball, which combined dodgeball with circuit exercises. The other learners Most usually spend their PD time hiking through the vast network of trails in Carlington Park.
Launchpad
Project X
Before Rebels tackle their culminating presentation for Project X, they completed one last data exploration on human population. We learned that while we can make educated guesses about how many people there were in the past and how many people there will be in the future, the further we go in either direction, the less sure we are. Predicting the future of these trends is incredibly important to our planet and societies, but can we predict the future of human populations using data from the past? Can data help us?
Using our data explorations from the past couple of months as examples, Launchpad Rebels will create a thorough paper, podcast, slide show, or speech based on a guiding question of their design. They will need to demonstrate their knowledge on their chosen topic, using multiple charts and sources to support their predictions. This culminating project is an excellent opportunity for the learners to use their data literacy skills to craft an argument rooted in a historical context.
World Building
This week, Rebels researched five digital map-making programs to determine which would be the best for their world-building purposes. They then spent the rest of the week working on their hand-drawn drafts or learning how to use Wonderdraft, the digital software they chose.
Geography/Cartography
After exploring ArcGIS and multiple Story Maps focused on Canadian geography over the past couple of weeks, Launchpad Rebels were ready to create an individual guided project. After making their ArcGIS online account, learners began a series of tutorials to learn how to use the program to develop their maps! One learner has chosen to dive into mining. In 2011, the mining industry made up of 22.8% of all Canadian exports and contributed $35.6 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). For this assignment, the Rebel will be investigating the human and physical characteristics of the area(s) where the mining resource of their choice. Another learner will be focusing on Canada’s natural regions, also known as Ecozones. There are fifteen terrestrial and five marine Ecozones in Canada that vary in size and are based on broad physiographic and ecological characteristics. In this task, our learner will explore Ecozones, landforms, climate, the growing season, and wildlife biodiversity using ArcGIS Online to identify patterns in these natural regions across Canada and Ontario.
Indigenous Canada
What is an Indigenous concept of community? How do Indigenous people form communities traditionally and today? Our weekly module explained how social and environmental activism mobilizes and creates communities, critical moments, and grassroots resistance such as the Oka Crisis, Idle No More, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement. With only one unit left, one Rebel also completed the last unit, earning their certificate from the University of Alberta!
Additional Highlights
Wednesday was another beautiful, albeit chilly, morning, so the Launchpad Rebels went for a book trading and coffee walk. After gathering some of the school’s duplicate books, we visited three different Little Libraries and picked up some great new tomes before visiting a new neighbourhood coffee shop.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark:
Can you tell me how an astronaut brushes their teeth or washes their hair in space?
What does peace mean to you?
Spark French:
Can you give me an example of a French word beginning with J?
How do you count to 10 in French?
Discovery:
What are some of the mathematical processes, and which one is your favourite so far?
Do you think you will have earned 100 points for Civ by the end of next week?
What type of exoplanet are you discovering in Quest?
Are you building the extra-terrestrial (ET) life profile or designing an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU)?
Discovery French:
Which word did you choose to write about with your group?
Exploration:
What do you find most challenging about your Flex Days? Most exciting or rewarding?
If you could improve your studio in one way, what would you propose? Have you advocated for this change?
Do you think you will be ready and proud to present your podcast at Exhibition?
Exploration French:
What are some words that you’ve looked up in preparation for writing your article?
Launchpad:
Can we predict the future of human populations using data from the past? Can data help us?
Which of your world-building maps do you think you’ll be most proud of, your hand-drawn or digital version?
What are your top three priorities for next week?
Dates of Interest
Monday, November 22nd at 4:30 pm - Discovery Exhibition
Tuesday, November 23rd at 4:30 pm - Exploration Exhibition
Wednesday, November 24th at 4:15 pm - Spark Exhibition