Revel Recap: November 15 - 19, 2021
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
After recapping our weekends, we began the week by discussing what it means to be present. To help guide our conversation, we read the book, What Does it Mean to Be Present? This book explains how listening carefully when other people are speaking, noticing when someone needs help, focusing on what’s happening now, appreciating what you have, savouring each bite of your delicious food, relishing all kinds of weather, and focusing on the rhythm of our breath all are ways to be present. To help us focus on being in the moment, we completed a five senses mindfulness activity. We started by noticing five things we could see, four things we could feel, three things we could hear, two things we could smell and one thing we could taste. We then thought about how we could incorporate this into our daily routine. On Tuesday, we completed a step-by-step directed drawing of a rocket ship. On Wednesday, we conducted an alphabet yoga sequence, trying a pose for every letter! Thursday, we enjoyed more space-themed colouring pages, and on Friday, we read A Little Thankful Spot, which reminded us of some ideas for which we might be thankful. We then wrote and illustrated our gratitude journals.
Quest
On Monday, we revisited the idea of exploring other planets. We read Space Explorers: Rovers and learned how rovers are put inside a lander to keep them safe and sent to space on the nose of a rocket. We explored how rovers are on Mars to collect data, gather rocks, take pictures, and even complete experiments. We looked at images of the Opportunity and Curiosity Rovers, noting their appearance. Next, we watched a video of the rover Perseverance on planet Mars. The clip showed us how the rover moves and collects data, as well as the noises it has recorded up on the red planet! We felt inspired to return to our rover building. We worked in teams to create Lego or cardboard Rovers with unique features and names. We started by talking with our partner to make a plan and then worked together to bring our projects to life. We then presented our rovers to the studio and are excited to share them at the Exhibition next week! On Tuesday, we read the incredible true story, Mae Among the Stars. This book inspired us all to work hard and follow our dreams, just like Mae Jemison. We repeated the mantra from the book a few times together, “If I can dream it, if I can believe in it, and if I work hard for it, anything is possible.” We then watched an actual shuttle launch before working on finalizing the details and completing our cardboard rocketship. On Wednesday, we read another true story by astronaut Chris Hadfield, The Darkest Dark. Another story to inspire us all to follow our dreams! We then learned the importance of exercising in space to keep our hearts, bones, and muscles healthy! Chris Hadfield showed us how they use various exercise equipment when they are aboard the International Space Station. We then set out to train like an astronaut! Learners began with trying ‘Commander Crunches’ and ‘Pilot Planks’. We then tested our endurance and shared a lot of laughs trying the bear crawl and the crab walk, which we found out are good movements to prepare for spacewalks! Thursday, we read Pete the Cat: Out of this World. We then talked about and looked at a picture of the International Space Station. Working in teams, we designed the ISS out of Lego and presented our models to the group. We also took time to work on our space poster throughout our week, used loose parts to make rovers and Mars, and designed some awesome rockets using paper towel rolls! We have so much to share for Exhibition, and the Sparks are so excited!
French
In French class this week, the Sparks focused on the letters K and L. We started on Monday by writing the letter K on the whiteboard and guessing the words that Mme Marie drew on the board: koala, kiwi, kangourou and kayak. Then, we followed Didou’s step-by-step instructions to draw a cute koala. On Tuesday, we filled out our letter K sheets and played a round of Zingo. We love getting a sticker after we play this game! On Wednesday, we followed our letter routine for the letter L. We guessed the words livre, lapin, loup, lunettes and lune. There are a lot of French words that start with the letter L! We also read the book Lumières dans la Nuit by Isabelle Montagnier and Nicholas Blechman. It was an excellent opportunity to practice counting up to ten as well as naming colours. Finally, on Thursday, the Sparks shared some of their feelings using phrases such as “Je suis heureux” and “Je suis triste” before completing their letter L sheets.
Additional Highlights
Every Tuesday and Thursday, our friend from the Exploration studio visits and completes science experiments with us. We are always so excited about these activities! This week we made predictions and then tested which substance can clean coins the best. The learners also really enjoyed working on some space-themed language and math activities. They used dice and paper clip spinners to identify letter sounds and words and worked on addition. Sparks also created bar graphs to analyze their results! One learner was so engaged, they said, “This is so fun. I love this!” To end our week, we enjoyed Fun Friday and then met for our closing circle, where we discussed our favourite part of the week and some Character Call-outs!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
On Monday, the Rebels took a magical carpet ride in their minds, participating in another guided visualization meditation. Tuesday, the yogis tried new moves like Crescent Moon and brought back the Jumping Jacks Challenge on Thursday!
Launch
Hakuna Matata! While this delightful song from the Lion King can help us take life less seriously, we found out on Monday that it is also a problematic motto. The Rebels discussed why a problem-free life is not realistic, and challenges are necessary to grow and become better people. While avoiding responsibilities (or core skills) that are difficult may make a day more enjoyable, having the courage to wrestle with our hardships is part of the heroic process. On Tuesday, the Rebels watched “Le tour de magie que personne n’aime” and shared what they would do if they had magic powers. Wednesday morning, the Rebels reviewed the badge approval and submission process and reflected on what they would like to accomplish before our Exhibition and our Badge Ceremony next week. Thursday morning, we had another fabulous Rebel-led launch all about constellations and astronomy! The Current Events report on Friday was jam-packed, including footage of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, a hostage-holding possum from New Zealand, the addition of the first Asian character on Sesame Street, the state of emergency in BC, changing salmon trends in California, and a prize-winning musical app designed to make you feel better that was invented by a middle schooler in Florida!
Reader/Writer
Aim and Release Rebels finished reading Hidden Figures this week and are looking forward to our Book Club discussion next Monday and Film Club on Tuesday! Rebels also pulled together their writing pieces, practiced their spelling, and finished their Field Trip to the Moon books. Next session, we will be focusing on Ancient Greece and Rome and Aim and Release Rebels will be writing a newspaper. We will also focus on peer editing and feedback to take our writing to the next level.
After listening to You Wouldn’t Want to be on Apollo 13!, Draw and Anchor Rebels worked on their spelling and writing pieces as well as their Night Zookeeper challenges. In Session 3, Draw and Anchor Rebels will take part in their first novel study of the year, reading the Magic Treehouse book, Hour of the Olympics! We will also take some time to improve our Night Zookeeper drafts using the feedback provided.
Math Lab
This week, Rebels focused on our final mathematical process of the session: reflecting. At the first station, they chose three problems from the session and we took show-and-tell style turns to discuss what makes their solution reasonable and how they know. At Station 2, Rebels ensured that all problems were attempted, including their Math Flip journal entries and all number pattern practice pages (skip counting for Draw and Anchor or finding factors and primes for Aim and Release) complete. Next week we will reflect on their body of work from the session and identify strengths and next steps as mathematicians to keep in their Growth Mindset portfolios.
Physical Development
On Monday, Rebels played “1, 2, 3, Soleil” and dodgeball with Mme Marie in the gym while the remaining learners went on a hike or played Capture the Flag. The week's highlight for PD was when former Redblack Alex Mateas joined us to lead a workshop. Alex talked about the importance of note-taking and doing the things you don't want to do before leading us through some exercises. Rebels also had the choice to go on a chilly hike with Mr. Deagan.
Civilizations
Rebels were busy this week putting the finishing touches on their artifacts, including painting and adding hieroglyphics and other placards to get ready for display in our Ancient Egyptian room at Exhibition.
French
During Tuesday’s French class, Rebels prepared for their Thursday spelling test on the “ON” sound. They used online games, plastic sheets and markers, and collaborative quizzing to perfect their spelling skills. We also started making miniature books for Exhibition with the sentences we wrote last week, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. After Thursday’s spelling test, Rebels put the finishing touches on their books and worked on a reading comprehension and colouring activity.
Quest
The NASA Rebel Recruits are very excited about the Revel Academy Space Symposium. A lot of hard work has gone into the planning and preparations this week, with solar system models being finalized, lifesize posters completed with annotations, slides ready to be projected, speeches rehearsed, and success criteria checked. The Rebels have secured two former astronauts who will appear as keynote speakers and two high-profile investors who will open and close the event. The crew will be split between symposium Tour Guides and Studio Hosts as there will be a lot to take in. Congratulations, Rebels, you are nearly finished with your TOP SECRET mission!
elective
On Wednesday, the Rebels had the opportunity to share what they have been up to during Elective this session. Each Rebel (or pair or group) shared their progress using the model of the Hero’s Journey. They shared triumphs and failures, whether it be through story writing, learning ballet, 3D designing in Tinkercad, coding in Scratch, developing strategy in games like chess, or engineering with Mark Rober - the Rebels have accepted the call to adventure. As each journey was shared, we offered challenges to one another to go even further in the next session.
Exploration Studio
Launches
At Monday’s French launch, the Rebels decided on some of the details for their French ghost town. Now we know what size it is and what kinds of monsters live in it. Our next step will be to pick a name for our village! There was a great selection of learner-run launches this week. We had two Kahoots, one on Greek mythology and one on general knowledge from census information on Indigenous people of Canada. One Rebel also ran a fantastic presentation illustrating the history of famous Indigenous inventions and how they have evolved over the years. On Friday, two other learners shared their “debaters” style comedy debate weighing the impact of grapes vs. raisins.
On Thursday, we discussed how our studio’s mindfulness practice is progressing. At the beginning of the year, we had two weeks of guide-led mindfulness sessions where we explored all of the different ways one can approach mindfulness. We decided that to continue to be exposed to mindfulness techniques, we would have weekly, guide-led, small group meetings with a guided mindfulness session.
Math Lab
This week in Math Lab, Exploration Rebels had time to complete their Dear Data project. After a Data Talk about the differences and similarities of summer song thumbprints, Rebels finished their project rough drafts, had them approved by another Rebel, and received the postcard for their final copy. We’re excited to show you our Dear Data Project display at Exhibition next week!
French
During Monday’s French class, Rebels worked on their articles for the magazine in small groups and individually. On Wednesday, we took a break from our articles to watch an episode of Scooby-Doo and answer some comprehension questions.
Flex Tuesday and Thursday
The learners have been using their Flex days to discover what time works best for their different responsibilities and assignments. As an observer, the studio looks and sounds completely different on a Flex day. There is more of a studio-led feel on non-Flex days, where the learners gravitate towards doing things as a studio, as they all have the same schedule. On Flex days, the learners spread out more throughout the school, making the studio quieter.
Quest
We started Quest this week by checking in on the road maps we made the previous week. Some learners needed to update their plans due to certain parts of the podcast taking longer than expected. (All part of the learning!) Learners spent Friday afternoon showing our podcasts to the Discovery Studio Rebels to practice for Exhibition. We will have another run-through of our Exhibition on Tuesday to ensure that everything is ready to go for our event at 4:30 pm!
Physical Development
On Monday, Rebels played “1, 2, 3, Soleil” and dodgeball with Mme Marie in the gym while the remaining learners went on a hike or played Capture the Flag. The week’s highlight for PD was when former Redblack Alex Mateas joined us to lead a workshop. Alex talked about the importance of note-taking and doing the things you don’t want to do before leading us through some exercises. Rebels also had the choice to go on a chilly hike with Mr. Deagan.
Launchpad
With deadlines for multiple deliverables looming, Launchpad Rebels made daily plans utilizing SMART goals and the Eisenhower Matrix to ensure their time was spent on the highest priority items.
core skills update
This week Rebels continued to set challenging goals in both Geometry and Algebra. The time and commitment is paying off as learners are gaining confidence with their math progress! After reading Five Little Indians as a group last session, learners chose a novel of interest for Session 2. While one learner dove into The Iliad, the other Rebel devoured Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Indigenous Canada
Way to go! This week, each Rebel completed the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course, earning their certificate! Over the past ten weeks, learners have done a deep dive into colonization, treaties, residential school system, reconciliation, and Indigenous worldviews through reading, planning a Walk for Wenjack, attending the first annual Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and taking the substantive online course. However, we recognize that we have more work to do and that we will continue to learn and listen.
Project X
Launchpad Rebels set aside large portions of multiple afternoons to work on their final presentations for Project X. One Rebel chose to write an essay complete with their predictions for future terrorism using graphs, charts, and research of past events. Another learner is preparing a speech on homelessness and, based on their predictions, will develop an actionable plan. Rebels will be receiving feedback from an outside source this weekend to use this last week to edit and publish their work.
Geography/Cartography
After completing a series of tutorials, Launchpad Rebels showed incredible grit using the ArcGIS program to create a map on either mining sites or ecozones in Canada. While Rebels spent the majority of their time problem-solving and trouble-shooting, they made significant progress on their assignment.
World Building
Digital map making, wanted posters for adventurers, and an exciting RPG session with William, made up our World Building time this week.
Looking Ahead to Session 3
The Launchpad Rebels have shown incredible drive, determination, and self-awareness over the past two sessions. During our last three-week session of 2021, we will be putting the final touches on our projects from the first part of the year as we curate our Mastery Transcripts and portfolios. We will also turn our focus to entrepreneurship, using Harvard Business case studies as our guide.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark
What does it mean to be present?
Can you tell us about the rover you made?
French: What are some names of colours that you know in French?
Discovery
How does the badge submission process work? Which badges do you hope to submit for this session?
What is your strength as a mathematician? Somewhere you’re struggling?
French: Did you feel prepared for the spelling test? What can you do to improve your score next time?
Exploration
How ready are you for the end of the session (Deep Book, Quest, Genre, French, Core Skills)?
How have you committed acts of Truth and Reconciliation this session?
What goal do you have for continuing on your mindfulness journey?
French: How is your article coming along?
Launchpad
What do you find most helpful when goal-setting; making three priorities for each day, filling in an Eisenhower Matrix, or talking about your plans and goals with the studio?
What piece are you most proud of thus far; Indigenous Canada certificate, Deep Book review, Khan progress, Project X final presentation, world creation, or something else? Which piece would you like to improve before final submission?
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
Thursday, November 25th - Friday, November 26th - NO SCHOOL - Cryptography Camp (7+)