Revel Recap: May 10 - 14, 2021
Spark Studio
The Sparks opened their week sharing their nature finds from the weekend including snails, Canada geese, a blue jay, and flowers. The snail inspired our directed art this week, with the learners creating wonderful and accurate drawings. We then read My First Book of Canadian Birds, which helped us learn more about the birds we might see in our country. Our challenge this week was to observe birds in our neighbourhood and see if we could identify them. We also looked at pictures of various DIY bird feeders, including ones made with a milk carton, an orange, paper towel roll or pinecone with peanut butter and birdseed. We spoke about their construction and are hoping we might have some birds visit for a snack! On Tuesday, we began exploring the vegetables we grow in gardens. First, we learned about the different groups of vegetables such as leaf, bulb, flower bud, root, tuber, stem, fruit and seed and some examples of each. We then learned about where to plant each of them, such as in containers or gardens. The process of how our food gets from a farm to the stores and eventually to our table was another interesting conversation. We discussed what kind of vegetables we would like to plant if we could and completed a beautiful drawing together of three root-based vegetables. Our group then turned to the topic of composting and we talked about what we can put in the compost and how important it is for reducing our waste and how we can use the soil it creates in our gardens! We read Compost Stew, which gave us even more ideas for things we can compost. We then learned about an experiment we can do at home. We gathered some fruit and vegetables to compost and put them in a Ziploc bag with a cut-up egg carton and a bit of water. We added a straw for some air. We are curious to observe our experiment over the next couple of weeks and see what happens!
This week in French class, we practiced asking each other how we are feeling and what the weather is like, and we started learning the names of animals. On Monday, we read the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge. We learned words such as la fille, le panier, la maison, la forêt, and le loup. On Tuesday, we practiced saying the letters of the alphabet alongside the names of animals that start with each letter. Then, we spelled out “LOUP” on our whiteboards and drew some beautiful wolves! On Wednesday, we started learning the classic French song found in the book “Le roi, sa femme et le petit prince” by Mario Ramos. It’s a great song to remember the days of the week in the right order! Then, we played an online game where we guessed the hidden animals and learned their name in French. We ended Wednesday’s class with another spelling game on the whiteboard, this time with the word “FILLE.” Finally, Thursday’s French class was all about the parts of the body! We warmed up with some “Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds” and we played “1 2 3, montrez-moi…” before finishing the week with a dance party.
Some other activities we enjoyed during our calls included “Guess the Insect” and “Guess the Vegetable” picture games, Yoga Freeze Dance, and debating the illustrations in the book Duck! Rabbit! We also had fun being word detectives and deciphering CVC code words. We continued to practice our estimation skills, completing our handout together and playing a marble guessing game. For our language lesson, we furthered our learning about digraph blends, focusing on WH this week. We ended our week with a great drama workshop, where we danced and froze like statues and imagined all the things a towel could be. Another wonderful week of fun and learning with the Sparks! Sending big high fives to all of our learners for their great energy and participation!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
Thank you, Ms. Jenna, for another incredible week of daily morning yoga! We have really loved seeing so many family members join in and make the most of our mindfulness sessions together as a community. We look forward to our third and final week of the Mindful May Yoga Challenge and can’t wait to see you on your mats on Monday morning!
Launch
Gossiping in-person and online was the focus of Launch on Monday. We recognized that relationships can be difficult but it is always better to speak with the person you are having trouble with, rather than talk about them behind their backs. We learned that gossip often comes from a place of insecurity and we were reminded that we want to be leaders who lift others up, not tear them down. On Tuesday, we followed up our kindness-themed Launch from Monday, with a “Random Acts of Kindness” challenge! Three Rebels were “tagged” with random kind compliments in their email inbox and they passed on a kind email to another team member. It was so heartwarming to see all the beautiful words and compliments being passed between Rebels and all agreed it was a really nice way to start the day! On Wednesday, Rebels learned about the May 8 Remembrance Day for victims of World War II in France, as well as the story of the incredible Simone Veil, who survived the Auschwitz work camp as a teenager and fought for women’s rights in the 1970s. Thursday’s Current Event Launch featured a lot of fabulous furry friends including Maple the Beaver and discussions about Ellen Degeneres’ decision to end her talk show for more challenging endeavours, Kobe Bryant’s induction to the Hall of Fame presented by Michael Jordan, a little poll on the NHL Playoffs that started this weekend and as always, concluded with some hilarious clips from “Live From Snack Time!” For Friday’s Rebel-Led Launch, one of our Rebels led a ninja star origami tutorial! Rebels had a lot of fun following along and kudos to our Rebel who led the Studio in a fun, hands-on launch!
Rebel Readers & Warrior Writers
Aim and Release Rebels worked hard this week to finish up their poetry booklets, wrapping up our poetry unit exploring limericks, partner poems, free verse and alliteration. We listened to and discussed the beautiful poem, “Broken English,” by international poet, Rupi Kaur. Rebels exchanged their opinions and thoughts on the difficulties immigrant and refugee families face when building a life in a new place. A key takeaway from the conversation was that all of the Rebels felt that home can be anywhere in the world because home is not just where you are born, it is more about who you build that home with.
Draw and Anchor Rebels worked on rhythm and learned about syllable division in poetry to help create rhythm. We discussed and explored syllable division in various words, demonstrated multiple techniques to separate words and where to separate sounds. This led us into Haiku poetry, the 5-7-5 rhythm scheme, and got the Draw/Anchor group excited to be creating their own haikus as their final poetry challenge next week!
Friday’s Reader/Writer kicked off with another hilarious 10-Minute Tale and as requested by Rebels, we continued with wacky stories about “Baby Yoda.” Some Rebels opted to present their stories to the group while others listened and laughed at the creative antics Baby Yoda got up to this week! Rebels used the rest of the period to catch up on their poetry booklets, preparing a poem of their choice to submit for our culminating Digital Poetry Book project, or wrapping up journal entries and spelling tests needed to complete their badge. We are looking forward to the sixth and final week of our poetry unit and can’t wait to share some of the amazing work Rebels have created in this session!
Math Lab
As pet store owners, Draw and Anchor Rebels met online to work on improving their understanding of Canadian coin identification and value. Once we reviewed each coin, Rebels worked together to add up the coins each customer had in order to find out if they had enough money to buy the pet accessory of their choice. If they had enough money they were asked to provide the amount of change that would be returned and if they were lacking in funds they had to solve for how much more was needed. After the first couple of problems were used as examples, the Rebels took the lead and helped each other count up the change and solve the problems. What an awesome group of supportive peer guides! Once we finished the first side of the sheet, we took a body break where we tried to figure out which skull belonged to which type of dinosaur out of three options. With our blood pumping, we ended our session logging into our new math program to try out for the last ten minutes of Math Lab.
Aim and Release Rebels took the week to finish up their treehouse structures, finalizing their exterior, making furniture, and adding any other accessories they felt were necessary. Learners also figured out how to elevate their designs whether using paper towel rolls or posting to cardboard. We are so excited to see their final projects next week!
French
This week in French class, Rebels in Groups 2 and 3 explored words that belong to the same family by creating a paper windmill! It was a little tricky to make but definitely worth the effort. We looked at several different familles de mots, all related to spring: le jardin, la terre, le soleil, la pluie, le vent, and la fleur. Recognizing words that belong to the same family helps us find out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Group 1 Rebels read two stories about multi-legged insects, played a round of Spring Bingo and started learning a song about the days of the week! We also read the book “Le roi, sa femme et le petit prince” by Mario Ramos, which was inspired by the classic french rhyme. As per usual, Rebels were able to complete extra spring-themed activities on Le Jardin d’activités and Live Worksheets.
Civilization
We finished up our study of World War II this week learning more about Canada’s role as well as how the different fronts of the war came to an end. Our discussion surrounding the atom bomb was very interesting with varied opinions regarding whether in the same position they would have dropped the bomb to shorten the war but kill innocent civilians in Japan, or if they would have found another way even if it took longer and with potentially more lives at risk. More than anything, Rebels came to the understanding that there are very complex dilemmas when it comes to war and politics.
Quest
As we close another wonderful week of Ottawa Children’s Theatre workshops and a ton of work on our Powerful Person Wax Figures, Rebels are eager to see everything come together next week for our Virtual Exhibition! Rebels presented their Wax Museum skits to each other and Ms. Jenna led by the Ottawa Children’s Theatre - what an incredible performance by all Rebels! The learners also finalized backdrop designs, put together costumes, and worked through last-minute updates and edits for their monologues. Next week on Monday and Tuesday, we will be practicing the outline for our Revel Academy Powerful Person Wax Museum, have a mini “Dress Rehearsal” and run through on Tuesday to prepare for our presentations on Wednesday at 1:30 pm!
Exploration Studio
Launch
At Monday’s Launch, Rebels learned about the holiday that takes place on May 8 in France. On that day, we remember the victims of World War II. We also learned about Simone Veil, a French woman who survived Auschwitz as a teenager and played a major role in women’s rights in France in the 1970s. As it was mythical creature day in our studios, we learned about the Japanese tanukis which are brash, shape-shifting animals that enjoy pranking humans. The Dreaded Drama Triangle and the Empowerment Dynamic were the focus of Wednesday’s Launch. We learned about the different roles that we may play in various relationships such as the victim, the rescuer, and the persecutor. By working on our self-awareness and changing our mindset we can get ourselves out of drama if we work to put ourselves into empowering roles such as creator, coach, and challenger. On Thursday, a Rebel led us through an interesting riddle that had everyone thinking critically. Friday we talked about a news story where a student at a school in the United States was removed from her school’s softball and cheerleading teams after making disparaging comments about the coaching staff on Snapchat. The student argued that her Freedom of Speech was violated and the cases are now in the Supreme Court. The learners gave their opinions on which side they would vote for and we all learned a valuable lesson about how everything you say online can be seen by everyone forever.
Math Lab
Wow, the paper roller coasters are really coming together! Today Exploration Rebels spent the Math Lab session talking about their craziest dreams and nightmares while continuing their base building and route design! Having this time as a community to talk, create, and laugh has been a true highlight and really needed for many of us during this time of remote learning.
French
Rebels started off the week by testing their knowledge of where different inventions originated. We learned that the first university was created in Morocco in the 9th Century! We explored the many scientific advances of the Arab world in the Middle Ages through an oral comprehension exercise. Centuries before the European Renaissance, the translation and research work of scholars from across North Africa and the Middle East brought us inventions such as the number 0, without which modern technology wouldn’t exist! On Wednesday, Rebels completed a reading comprehension exercise about a Tunisian folk story called “L’histoire d’Ommi Sissi.” Then, we watched two videos about couscous, a dish from Maghreb that has made its way into the hearts and stomachs of French people as well as UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.
Big History
The learners had a lot of time to work on their artifacts and write-ups this week during Big History. The learners were very helpful, giving feedback to one another on their scripts and everyone was very proud to showcase the artifacts that they had made. Finishing touches on both the artifacts and write-ups will be made early next week in order to showcase them for the Exhibition.
Quest
The highlight of the week for Mr. Deagan was watching the learners present the mini-play that they’ve been developing with the Ottawa Children’s Theatre. The learners put a play together about a group of students staying at a museum when a group of robbers arrive. They were prepared and delivered quite the performance for the amount of time they had to put the show together. Keep an eye out for Oscar nominations next year! For the remainder of the week, the learners helped each other edit and memorize their scripts. Most learners are ready for the Exhibition which will be on Thursday of next week.
Additional Highlights
This week in our ASL Club, each member taught the group a couple of new signs before learning how to ask and answer the question, “How are you?” Afterward, we played a game where each member fingerspelled a word and then we had to figure out what they were saying and sign the short-form version. This group is so much fun and their willingness to challenge themselves is nothing short of exemplary! Meanwhile our Rebel-led Art Club session this week got Rebels using a variety of materials to create a beautiful canvas and sketchbook pieces. This group has been having a ton of fun working together to express their artistic abilities.
Launchpad
This week in our “Embracing Life and Facing Death” Quest and Genre, we discussed regrets. After listening to Kathryn Schulz’s speech “Don’t regret, regret” we learned about behavioural economists who were studying buyer’s remorse that learned some interesting things during their inquiry. The most popular regrets stemmed from education, career, and parenting with finances actually being one of the least mentioned regrets. We also considered the position leaders are in and whether they should have more or less capacity for regret than their citizens and if they should express regret on their policies or decisions. Lastly, before heading off to work on our poetry analysis and genre pieces, we pondered which would take up more of our reflective time, our actions or inactions and which we felt was healthier to regret.
P.S. Check out the progress on the expansion suite!!!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark: Can you tell us about some birds we might see in Canada? Which bird is your favourite?
Spark: What did you think the illustration was, a duck or a rabbit? Did your answer change by the end of the book?
Spark French: What was your favourite part of French class this week? Can you show me “le pied” (pronounced “pyeh”)? Can you show me “la tête” (pronounced “tet”)?
Discovery: What are some things that we could do to stop gossip when we hear it? How can we “vent” in a way that doesn’t hurt others?
Discovery: How are you feeling about your Quest monologue? What are some things you have learned about the Powerful Person you chose?
Discovery French Groups 2 & 3: How do you recognize words that belong to the same family? Which word family did you pick for your windmill?
Discovery French Group 1: What day of the week is today? What day will it be tomorrow?
Exploration: How are you similar to your monologue figure?
Exploration French: What were some of the fields of study of Arabic scholars in the Middle Ages? What was the story of Ommi Sissi about?
Launchpad: Is someone who regrets a lot of their choices is either a poor decision-maker OR excellent at self-improvement? Is it more important to look backward, or forward?