Revel Recap: September 20 - 24, 2021
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
For Meditation Monday, the Sparks were introduced to a rainbow breathing exercise. First, they coloured their rainbows, and then we practiced tracing each arc with our index fingers. As we went up, we breathed in, held our breath at the top and then exhaled as we went down the rainbow. We then talked about some times during the day when this exercise might be helpful and put the rainbow in our bin to use anytime it’s needed. Mindful colouring this week focused on fall, as we spoke about the season changing on September 22nd. We played peaceful music throughout the week, and the Sparks felt it helped them fully engage in their mindfulness activities. We incorporated yoga using our Yoga Pretzel cards, and after reading The Grateful Book, the Sparks had some beautiful responses for their gratitude journals on Friday.
Quest
During Quest, we focused on emotions and the Zones of Regulation. The Sparks were very engaged during this week’s activities and were courageous in sharing and adding to our conversations. In our studio, we believe it’s important for the Sparks to understand their emotions as everyone can express and feel emotions differently in all circumstances. After listening to the Zones of Regulation song, we looked at posters for each coloured zone and identified how we thought each person was feeling. We observed that the person looked happy, calm, focused, and feeling good in the Green Zone. In this zone, we are ready to work, to play and to help others. In the Yellow Zone, we have some control, but we may be feeling frustrated, silly, excited or nervous. In the Blue Zone, we are moving slowly and may be feeling sad, bored, sick, or tired. In the Red Zone, we are angry, mad or terrified. We have learned that being in either the blue, yellow, or red, our goal is always to return to the green. We discussed and made our own toolbox, filled with things we could do to try and get back to the green zone. Some of these techniques included; taking big breaths, taking a break, listening to music, sharing a hug, reading, running or taking big jumps. Each Spark cut out six things that can help them when they are feeling big emotions. On Tuesday, we read a story called, The Color Monster. This story allowed the Sparks to get a better understanding of the different colours and identify various emotions. We talked about times in our own lives that we have felt some of the emotions the monsters in the book did. We then enjoyed following the steps in a directed drawing to create some of our own coloured monsters. On Wednesday, we talked about and identified triggers that can move us out of the Green Zone. The Sparks spoke about things such as being hit, having items taken from them, having no one to play with, and people not listening to them as some of the things that upset them. It’s essential to identify these triggers to feel equipped to deal with these emotional situations when they come up. Thursday, we began a Zones of Regulation poster book, which will be kept in our bins so that each Spark will be able to flip through their booklet to remind themselves of the emotions in the different coloured zones.
French
This week, the focus of French class was the letter “A.” We began on Monday by catching up on our calendar routine and playing a guessing game with words that start with the letter A : avion, araignée, ananas, arbre, and abeille. On Tuesday, we asked each other “Comment ça va?” and learned a few words to express our feelings. We also played a fun round of Zingo! On Thursday, we talked about fall, l’Automne. We noticed that it began with the letter A and discussed which seasonal fruits and vegetables we like best. Then, the Sparks followed instructions from Didou, the rabbit and Yoko, the ladybug, to draw their very own plane or AVION. We enjoyed challenging ourselves and practicing our drawing skills! Finally, on Friday, we looked at a few more words starting with the letter A. Lastly, we coloured the first page of our alphabet book before listening to “Alouette, gentille alouette”.
Spark Mascot Election
As Monday was Election Day in Canada, the Sparks had the opportunity to cast their vote in our studio election! To follow up on their introduction to the process by the Exploration Studio, we introduced Choosing Our Mascot, an activity connected with Elections Canada Civic Education. The Sparks listened to the campaign speech of five different animals, explaining why they should pick them as their studio mascot. We then reviewed how to mark a ballot and then had a chance to vote for which one would best suit our studio. Having done this, the Sparks spoke about their families voting and showed a lot of interest in the election! They were very excited to find out that Charlie the Raven won as our Spark Studio Mascot!
Additional Highlights
We also learned about Terry Fox during the morning meeting and then participated in the school-wide Marathon of Hope on Monday. The Sparks showed determination as they all made it up the giant hill! On Tuesday, we started a new letter of the week, Bb and a new sight word, is. We practiced throughout the week making this letter and word using loose parts. For music this week, the Sparks had the opportunity to use the piano in the Exploration Studio, played yoga freeze dance, and the Floor is Lava. We used small colourful squares to fill their name during art, which was great practice with using glue and fine motor skills. In the Spark Studio, we put a lot of time and focus on the materials in the studio. We spoke more about how to take care of the materials and had more time to explore. Learners spent a lot of time working with the country puzzle maps and practicing their numbers and letters with several different activities. Many learners are excited about getting close to earning a badge! We also talked about the changing season throughout the week, discussed what to expect during autumn, and learned why the leaves change colour. We read a book called The Leaf Thief, and the Sparks enjoyed playing a game called “The Squirrel.” It was a fun way for the Sparks to work on names, making brave guesses, and taking turns. Our week ended with a great session reading with our Discovery buddies, playing together during Fun Friday, and announcing our Character Callouts!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
This week we explored a new mindfulness technique incorporating sounds of the Bajinn. Rebels learned what a Bajinn is and then practiced three brief one-minute meditations using the sound vibrations as their guide. Tuesday and Thursday yoga classes focused on hip and shoulder strengthening and some core engaging poses to assist with balance. Wednesday and Friday were dedicated to mindful colouring.
Launches
This week kicked off with a launch about the IOWA tests, and Rebels discussed various testing techniques that helped them stay calm and focused in assessment scenarios. Additionally, Rebels listened to a short biography on Terry Fox written by Maxine Trottier. They made connections to conversations surrounding the Hero’s Journey and adversity and truly gave their all during the school’s afternoon Terry Fox Run! Rebels installed the Google Translate extension on their browser during Tuesday’s launch to assist their French learning. During Wednesday’s launch, we revisited our Studio Guardrails. We reflected on our strengths and next steps: Rebels are aiming to minimize distractions to ensure the most growth for every team member! Thursday’s Current Events launch reviewed the results of this week’s Federal Election, and Rebels shared their opinions regarding the outcome and whether or not they felt this was an appropriate use of finances and resources. We discussed JoJo Siwa’s Dancing With the Stars debut, as she is the first competitor to be dancing with a same-sex partner on the show. It was a momentous first for the reality TV show. While Rebels shared how wonderful and positive representation is for viewers, they also shared some disappointment that it took 30 seasons for it to happen! We wrapped up with Live From Snack Time blog posts before Rebels embarked on their final morning of IOWA testing.
French
This week, Discovery Rebels explored their first French grammar element of the school year: prepositions of place. We began with two explanatory videos and quick practice exercises. Then, we played a game of “Jacques a dit” for extra practice. On Thursday, Group 1 practiced some vocabulary with Mme Marie while, Group 2 got started on an autonomous activity to record themselves reading four sentences that include a preposition of place and an adjective. It’s hard work, but if we ever have trouble remembering which preposition is which, there is a handy corkboard in the studio that we can refer to! Rebels who finished their work ahead of time had an opportunity to catch up on their French core skills.
Reader/Writer
Aim and Release enjoyed their first self-curated 10-Minute Tales writing challenge this week. Each Rebel self-selected their images to create a wacky story for their journal entry and shared their creations with the group. We ended the period with a read-aloud of our novel study, Endling; The Last, and discussed elements of the story such as character development, foreshadowing, and themes of friendship and family. Draw and Anchor Rebels participated in a read-aloud called What’s My SuperPower? by Aviaq Johnston. Rebels shared their superpowers as they completed writing assignments in their Writer’s duotangs. We capped off the period with some more reading and writing challenges in Night Zookeeper. Rebels are really enjoying the creative writing process and have completed over 30 literacy challenges so far as a group!
Math Lab
On Monday, Draw and Anchor Rebels were prompted to use concrete materials or drawings to help with their problem-solving. Working with coins to develop financial literacy, they investigated how many different combinations of coins they could imagine would equal seventy-five cents. Alternatively, many turned to Base Ten blocks to help visualize three-digit numbers in the Library Book Balance problem. Some were even able to set up the traditional algorithm and get close to an accurate solution! On Wednesday, Aim and Release tackled the Order Up! Challenge. Again, they utilized a variety of strategies to try to organize an overload and mixed up information. In congress, we discussed how grouping like orders makes less work for the mathematician. This was an excellent opportunity to build and strengthen the foundation for algebraic thinking and the distributive property of multiplication. In both groups, we continued our conversations about the Growth Mindset, discussing the importance of mistake-making and how it helps our brains grow! Both groups were also introduced to a mental math warm-up called Math Flips. These cards are designed to stimulate discussion around fact fluency and mental computation strategies rather than traditional flashcards with a question on the front and an answer on the back.
Civilizations
This week in Civilizations, we took a deep dive into Ancient Egypt and discussed the importance of hieroglyphics as a critical influence of the written word. Rebels listened to a story about the Nile Delta and how the ruling of Upper and Lower Egypt came to be. Rebels then created secret messages for their teammates using hieroglyphics and “Cuneiform,” and attempted to solve the secret code messages together during Friday’s launch. Rebels will spend the next two weeks of Civilizations periods exploring Ancient Egypt more in-depth by creating a variety of different hands-on projects.
Quest
Rebels had a wonderful week creating the content needed for their Superhero movie trailers and short films! It was so fun getting to see the Rebels come together and put their teamwork and collaboration skills to the test. Rebels took on various roles in their groups, including directors, editors, filmers, and photographers, to ensure that they completed all of the necessary shots and scenes to send in for editing. Next week, Rebels will be focusing on event planning and executive functioning skills as they prepare for the upcoming in-house Exhibition of learning with family and friends!
Physical Development
On Monday, the whole school took part in our version of the Marathon of Hope in honour of Terry Fox. Rebels completed multiple loops that included going up the giant hill at the park! Wednesday, Rebels had the choice between two indoor options for PD, circuit training with Mr. Deagan and yoga with Ms. Jenna.
Additional Highlights
Congratulations to all of our Discovery Rebels who participated in the IOWA testing this week! It was such an inspiration to see Rebels digging deep and trying their best each morning as they worked through the various course components of the test. Rebels also enjoyed another week of Reading Buddies on Friday with the Spark Studio. All Discovery Rebels capped off Friday with a hard-earned doughnut as they met with their mentor squads to discuss their own “challenge doughnuts” from this week.
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness and Launches
The learners had their first week of self-directed mindfulness; choosing how they wanted to get themselves in the right headspace for the day. We spent the first two weeks reviewing different types of mindfulness practices, but many learners chose to sit in silence to have a moment of calm before the day begins. Learners will be encouraged to try different forms of mindfulness as we progress through the year.
This week the learners ran three out of the five launches. On Tuesday, one learner ran a discussion about the fear of failure. He introduced us to a man who tried “100 days of rejection”, an exposure practice to help him overcome his fear of being told no or rejected. On Wednesday, another Rebel introduced us to the CBC show The Debaters because he is writing a debate for his genre badge this session. He solicited ideas and help from other learners as he was looking for his interlocutor. One of our learners closed out the week with a TED-ED riddle! Next week, FIVE learners are running launches.
Math Lab
After last week’s lesson on fractals and Sierpinski’s Triangle, we furthered our study by learning about the Sierpinski Pyramid. We attempted to picture how many tetrahedrons would make up each plane or iteration before decorating and folding our nets. While we will confirm our numbers as we build, learners hypothesized that the first iteration would take four tetrahedrons and that the second would require 16. Over the next couple of weeks, we will continue creating the tetrahedrons and build the largest pyramid we can while devising the mathematical expression for each iteration.
French
Exploration Rebels kicked off the week with a game of Bingo to learn and practice the vocabulary of school supplies and furniture. We then explored our first grammar element of the school year: prepositions of place. We watched two explanatory videos with practice exercises before playing a game of “Jacques a dit” to consolidate our vocabulary knowledge. On Wednesday, we did some more practice and prepared four sentences using a preposition of place and an adjective, intending to record ourselves reading them aloud in a video. The Rebels have done a great job of using the resources available to complete their assignments!
Quest
Quest this week was all about team building. Each day of the week, the learners engaged in a different themed activity that had a twist. Deagan pulled one group member aside for each activity and gave them an “irresponsibility,” or a role to play that detracted from their group’s work. The three roles we explored were: the derailer (someone who distracts their group), a do-nothing, and a monopolizer (someone who takes on all the responsibility and decision-making of the group). We also made obstacle courses, dissected the election results, made artistic representations of Revel, and practised our decision making, all to decide what kind of activities we wanted to run for our Exhibition at the end of the session.
Documentary
Documentaries are underway as learners come up with their ideas and pitches! We have ten different groups, some opting to work alone, most in partners. Some learners chose to contribute to the World of 7 Billion video contest due in February around a topic of sustainability, while other learners are making nature mockumentaries. The learners are well equipped with the understanding of what makes a good pitch and have until the end of the session to come up with a Don Draper-esque sell for their idea.
Apprenticeship Prep
Our first learners to secure their apprenticeships are hard at work preparing and planning for when they start at the beginning of the next session. A few Rebels took part in the Spark Path activity to zone in on challenges they are interested in solving to understand fields of interest further. Learners who do not have their internship yet are encouraged to continue sending emails and refining where they want to spend their first apprenticeship.
Launchpad
The Launchpad Rebels have hit a morning groove where they get settled, go for a community walk, meditate, and plan out their day, identifying their priorities and goals.
Project X
As one chart rarely tells the whole story, Rebels viewed four different charts and data sets to make connections regarding changes in urbanization at the global, regional, and national levels. Learners were also asked to make claims about urbanization’s impacts on human networks and systems of production and distribution based on the evidence provided. On Wednesday, we completed a few activities designed to guide learners through making predictions with data. After examining a simple line graph, they then matched a series of prompts to corresponding graphs. Lastly, they evaluated several example predictions about the future of poverty.
Chemistry
This week we launched our chemistry sessions by learning about Samsung’s 2016 exploding cell phone disaster caused by the phone battery chemistry. After defining some pertinent terminology, Rebels had to explain the difference between macroscopic and microscopic worlds in chemistry using diagrams. On Thursday, learners used the recipes they developed last week to create their toothpaste using an abrasive, humectant, flavouring, and, if required, a binding agent. Most trials used baking soda, coconut oil, activated charcoal, and mint or citrus flavouring. After trying it out themselves or asking for feedback from others, recipes were altered to adjust mainly for flavour and texture.
Indigenous Canada
In the third unit of our University of Alberta Indigenous Canada course, Rebels examined Indigenous and settler perspectives of treaty-making. We learned about the various treaties in Canada and the unique circumstances surrounding their signing, including the Peace and Friendship Treaties (1725-1779), the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and Upper Canada Treaties (1764-1836), The Robinson Treaties (1850), The Douglas Treaties (1850-1854), as well as the Numbered and Modern Day Treaties. “New Rules, New Game,” the fourth unit of the course, began with a discussion about what is distinctive in Indigenous legal traditions. We explored the impacts of policies as British North America attempted to solidify itself geographically and socially and how the Indian Act contributed to assimilation.
World Building
Rebels continue to develop further the worlds they are building as they fill in their workbooks and work on sketches, songs, and character development. They will plan out their end goal for their world in the coming weeks and create an action plan to hone in on what parts are most critical for success.
Additional Highlights
We all know that Wikipedia is a powerful tool, but have you heard of Wikiracing? This week Launchpad Rebels took on the challenge and competed to see who could get from “Activated charcoal” to “kiwi (bird)” and “Bubble tea” to “The Great Gatsby” first! Give it a try; it’s a fun way to look for connections between concepts!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark: Can you tell us how a person feels in the Green, Blue, Yellow and Red Zones? What tools can you use to help you get out of the Red Zone?
Spark: Which animal did you vote for as a Studio Mascot? Why?
Spark French: Which item or animal beginning with the letter A did you draw on the first page of your alphabet book?
Discovery (Aim and Release):
Math Flip prompt: What do you see on Side A? Flip - what do you see on Side B? How does A help you with B?
How are you enjoying Endling; The Last so far? What do you think will happen next to Byx in the story?
What is a “Challenge Donut,” and what were your comfort zones, challenge zones and panic zones from this week?
Discovery (Draw & Anchor):
Math Flip prompt: What do you see on Side A? Flip - what do you see on Side B? How does A help you with B?
What writing challenges have you done in Night Zookeeper so far?
In Reader Writer this week, you read the story What’s My Superpower? What do you think your superpowers are?
What is a “Challenge Donut”? What were your comfort zones, challenge zones and panic zones from this week?
Discovery French: How were you challenged this week? What methods or tools did you use to overcome this challenge?
Exploration:
What is the topic of your documentary?
What are the different team-building roles that detract from a group’s progress that were explored this week?
What’s the best lead for your apprenticeship?
Exploration French: How were you challenged this week? What methods or tools did you use to overcome this challenge?
Launchpad: Test your learner’s toothpaste and give them feedback on the taste, texture, and results.
Launchpad: What was the difference in perspectives on treaties between the Indigenous and Europeans?
Launchpad Weekend BONUS: Learn how to jump-start a car correctly and either take a video or write an explanation on how to do it correctly!
Dates of Interest
IOWA Testing - Each fall, Rebels take part in a standardized test that helps us identify areas that we would like to focus on in our learning design and find ways to help challenge and support each learner. Testing is not mandatory, and if you would rather your learner not take the test, please let us know!
Exploration and Launchpad Studio: Week 4 (September 27th - October 1st)
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day - September 30th
Exhibitions
Discovery: Tuesday, October 5th at 4:30 pm
Spark: Wednesday, October 6th at 4:15 pm
Exploration: Thursday, October 7th at 4:30 pm
October Camp (October 12 - 15) - For those interested or require care during the October Break, a camp will be provided by Little Medical School. https://www.littlemedicalschool.com/ottawa/events/ (Password: Revel1550)
9-12 year-olds: Sports Medicine and Nutrition
During this camp, Revel Academy students will explore the fields of Nutrition and Sports medicine. They will learn how to adopt a healthy lifestyle of a balanced diet and physical activity.
In the morning sessions, students will explore the roles of an athletic trainer and orthopedic surgeon and learn how to diagnose and treat common sports injuries such as sprains, strains, and athlete’s feet. These future healthcare professionals will explore the famous Tommy John (arm & elbow) surgery and make models of a hand, joint, and tendon.
In the afternoon sessions, these future dietitians will learn about healthy eating habits, the food pyramid, and global foods. Students will create tasty recipes and snack combinations.
4-8 year-olds: Equine Camp
Children and horses have a unique and special bond. Now students can learn all about horses and their care from the newest Little Medical School Equine program. After adopting and naming their horse, students will learn practical information includes a brief overview of horses (breeds, categories, names), the ideal horse farm, and many other basics. Moreover, students will learn anatomy and how to maintain a healthy horse and horse nutrition. Students will also learn about preparing their horses to ride and much more.