Revel Recap: February 14 - 18, 2022
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
As Monday was Valentine's Day, we started our morning with an affirmation about love. "Love is my power. I am love. I am compassionate. I am kind. I give love. I receive love. I embody love. I am love." We then asked the question, "When did you give or receive love today? How did it make you feel?" Many of the learners shared special things their families had done for them this morning, such as leaving out Valentine's or hugging them before school. We then read a book and discussed what we feel Valentine's Day is all about. Some of their answers were; it's a day to tell people how you feel about them, a day to be kind, and a day to eat treats!
We enjoyed mindful colouring with pictures for Valentine's Day on Tuesday and Thursday and completed a directed drawing of Albert Einstein. On Wednesday, we completed a yoga sequence followed by a meditation about being kind to ourselves and others and letting go of negative emotions. On Friday, we read The Family Book by Todd Parr and talked about how Family Day is coming up on Monday. We shared one thing we love about our families and then wrote about it in our gratitude journals.
Quest
We wrapped up our Science Quest with a week full of fun experimentation! Our first was a Candy Corn experiment. We poured water, salt water, vinegar, and baking soda into cups and then predicted what would happen when we put in candy corn. We then tested and made observations. Learners then had an idea to mix baking soda and vinegar with the candy corn and were delighted by the results! Next up was our walking water experiment. For this lab, you need seven cups, water, food colouring, and paper towels. We filled every other cup with water and food colouring. We folded our paper towel and placed it into the water. We continued to observe for an hour to see the water travelling into the empty cups! We were excited when we came in the next day and observed how much water had crossed and how the colours mixed.
The Sparks were also interested to learn about the lifesaver spark experiment. They went into a dark room and observed as Ms. Kaitlin demonstrated the spark a lifesaver makes when you chew it or crush it with a cup. (We sent some candies home for the Sparks to try with their family!) We wrapped up our experiments with a classic, Oobleck! We learned how it is both a solid and a liquid and had lots of messy fun experimenting!
We have also been learning about the world through our Big Book of Why by National Geographic. Ask your learner about some of the interesting discussions we have had this week. Some of the facts we learned were; why do owls throw up, why do we have belly buttons, why do snakes shed their skin, what does an elephant seal look like when it sneezes, why do planes fly, why do cats purr, why do we need Zambonis, why do birds have beaks, and more!! What an exciting world!!
French
The Sparks celebrated Valentine's Day with a colouring activity on Monday and Tuesday. We listened for the sounds ON, IN, OU, CH and EAU in the names of Valentine's Day-themed objects and animals such as heart-shaped balloons and a box of chocolates. Then, we coloured the images with the colour associated with the sound we heard. On Wednesday, we began working on the letter V. We guessed violet, verre, valise, vélo, and vache. Then, we watched an episode of "Didou," which taught us how to draw a cow step-by-step. On Thursday, we read the book Mes Petits Souliers Rouges by Karen English, and we filled out our letter V sheet.
Additional Highlights
The Sparks were so excited to celebrate Valentine's Day with their friends! We read books and talked about this holiday, had dance parties, shared a special treat, wrote thoughtful messages on each other's paper hearts, and handed out our Valentine's cards. What a fun day!
On Wednesday, we learned about Pink Shirt Day. We started by talking about the history of this day. Two boys initiated it when they saw another boy bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The boys then went out and bought fifty pink shirts and asked their classmates to join them and stand up to the bully and support their peers. We then discussed what kind of things we can do to make the world a better place, what we would do if we saw someone being bullied, and what we could do if someone wasn't being nice to us. We decided the best plan was to ask the person to stop and tell them you don't like what they are doing/saying, walk away, and tell an adult. We thought about what bullying is and isn't and read Llama Llama and the Bully Goat to understand more.
We ended our week with a fun birthday celebration and cupcakes with one of our friends! We also went sledding at the hill with our Discovery Studio friends! Be sure to check out all the hard work your learner completed this session. We sent home their work and posted some videos to enjoy!
We are looking forward to Session 5, all about Entrepreneurship!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
Monday morning, the Rebels were welcomed with tables full of heart maps where we wrote friendly messages and wishes for each other. Many took time to write to their Discovery Studiomates as well as their older and younger friends in the Spark, Exploration, and Launchpad. At Closing, we took time to read our maps and share some of the messages that filled our metaphorical cups! Tuesday morning's yoga practice was another "hands-free" practice, staying low to the ground and trying new poses like stirrup posture to soothe the legs and lower back. On Wednesday morning, we gathered together to manifest our goals, sharing our intentions for the final stretch of the session! Thursday and Friday's yoga flows focused on relieving tightness or tension in the chest, neck and shoulders, with new postures like crescent-twist.
Launches
Monday morning's launch was dedicated to connection as we used this time to ensure we wrote something on each of our peers' heart maps. During Tuesday morning's launch, the Rebels discussed the question "Qu'est-ce que c'est 'aimer'?". They shared some of their thoughts on what it means to love somebody, as well as what makes them feel loved. On Wednesday, the Rebels helped to retell the story of Pink Shirt Day. Starting in Nova Scotia in 2007, two high school Seniors organized a peaceful protest at their school to stand up for a Freshman who was being bullied for wearing pink. The following year, a western Canadian radio station picked up the cause and turned it into a charity for anti-bullying resources and support. Fifteen years later, more than 2.5 million dollars have been raised, and the wave of kindness and upstanders has reached 180 countries. The lesson? Small daily actions mean a lot. Thursday's Squad Leader launch was a thoughtful and fun Kahoot featuring at least one trivia question based on each Rebel's unique interests in the Discovery community. Our Rebel-led Current Events report included: an update on the Olympic medal count, CBC Kids News' explanation of Black History Month, a tutorial of the NASA Kids Club website, and another round of "who is cuter?"; Rebel kitty Jules vs. a Teacup Yorkie.
Reader/Writer
For our last week of Aim and Release Reader/Writer, Rebels completed the final drafts of the poems for their anthology! They then had time to finish reading the Goldfish Boy, submit their badge, and rehearse their poem for our Poetry Reading on Friday.
After all of their hard work this session, Aim and Release Rebels enjoyed a fun-filled Book Club and Poetry Reading! There was food, applause, and great discussions on one of our new favourite novels!
Draw and Anchor Rebels used the first fifteen minutes to finish their scripts, puppets, and rehearse for our Wizard of Oz perspective presentations! It was then time for the big show! Every learner showed an incredible amount of creativity and bravery as they got up in front of their peers and put on their puppet play! Bravo!
Civilizations
In the last week of the session, Rebels gave feedback to their peers about the quality of their timelines and maps for the final task. Some essential understandings that emerged were organizing events before the common era, how a caption or visual helps expand meaning, and how smaller maps can be joined together using cardinal directions.
French
This week, Rebels came up in front of their peers for their final presentation about a famous work of art. From Picasso to Raphael and Anish Kapoor, the Rebels determined whether their work of art was abstract or figurative, a portrait or a landscape, how it makes them feel and why. We then spent some time catching up on assignments or doing online exercises. On Thursday, Rebels who had finished their badge requirements could play "loup-garou"!
Math Lab
Draw and Anchor learners worked on one final task this week for their Be A Farmer project. They had to build new pens for their livestock, including measuring the perimeter of different sized pens, making a construction schedule, and ordering the correct amount of fence posts based on the design of one post for every 2 metres of fence.
Aim and Release started with their Portfolio curation and then had the rest of their lab time to complete any of the tasks remaining for the Agricultural Conference project. Both groups worked through their session reflection, where they curated at least three moments from their project: one that they were proud of, one that was a good challenge, and one that felt too hard (an area for more learning as a mathematician!).
Physical Development
On Monday, the Rebels played dodgeball in the gym or went outside for skating or a hike. Wednesday, the Rebels could either go on an outdoor hike or play Sabakiball "Bank-it" Edition in the gym. Those who had played Sabakiball before enjoyed the challenge of having to score on a reversed net by "banking" the ball off the wall instead of just having to knock over the other team's pylon.
Quest
On Monday, the Rebels created a "backwards" plan to ensure they were ready for our digital exhibition on Friday. Backward planning begins with the end in mind, using a calendar showing all of our commitments between now and our deadline. Seeing the remaining available time on the calendar, each Rebel/Rebel team created a "to-do" list based on the project criteria and assigned tasks (if working in a group), so there is a clear pathway to success! We used a little time to test the Google Form that the community will use to rate and vote on the expo publications on Tuesday and Wednesday. We also took this time to offer growth mindset feedback when sharing parts of our projects with our peers. Thursday, we discussed the importance of the 360 Surveys in Journey Tracker and how to give warm-hearted and tough-minded feedback to each other so we can improve even more on our Hero's Journey next session. We also had another round of Body Talks with both groups voting to continue these biweekly in the next session. Draw and Anchor learned about the evolution of human hair and had a great discussion around the content of the TED-Ed video. Aim and Release talked about physical changes during puberty to prepare the body for reproduction, particularly how it feels to experience these changes, including talking about them. We are so proud of everyone for their curiosity and willingness to share!
Additional Highlights
KHANtest? No problem! This week, the Rebels collectively earned a whopping 46 percent, exceeding their overall goal by a long shot. We will celebrate with pizza as promised in the first or second week of Session 5!
On Thursday, we hosted an Elective Show and Tell where Rebels shared their progress and challenges with everything from constructing a 3D unicorn castle, to pendulum art, to dance and trick shots. The performances and projects were awesome! We did not have time to hear from a few people, so we will check back in with them during the first week of the next session.
Last but not least, our digital Health and Wellness Expo is LIVE! Please check your email for the shared Google Drive invitation and don't forget to vote on the content you view - your feedback will determine the winning participants who will receive a cash grant to improve health and wellness here at the school!
Exploration Studio
Launches
During Monday morning's launch, the Rebels discussed the question "Qu'est-ce que c'est 'aimer'?" They shared some of their thoughts on what it means to love somebody, as well as what makes them feel loved. "Khan hates me." "It's not my mess." " I can't do my core skills because my computer is out of battery." Due to some of the language we've heard around the studios, Erin introduced the Empowerment Dynamic and the Dreaded Drama Triangle to the Exploration Rebels. We discussed Heroic Habits vs. Victim Habits and how we could all work to stay in a coaching role instead of swooping in to rescue their studio mates. (See the questions at the bottom of the blog to read more about the habits of heroes and victims.) This week, one of our Rebels updated us on their project centred around dementia, and we all brainstormed ways to help the elderly community with dementia. Deagan also ran two launches, one that talked about the matrix between doing what is urgent vs. what is important. We listed examples of non-important, non-urgent things (playing video games), important but not urgent things (being kind), urgent but not important things (going to the washroom), and finally important and urgent things (the learners had many school-related tasks in this category). The learners wrote on the board on the quadrant they currently are and where they would like to be. On Friday, after a learner ran a quick Kahoot, we discussed the name we call ourselves, Rebels. The learners shared what being a rebel means to them and what exactly everyone is rebelling against.
Mindfulness
Our mindfulness session for the week was centred around how our body holds emotions. The learners started by drawing two bodies on a piece of paper. The first activity was something the learners are familiar with, a body scan. The learners used the drawing of the body as a tracker to write down the different feelings their body is experiencing, labelling each body part with that feeling. Afterward, Deagan read out a list of emotions, and the learners wrote down where they feel certain emotions (anger in the hands was a common one). We concluded by talking about how our body is a tell-tale sign of how we're feeling and that it is essential to check in with how our bodies are often feeling.
Math Lab
To close out our concept review session, those who accepted the challenge completed a series of Order of Operations stations to earn a Rebel Buck! The other options included working toward their Khan or Skill Struck goal or completing one of our Problems of the Week focusing on long division and logic.
French
This week, Rebels came up in front of their peers for their final presentation about a famous work of art. From Picasso to Raphael and Anish Kapoor, the Rebels determined whether their work of art was abstract or figurative, a portrait or a landscape, how it makes them feel and why. We then spent some time catching up on assignments or doing online exercises. On Thursday, Rebels who had finished their badge requirements could play "loup-garou"!
Quest
This week our Quest periods were used to prepare for our Exhibition held online on Wednesday. On Monday, Deagan introduced the learners to the census information gathered from the different wards in Ottawa. The learners used the information to learn more about who lives in their ward with questions like; "What is the average income of the people in your ward?" and "What type of housing is prevalent?" The learners spent the final two days before Exhibition finishing up their maps and having their badges approved. The badge approval process involves each learner's squad asking them a series of questions about the process throughout the session and determining if they completed the learning objectives.
Documentary
This week was our final preparation period before our Documentary Showcase, held the first week of Session 5. The learners have chosen which day they are presenting and which documentaries they will be attending. We're looking forward to seeing the learners share their work in a group setting and receive feedback from their peers.
Physical Development
On Monday, the Rebels played dodgeball in the gym or went outside for skating or a hike. Wednesday, the Rebels could either go on an outdoor hike or play Sabakiball "Bank-it" Edition in the gym. Those who had played Sabakiball before enjoyed the challenge of having to score on a reversed net by "banking" the ball off the wall instead of just having to knock over the other team's pylon.
Launchpad
This week Launchpad Rebels took time to submit writing pieces, finish up badge work, and continue making progress toward the core skill goals that they set.
Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science
This week, our module focused on heat transfer from microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. During our lessons, we watched demonstrations by Carme Ruscalleda on how to cook steak, paella, and Crema Catalana, all of which illustrated the remarkable attention chefs pay to the diffusion of heat when cooking. We also learned about different ways to cook meats, including sous vide and deep-frying from Nathan Myhrvold and how to cook the perfect french fries from America's Test Kitchen! While having the opportunity to learn from these incredible chefs, we also took part in several science discussions regarding the denaturing of proteins and how to promote specific chemical reactions that alter food texture and modify the taste (specifically browning reactions, including caramelization and Maillard reactions). In this week's lab, learners had the opportunity to make a molten chocolate cake while observing heat diffusion. By taking temperature measurements along the way, Rebels were able to calculate the heat diffusion coefficient of the cake batter. It was a delicious and informative experiment!
Canadian History
We began our week with a Stock Market simulation to better understand what led to Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929) and the Great Depression. Learners had the opportunity to buy and sell stocks throughout eight rounds before counting up their remaining cash at the end of the game. Rebels then created a mind map with the information they've learned about how persons, events, policies, social trends, and other things about the history of Canada between 1914-1929 may be connected. The remaining class periods were spent catching up and reviewing all of the course challenges before the end of the session.
Additional Highlights
This week our learner, who is this year's Ottawa Children's Business Fair Coordinator, confirmed our venue and scheduled a site tour for next week to go over logistics and needs. They also sent a reminder email to the mailing list regarding registration deadlines. Next on their action list is securing donors and confirming mentors for our young entrepreneurs.
Launchpad Rebels also spent time preparing for the WorkspaceSky pilot project they will participate in with teens from around the world next month. They started designing their Gather Town space and helped create two of the courses Revel will be offering to the community. We hope that this opportunity leads to deeper discussions with teens who may have very different experiences and perspectives!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark:
What is Pink Shirt Day? How can you show kindness to others? What would you do if you saw someone not acting nice to someone else?
What was your favourite experiment this week?
French: Which animal did you draw in French class this week? What is it called in French?
Discovery:
Which badges were you hoping to earn this session? Did you succeed on your Hero's Journey? Why or why not?
What is a 360 Survey, and why should you complete them?
French: Which of your assignments are you most proud of? Looking back, how could you improve the quality of your work?
Exploration:
Heroic Habits - Which do we do best? Which do we need to work most on?
Welcome challenges, pursue excellence, persevere through failure and/or treat others with respect.
Habits of Victim - Which needs most work?
Shirk responsibility, deliver shoddy work, cut corners and look for loopholes, and/or whine, gossip, blame and treat others with disrespect.
What would you like to focus on in Session 5?
French: Which of your assignments are you most proud of? Looking back, how could you improve the quality of your work?
Launchpad:
Which module of our Harvard edX course has been your favourite?
What are you most looking forward to in Session 5?
Dates of Interest
Monday, Feb 28th: Last day to return Revel Family Screen Time Choice Board Challenge sheets!
March 7th - 11th: Second round of Discovery Rebel/Grown-Up/Guide meetings (BAND sign-up schedule will be available March 1st)
March 13th - Official deadline for Ottawa Children's Business Fair applications