Revel Recap: February 6 - 10, 2023

Spark Studio 

Mindfulness 

Have you ever wondered about magical hot air balloons and flying horses? If not, tune into the adventurous podcast "Short Stories for Kids" to hear wonderful stories to activate your learners' imaginations! The Sparks rested their bodies Monday morning and explored the story The Magical Hot Air balloon and the Flying Horses. At the end of the podcast, we reflected on the storyline and discussed the characters, conflict, and setting. On Tuesday, we put on the cozy fireplace channel with relaxing music and coloured pictures of various flying objects. Wednesday was the middle of the week, so it was a great time to get our bodies moving. The Sparks participated in yoga and learned the hot air balloon and airplane poses. Thursday, the learners followed along with a direct drawing of a drone! The drones turned out so cool! We read the story "I believe I Can" by Grace Myers to end the week, which is about believing in yourself and how you can accomplish anything. We then wrote in our gratitude journal about something we are grateful about ourselves.  

Quest 

Captain Kaitlin is back in the Sparks Studio! The Sparks boarded the jet from Ottawa, Ontario and flew to Sydney, Australia where they began their fifth week of Quest about things that fly. The Sparks made a list of everything which can fly, such as drones, airplanes, birds, hot air balloons, kites and much more! They created a list of things they already knew and what they wanted to learn. To expand our understanding, we read the story, Planes and Other Flying Machines by Jill McDonald. Sparks then chose one of the many ideas from the book and drew a picture. 

Once the plane landed, the Sparks played stunt pilots in the gym. Everyone converted into jets and had obstacles to go around. There were mountains, turbulence, swirls, water landing, and bumps along the way. The Sparks loved the turbulence route as they got to use potato sacks!

On Tuesday, we thought about why we need airplanes. The Sparks talked about how it is a mode of transportation that helps us get to far away places. We then watched a SciShow Kids Video about how airplanes fly. We also learned about the Wright Brothers, who invented the first airplane. The first plane was made of wood, and the first flight lasted 12 seconds! We talked about how much planes have changed and improved over time and agreed it's a pretty amazing invention! Then it was time to make paper airplanes. Following each step, we all folded and created our own versions. We tested them in the gym, having fun flying around and having a friendly competition to see whose plane could fly the furthest. 

During our long flight to Sydney, learners mentioned birds also fly! So what do you think they did? Led by Mme. Marianne, and with the help of Exploration and Launchpad Rebels, the Spark learners built bird feeders! The Sparks recapped the safety rules and got hard to work hammering. We can't wait to share them at Exhibition with everyone!

On Thursday, we read the story Ron's Big Mission by Rose Blue. Reading this story united us as a community and reflected on respect and kindness. We encourage our learners to spread kindness and understand emotions. This story is based on Ronald McNair's dream to become a pilot/astronaut, but he had to overcome several roadblocks due to the colour of his skin. We used this Quest session to reflect on how this made Ronald feel and how anyone can become who they want to be. Followed by this reading, the Sparks made airplanes using popsicle sticks. To end Quest, we made kites! Before designing, we talked about the shape of the kite we were making and why the diamond shape helps to make them fly. The Sparks used paper, straws, tape and string to make their kites. We then decorated the kites and added tissue paper. 

French

Monday, we listened to a video of Martin teaching us how to draw a cat, and then we drew a unicorn cat together! We played in the gym on Tuesday to work on our numbers, colours, and animal names.

Wednesday, we drew birds in preparation for our birdhouse workshop. We also learned about the parts of the bird, such as the beak, wings, and tail, and the Sparks thought it was cool that beaks and kisses are the same word in French.

Storytelling Workshop

On Thursday, the Sparks had six cards with images to tell a story. They split into three groups and had to develop a storyline reflecting the cards placed for them. The characters were an elephant, a monkey, and a tiger. Everyone used blocks to show their story visually and then shared their stories aloud while jungle animal noises played in the background! 

Math

For math this week, we started with a Vooks animated story called "Shapes Roll" to review some of the shapes we know and learn some new ones. We then completed shape activities to continue our learning. 

Art 

How do hot air balloons fly? How do they land? Who would go on a hot air balloon ride? We discussed how molecules from the hot air balloon's fire spread high and move quickly to fill the balloon to move up into the sky. They learned that heat rises, so adding air from the top of the balloon will cause the molecules to stop spreading, helping you to land! Followed by this discussion, the Sparks used pompoms and buttons to design their own hot air balloon. Each learner had a picture taken, and they were then placed in the basket, complete with their facial reaction as if they were inside the balloon!

Geography

Welcome to the Sparks flight en route to Africa. The Sparks went on a virtual African savannah trip to discover the incredible wildlife and nature. They used their passports which were stamped on their way to South Africa. The Sparks drew and coloured the map of South Africa and wrote down one thing they learned on their journey. The Sparks will be off to a new adventure next week, but that's a surprise, so stay tuned!

Discovery Studio 

Mindfulness

For Mantra Monday, the Rebels considered the affirmation: "I am calm and peaceful." We brought out a bunch of yoga mats and pillows and found our most comfortable position before trying a snowflake-themed body scan to relax our minds and bodies for the day. Tuesday Rebels set up our Launch Space with colouring books, mindful mazes and word puzzles for the team to work on while listening to calming music. On Wonder Wednesday, the Rebels tried creating their own word puzzles using a word search template. For Thankful Thursday, we experimented with brown noise to clear and calm our minds while we wrote in our journals about gratitude and manifesting goals! For Feel-good Friday, Rebels had an excellent Boomwhackers jam session.  

Launches

Monday morning, Rebels kicked off their week with a Black History Month read-aloud and discussion on the story Hidden Figures: The True Story of 4 Black Women and the Space Race. We asked the Rebels about what it means to have courage and take risks as we explored how Katherine, Mary, Christine, and Dorothy stood up for what they believed in and how hard that must have been, especially at that time in history. We had some excellent Rebel-led launches this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, aimed to equip and connect the Rebels. Tuesday's Launch was about how to clean up our gymnasium space better, and Wednesday's Launch was about Mexican wildlife photos from a recent vacation! Thursday's Launch focused on revisiting the concept of excellence. With Exhibition coming up next week, they reflected on what we want to showcase and how we will measure our success. Friday's Current Events report featured a special Super Bowl moment in honour of Black History Month: Super Bowl LVII will be the first-ever championship game to feature two black quarterbacks! Rebels enjoyed a few other viral stories this week about "sharks on the front lawn" and, of course, the always-favourite, "Live From Snack Time." 

Reader/Writer

Rebels focused their 5th workshop on their Reader Writer Badge "To-Do" list. Some opted to finish their 3 Choice Board Op-Ed entries in their journals, while others selected their favourite Op-Ed to type up as their Exhibition entry. Rebels worked as a team to peer-edit each other's entries for spelling, grammar, and punctuation before sending them to the printer. Their formatting was a key element of the Op-Ed, and we reviewed the importance of a clear opinion statement, three supporting pieces of evidence, and a strong concluding statement. Rebels agreed their Exhibition pieces needed to be elevated as this was the 4th Exhibition of the year, and we discussed ways we could do that. Our team decided that typing a good copy, having a proper title, and using images could help us showcase our best work. We look forward to showing you their final products at the Exhibition on Thursday! 

French

This week we learned how to read and tell the time in French using the 24-hour clock. We did a Kahoot on this topic before completing some written exercises to practice. As we near the end of the session, we took time to work on our French core skills together, and this week every Rebel reached their goal in French! 

Math Lab

This week the Rebel MPs continued their work as members of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. In particular, their first task was to look into data on the collection of plastic/grocery bags. In addition, they reviewed plans for planting their own food and starting a community garden project. These tasks involved interpreting data presented in picture graphs, bar graphs, and circle graphs, as well as using money and time concepts to help review budget constraints and staffing needs for purchasing supplies like seeds and organizing jobs like preparing soil, planting and watering. 

Civilizations

This week we continued with the concept of a dynasty; however, now in the empire of China! Rebels heard the story of the Sui dynasty, formed by Yang Chien, hoping to unite the northern and southern countries. They learned how a big part of this unity was the creation of the Grand Canal that would join the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. However, this was controversial at the time because the taxes and difficult labour for the people of China made them angry. On the other hand, the Tang dynasty that followed tried to make cities cleaner and people prosperous. This dynasty lasted three hundred years and is known as the Golden Age of China because of the advancements and inventions that came. Rebels reflected on an emperor from each dynasty and discussed how their actions impacted the citizens.

Quest

The government and opposition MPs were hard at work this week, carefully reviewing each part of their upcoming debate and preparing well-reasoned arguments backed with solid evidence. On Monday, the caucus groups met to focus on their main arguments for their opening statements. While the government focused on the key reasons behind their bill to limit the use of private motor vehicles in Canada, the opposition looked for reasons to stop the bill from reaching Royal Assent while supporting key environmental issues. Tuesday, the Rebels continued to formulate these arguments, typing them up and strengthening their delivery with accurate references, data, and facts related to Canada's emission reduction targets and budgets for families. On Wednesday, the MPs met in the House to rehearse their arguments and to begin understanding the rebuttal piece in a debate. By listening deeply to the other side's main arguments, the MPs were ready to head back to their caucus meetings to prepare precise counter-arguments. By Thursday, some were ready to start practicing their speaking and presentation, including timing. Throughout the week, other parliamentarians worked to support the process. The Hansard Reported scribed MP speeches, the Sergeant-At-Arms redesigned the ceremonial mace, and the Speaker and Clerk edited a draft debate script to follow time constraints and parliamentary procedure. Amazing job, Rebels!

Physical Development

We enjoyed skating and playing hockey on the rink or in the snow at Ravel Park on Monday. On Wednesday, Rebels finalized choreographing, and some were able to film their TikTok Dance! Those who opted for another activity other than dance enjoyed a close game of mini-stick hockey in the gym. 

Additional Highlights

We had an Ice Cream Party Friday afternoon to celebrate the studio Caribou Contest results! Rebels who scored points by participating in these bi-monthly math contests got to choose from brownie, cookie, and candy toppings. Well deserved, Rebels!

Elective Show and Tell: Thank you to all Rebels who shared their work and passions with our studio this week. Rebels demonstrated creative house design, coding skills, and hockey trick shots in the gym. 

Discovery Exhibition will be open Thursday, February 17th at 4:00 (House of Commons Procession and Debate will begin promptly at 4:15 pm)  


Exploration Studio

Mindfulness and Launches 

On Monday, we had an earnest talk about our guardrails and covenants as we witnessed a breakdown of our studio culture on Friday. We agreed to hold one another more accountable going forward. On Tuesday, we welcomed a guest with a get-to-know-you circle before playing a game of Squirt in the gym. We then tackled an ethical dilemma: Should we get rid of mosquitoes? Mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths every year than any other animal, but very few of the 3,500 mosquito species transmit deadly diseases to humans. Rebels learned that scientists have been conducting experiments using engineered technologies called gene drives that could theoretically get rid of the most lethal mosquitoes. So, should we eradicate these pesky insects? The Rebels were split in their opinion, some stating that we couldn't foresee the potential consequences while others felt it was worth a shot to save lives. On Wednesday, we began watching "BLK: An Origin Story," which "acts as an immersive and informative chapter of Black Canadian history, elevating remarkable Black Canadians previously unacknowledged in mainstream social, academic, and cultural circles, normalizing their unique stories as a matter of general record." This week we watched the first episode titled "Three Epic Migrations, One People," where we learned about how the descendants of the Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and the Black Refugees represent Canada's largest Black population today. On Thursday, Rebels returned ready to finish the episode after an excellent yoga session with Ms. Jenna. On Friday, we learned about Black Iguanas, the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Superbowl thanks to our learner-created Current Events duo.

Math Lab

This was the final stretch for the (in)Equity Infographic Project in terms of gathering our data and deciding how to display it. The Rebels used a success criteria checklist to ensure they had all essential format parts like a bold, catchy title, various sections including clear fonts and engaging imagery, and at least three data displays. Next week we will set up a gallery walk presentation, taking turns to share our data stories and reflect on conclusions that can be drawn based on what they found.

Civilizations - Rules without Rulers

This week we learned that a constitution is a document that lists rules for a country with the primary goal of defining what power a national government does and does not have. In the case of the US, the constitution separates the government into three branches to provide "checks and balances," ensuring no one branch has too much power. 

In Part 1 of our simulation, learners became delegates at the Constitutional Convention. The delegates were scared of turning into England (a Kingdom/Empire), so they wanted to give only a little power to the federal government. But, they realized giving too much power to the states meant they couldn't make decisions efficiently or pay for big things because there was no way to split the big bills between all the states. The Rebels' mission was to find the balance of power. 

Reader/Writer

Exploration and Launchpad Rebels enjoyed a very special Guest Speaker workshop led by Ottawa's very own, MayaSpoken. Maya helped Rebels understand how Social Justice and Poetry can produce genuine change in our communities. Maya discussed her personal journey and experiences growing up. She shared how poetry was (and still is) a creative and therapeutic outlet for her. Maya performed some of her work, showing us how tone, rhythm and voice impact how we present words. Rebels then co-created their own poem with Maya, which will be displayed at the Exhibition next week. Special thanks again to Maya; we are so grateful to have witnessed your gifts in person - thank you for making our communities and city a better place for all! 

French

Following our discussion from last week, we have been testing a new way of working in French. The Rebels can complete grammar exercises or play an activity or a game with Mme Marianne each week. This week we reviewed our numbers in French, and the assignment helped us to practice writing the numbers in letters and their exceptions to the rules. We also worked on how to write the time. The game option consisted of listening to Mme Marianne saying phone numbers while learners wrote down as many as possible. A beneficial game for everyday life!

Design for Change Quest

Do you need to redesign, or are you ready to begin building? Exploration learners used the feedback from last week to improve their inventions, and once they were ready, they began testing. Some Rebels returned to the drawing board when they realized their plan wasn't going to work or feasible. On Thursday, learners began putting together a presentation for Exhibition that includes the problem they are trying to solve, why they believe their innovation or invention would make a difference, pictures and sketches of their design process, and challenges they faced. We look forward to showing you what we came up with and explaining our lessons learned on Tuesday.

Additional Highlights

The conditions were great at Carlington Hill this week, so some of our Exploration Rebels took advantage and went snowboarding at recess and PE! Other learners meanwhile continued to skate and play hockey on the ODR at Raven Park. 

Launchpad

Biomimicry

How will we ensure that our biomimetic design appropriately addresses the identified problem? Learners began to review the strategies and mechanisms that informed their final design. To gain further understanding and insight into the problem, they requested a meeting with the Ottawa River Keeper and were delighted to hear back. To prepare for their meeting, they came up with a list of questions to send in advance to make the most of their time. On Tuesday, they reflected on whether they felt more connected to the natural world after their Biomimicry YDC experience. Learners stated that they looked at environmental problem-solving with a different lens now. One learner said, "I tend to wonder more about how an organism does specific tasks which I haven't thought about before. I've also become more critical about how we solve problems and asking how and why we came to such solutions in the first place. If more people thought this way, we would have many more innovations based on the natural world and changing unsustainable aspects of society much, much more quickly than we currently are."

On Thursday, Rebels met with Renee from the Ottawa River Keeper, who answered all of our questions and helped the learners to question and redesign their solution focusing on the Chloride component rather than road salt as a whole. They also learned that road salts had a much higher impact on smaller streams and creeks, so focusing their effort near smaller waterways would have a higher impact. Learners then began pulling everything together to communicate their solutions for our Exhibition attendees next Thursday and prepare their project for the Youth Design Challenge. After revisiting the Design Brief and Portfolio Checklist, they began working on their Project Overview, Two-Minutes Video Pitch, Project Portfolio, and Project Image.

Technical Drawing

Stippling, scumbling, shading, smudging, and crosshatching were all rendering skills we developed throughout the week. Rebels also learned how to create title blocks. These information boxes are typically found on the bottom right-hand corner of a drawing, indicating details such as the title, author name, scale, and date the drawing was created. As we end our Biomimicry Quest, learners will add title boxes to their sketches for their Youth Design Challenge submission. 

Natural History Illustration

This week, we focused on invertebrates, namely insects. After reading a section of their text, The Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink, Launchpad Rebels chose a specimen from our table, online, or from a field guide to draw. They were also asked to add facts and labels wherever possible concisely and neatly. On Wednesday, learners thought about how they would display their work for Exhibition. Would they create a display, a slide show, or another method? 

Friday, we read about finishing touches and how to combine ink and pen with other media. With their remaining time, they had the choice to either start a new piece or use a finishing technique for their previous work.

Spanish & French

In Spanish this week, our Launchpad learner worked on vocabulary associated with festivals before learning demonstrative adjectives such as aqui vs. alla and contigo vs. conmigo. For the cultural portion, they covered Spanish Speaking Festivals such as Cinco de Mayo.

This week we discussed French culture and began reading a new magazine on current events entitled "Reinventing Gender." 

Guest Speaker - MayaSpoken

Launchpad Rebels enjoyed a workshop led by Ottawa's very own, MayaSpoken! Maya helped Rebels understand how Social Justice and Poetry can produce genuine change in our communities. Maya discussed her personal journey and experiences growing up. She shared how poetry was (and still is) a creative and therapeutic outlet for her. Maya performed some of her work, showing us how tone, rhythm and voice impact how we present words. Rebels then co-created their own poem with Maya, which will be displayed at the Exhibition next week. Special thanks again to Maya; we are so grateful to have witnessed your gifts in person - thank you for making our communities and city a better place for all! 

Civilization

This week we learned that a constitution is a document that lists rules for a country with the primary goal of defining what power a national government does and does not have. In the case of the US, the constitution separates the government into three branches to provide "checks and balances," ensuring no one branch has too much power. 

In Part 1 of our simulation, learners became delegates at the Constitutional Convention. The delegates were scared of turning into England (a Kingdom/Empire), so they wanted to give only a little power to the federal government. But, they realized giving too much power to the states meant they couldn't make decisions efficiently or pay for big things because there was no way to split the big bills between all the states. The Rebels' mission was to find the balance of power. 

Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel: 

  • Spark

    • If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?

    • Who did you work with to build your bird feeder?

    • French: How do you say "I love you" in French? 

  • Discovery 

    • How do you feel about the upcoming Exhibition? Are you in your comfort, challenge or panic zone? What is your role? 

    • French: What is the big difference between how to read the time in French vs. English?

  • Exploration

    • How do you write a constitution that protects against corruption and bureaucracy of a centralized government, and also against populism and confusion of a decentralized government?  

    • How do you feel about the upcoming Exhibition? Are you in your comfort, challenge or panic zone? What is your role? 

    • French: Do you prefer playing games, doing exercises, or both to learn French?

  • Launchpad

    • How are you going to redesign your Biomimicry solution based on the information you gathered from the Ottawa River Keeper?

    • Are you excited to exhibit your work on Thursday? What are you most proud to show; Natural History illustrations, technical drawings, Biomimicry solutions, or something else?

    • French: What (gender identity) vocabulary words did you learn this week?

Dates of Interest

  • Pink Shirt and Valentine's Day - Tuesday, February 14th

  • Session 4 Exhibitions

    • Exploration: Tuesday, February 14th at 4:30 pm

    • Spark: Wednesday, February 15th at 4:15 pm

    • Discovery: Thursday, February 16th at 4:15 pm

    • Discovery Exhibition will be open Thursday, February 17th at 4:00 (House of Commons Procession and Debate will begin promptly at 4:15 pm)  

    • Launchpad: Thursday, February 16th at 4:15 pm

  • Family Day (No School): Monday, February 20th

  • Sessional Break and Camp: Tuesday, February 21st - 24th

Erin Anderson