Revel Recap: May 8-12, 2023

Spark Studio 

Mindfulness

After catching up on the excitement of our weekends, we listened to a meditation story where we imagined we were a bird flying through the air. Throughout the week, we enjoyed yoga, colouring birds, directed drawing of either a flamingo or a peacock and writing in our gratitude journals. We also listened to the story, Grow Grateful by Jon Lasser and Sage Foster-Lasser. It described how even the little things around us are as important as bigger things. We must focus on how precious things are around us and be grateful for all. Each morning we have also focused on our calendar. We have been discussing the weather, the month and the days of the week. This time together in the mornings inspires many unique conversations and prepares our minds for the day.

Quest

On Monday morning, we read the story, Birds by Kevin Henkes about the magic birds bring. If you listen and look carefully, you will hear and see them, no matter where you live! The Sparks then listened to a short clip, All About Birds for Children. The Sparks learned that all birds share some common features; they are all vertebrates, warm-blooded, have two legs, wings and feathers, a beak or bill and lay eggs. They live all around the world and come in all sorts of sizes and colours. Fun fact: There are more than 10,000 species of birds on Earth! We then looked at our bird puzzle and identified the parts of a bird. We coloured in our bird pictures and labelled the head, beak, breast, legs, claws, tail and wings. 

On Tuesday, we focused on eight different types of birds, emperor penguin, barn owl, Northern cardinal, mallard, wild turkey, scarlet macaw, greater flamingo and the common kingfisher. To begin the activity, the Sparks played A Pair of Birds, a memory game matching the male and females of various species. When a match was found, we spotted the differences we could see by looking at the cards. We then used the National Geographic Kids Birds book to explore each bird more in-depth. The Sparks then voted on the two species they found most interesting birds and created a bristol board with fun facts. (We will keep it a surprise for Exhibition on which two birds they picked!) 

On Wednesday, we discussed different types of habitats where birds live and how not all birds live in a nest. With the warmer weather, we embraced the nature surrounding our school to build a nest. The Sparks worked individually or in groups to create a home for a bird of their choice, but it had to be one which would potentially live in a nest. We will continue to look at our nests to see if any birds have come to lay eggs or take any of the resources. The Sparks looked at the trees outside and saw a bird's nest; we hope we see a bird fly to its habitat! On Friday, we used clay to create our own birds. The learners have incredible imaginations and are creative, making each bird unique! We can't wait to share them with our families next week. 

Art

A Nest Full of Eggs, by Priscilla Jenkins, is about a bird who lays eggs. It has baby birds growing inside two eggs, and you get to see the stages of the birds as they develop. One day, it fully cracks through the shell, and the bird chirps loudly as the parents care for them. As the chick grows stronger, it learns to fly and care for itself. After the story, the Sparks created a bird's nest using string and paper and birds using paper, googly eyes, feathers and other materials they wanted to use to make the different parts of a bird.

French

Monday, we listened to a video about the fable « La cigale et la fourmi » and did some colouring to learn the names of the insects in French. Tuesday, as usual, we played in the gym to review our numbers, colours, and prepositions of place with games like Quelle heure est-il monsieur Leloup?, Bulldog, and « Jean dit.» On Wednesday, we worked together on a Monster Hunt and Find activity to review our body parts and questions in French.

Storytelling Workshop 

Once upon a time, there were Sparks who created their own stories! The studio split into three teams and built a story using our creative storytelling cards. First, the learners had to align their cards in the order of the story that they wanted to create. They then had to develop a title, beginning, middle and end. Once finished, the Sparks used the area provided by a wooden circle, used loose parts to create their characters, and their birdhouse had to be included somehow. The Sparks did an excellent job creating stories and using their imagination. 

Additional Highlights 

It has overall been an eventful week for the Sparks. The learners were very excited to observe that some of our seeds started to sprout! Many are excitedly checking on them each morning to see if there have been any changes overnight! 

We were happy to have another Mystery Reader who read three books; how exciting! Plus, they were books we had never read before. Speaking of reading, the Sparks spent D.E.A.R outside once this week under the trees. It was hard not to spend extra time in nature with the beautiful weather. 

If your learner didn't tell you about a very entertaining Thursday they had, well, let us tell you. The Children's Festival was so much fun! The Sparks enjoyed a jaw-dropping show by A Simple Space. The talent that was shown had the learners spellbound. The Sparks also visited some tents with extra activities to join, including some circus fun. This week we kept working hard on our projects for Exhibition. Lots of paintings and rehearsing have been done. 

On Friday, we had a special visit to the Rebel Buck Store hosted by Exploration, and the Sparks had the opportunity to play with the new items for Fun Friday. 




Discovery Studio 

Mindfulness

For Mantra Monday, we started reading the book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Before reading, we challenged each other to think about what mantra the story might represent. We got about halfway through the story and met all four of the characters, and the Rebels shared many mantras: "I am brave," "I am kind," "Life is difficult, but you are loved," and "When life is difficult, take a cake break." On In-Touch Tuesday, the Rebels redesigned their donuts for the Challenge Donut poster. They each shared three unique words to describe themselves that would anchor them during stressful or "panic zone" times. For Wonder Wednesday, we finished the read-aloud and discussed our favourite mantras from the main characters (the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse). Rebels really liked the mole's humour and love of cake and the horse's lesson that we are loved no matter what! For Thankful Thursday, the Rebels journaled about the story and drew pictures to help them remember the lessons it taught them. Feel-Good Friday, we went through our Boomwhacker warm-ups and then played a rendition of Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Launches

The Guides turned to the Rebels for help with our Guide Squad homework to kick off the week. Using last week's feedback that being "game-makers" is our strongest skill, we asked the Rebels to break down the ingredients of this skill and help us plan to reach new levels of excellence. Game-makers deliver powerful launches, examples, rubrics, recipes, maps and processes, all while gamifying the experience. The Rebels decided that of these items, we need to work most on making Launches more memorable and gamifying more elements of our Quests and Workshops in the future. Our Guide Candidate from Queen's University led Tuesday's Launch! This Launch put the Rebels directly into the shoes of their future hero selves, interviewing for a job. They considered what they would do if a co-worker at McDonald's asked them for help, knowing that a rush was impending at any moment. The takeaway from this discussion was that everyone has different limits and to say no when you need to. Wednesday's mid-week squad check-in asked the Rebels to discuss if they finish early, whether they should focus on rehearsing for Quest or reaching ahead with their Core Skills goals. Thursday morning, we debriefed what to expect on our field trip to the Ottawa Children's Festival. Friday's Current Events report featured a thoughtful debate on the proposed changes to the Canadian passport, a stylish cat on the catwalk in Bangladesh and a Shazam vs. Thor force rank inspired by one of our Rebel Heroes!

Reader/Writer

For our 4th Writer's Workshop this session, Rebels participated in a special Everyday Edit Challenge created by one of our very own Discovery Rebels! Pygmy marmosets were the topic of an informative nonfiction paragraph, with a variety of very clever grammar and punctuation errors - including a sneaky word using an American spelling rule instead of Canadian. Rebels questioned and discussed: What are the differences between "American" and "Canadian" English language spelling rules? Why are there changes? Are both still considered to be spelled correctly? This week's writing prompts had Rebels posing as Realtors for Magical Homes or creating a Smart Phone for Pets - including a text dialogue between two animals planning to meet for a walk. 

Civilizations

This week the Rebels had a work period for the Middle Ages Museum project. They are starting to get excited about the overarching story they will tell about this historical period! We have Rebels researching everything from the Byzantine Empire to the Grand Canal, Viking longships, Feudalism, the Normans, the Bubonic Plague, all the way to the invention of the printing press! Rebels focused this week by using at least one source and filling in the research foldable with what they thought was the main idea, their favourite part, and at least one question they had. 

French 

This week in French, we learned the possessive pronouns (my, your, their, etc.). After watching a video, we made games and an activity sheet to practice! 

We listened to a video on insects for this week's French workshop and learned how to write some incredibly long words! We also filled in our observation books on the growth of our seedlings! 

Math Lab

This week most business owners got close to finishing up tasks related to their animal care, babysitting, and lawn mowing services. Many started working together to check for errors in their expense lists, revenue reports, and other problem-solving. Next week they will ensure to have audited at least three items with their BIA before submitting their Business Time badge! 

Quest

Monday started with a vital contract deadline: since the Rebels had opted to rent an off-site venue for their production, they needed to coordinate the final layout of the rented space and equipment and confirm this with the site representative. After they made their final decision, we tried a full rehearsal (scenes 1-7) for the first time. The Rebels worked hard to manage time between scenes and ensure all props and set design were arranged. This week's greatest goal is for the actors to reach "off-book" status, leaving their scripts behind and truly being present in each scene. On Tuesday, the Rebels finally made it all the way through their show with no stops! Wednesday's rehearsal grew stronger as the Rebels focused on the stars and wishes from earlier in the week: transitions are getting quieter and more cues are being met without prompting. Keep up the hard work and dedication, Rebels! Rehearsal on Thursday was cancelled due to our fabulous field trip to Ottawa Children's Theatre to watch "A Simple Space"! Rebels in Spark and Discovery Studio were left in awe as they watched an incredible performance performed by six acrobats and a percussionist. When we got back to Revel, Rebels had a chance to reflect on the show and asked themselves: "What can we take away from seeing that performance and channel it into our own next week?" In a performance where mistakes and slip-ups are supposed to occur and be visible to the audience, Rebels discussed how the ability to keep going and not let what happened in one scene affect the following line, scene or part of the show. "What did you notice about the sound and lighting?" "What did you notice about the choreography?" "How did they orchestrate transitions with no backstage?" "How were props stored and displayed?" It was an excellent way to inspire and motivate our Rebels to put on their best show in Week 5! 

Additional Highlights

We are hosting a fantastic Guide Candidate from Queen's Concurrent Education programme - welcome, Bella! Bella is shadowing our studios and stepping in to lead some Socratic discussions this week and next. It's great to have you at Revel. 

On Thursday, Discovery joined the Sparks to attend the Ottawa Children's Festival and enjoyed sunshine, puppet making, a blanket fort maze, and last but not least, an INCREDIBLE acrobatic performance of Australia's show: A Simple Space! 

Exploration Studio

Mindfulness, Launches, and Town Hall

LEGO!!! Our week began with multiple new Lego sets being opened and built during mindfulness. There's something relaxing about sitting down, following instructions, and having a cool spaceship or sailboat at the end! We then started a Mark Rober video all about Zipline, an incredibly cool drone company revolutionizing delivery systems. Rebels were very excited about the autonomous technology that could quickly deliver food and other items while taking cars off the road. They were also blown away by Zipline's work in rural areas in Africa for healthcare! Tuesday's yoga practice featured side-body stretches, a bird-dog flow, and reclined twists, followed by watching more of the Zipline documentary. On Wednesday morning, we worked on our networking skills (see the Apprenticeship section), and on Thursday, we started our day with another invigorating yoga session. We then brainstormed the imagery and iconography that we feel represents Canada before learning more about the new passport, its security features, and updated imagery. We also watched part of the debate in the House of Commons regarding what pictures were chosen, which images were taken out, and what the choices said about our values or perceptions as Canadian citizens. 

In Town Hall, we discussed what we should do with the outdoor balls now that the weather is nice and they are constantly in use. The Rebels voted and have asked for a large trash bin with a lid to store them outside to keep them in better condition. The learners also voted on the food and beverages they would like to have on hand for next week's Exhibition and Living Library. Lastly, badges were awarded, and Character Callouts were given before they requested to end the week with a round of Double-Pictionary!

Reader/Writer

This week in Reader/Writer kicked off with a discussion and video about the Writer's Strike underway in the US. With the looming threat of AI taking away jobs in the screenwriting business, Rebels discussed how they would feel if they were in the writers' position. What does "intelligence" mean to us? How does the definition of "intelligence" change when describing a robot? Would a Universal Dividend Fund for all ChatGPT users work? After a thought-provoking discussion, Rebels began developing their written entries to go up against ChatGPT next week. The topics range from brief historical paragraphs of Canada's provinces and cities to limericks about house plants, "How-To" instructions on building a bow and arrow, book and film reviews, athlete biographies, and more. It will be interesting to see how the Rebels' work compares to ChatGPT's and what criteria voters will use when deciding which entry was written by a human. We are excited to see what the Rebels come up with for our final workshop of the session, "ChatGPT vs Me!"

Math Lab

This week Rebels reflected on what they learned from each of the labs this session and the overall process of completing three-act tasks. They planned the display they will create for Exhibition and then used the rest of their time to complete the purposeful practice questions that go with each lab. They worked on using models, tables, and graphs to explore the various patterns from the session, and we will use their work next week to refine our summary of lessons learned.

Rules without Rulers 

To wrap up our session on new forms of government, the Rebels researched Holacracies this week. After reading multiple articles, watching videos of current practices in place, and evaluating infographics, Rebels made a pros and cons list of Holacracy as a form of government. While many agreed that it was ideal in many ways and understood why it could be a successful business practice, the Rebels felt that people crave power and that a system of rules and no hierarchy wasn't possible at this time in society.

French

This week, we finished our debates from last week in teams of two and learned about the authority fallacy. Then on Wednesday, we played a long game of Loup-Garou.

We learned how to use a jigsaw for our French workshop and started to build our stool!

Quest

Would you say you love to dance, or would you be happier never to have to dance again? The word dance represents purposeful sequences and movements with symbolic or aesthetic value. Given this, what can you think of that could technically be considered "dance?" Rebels debated whether jogging, soccer, or jumping could be regarded as dances before learning more about the traditional Māori Haka, which holds great historical and cultural importance to the Māori people. We also spoke about hip-hop and how it represents its own culture. Groups then got to work finishing off their choreography code and attempted to practice flying their mission. 

On Tuesday, Rebels reflected on whether their dance illustrates thoughtful timing (How closely synced are the movements of the drone to the music?), a level of difficulty (Were risks taken, how complex are the commands?), artistic creativity (is the dance aesthetically pleasing?) and collaboration (Did they work well as a team and continue to problem-solve?). Both groups felt their voices were heard but needed help getting the timing right and the drones to connect successfully to the devices. 

Thursday, learners reached their breaking point as one group could not get the swarm mode to work, and the other group's drones would not connect. It was incredibly frustrating and understandably stress-inducing as Exhibition is on Tuesday. After troubleshooting most of the period, Rebels began to devise a Plan B for what to show their families if they can't get the drones to work at their last rehearsal on Monday. 

Apprenticeship

We focused on effective networking this week in preparation for next week's Living Library event. We reviewed how to present ourselves confidently, even when we are nervous and the importance of practicing our talking points in advance so it feels more natural. The Exploration Rebels then created the timeline they felt made the most sense for the Living Library, thought about what their name tag should say, and went over the questions they would want to ask. We then got in small groups to practice answering and asking some of the questions we came up with to work on our pitch.

As we learned about proper preparation for networking, we also learned more about resumes and business cards. While not required for the Living Library, many learners began designing one or the other using Canva.


Launchpad

Genetics

Drosophila melanogaster - it isn't a real Genetics course without these delightful little fruit flies! On Monday, we learned why scientists use Drosophila and how they use crosses to investigate new mutation alleles they discover in their labs. Learners began with an interactive presentation that reviewed the life cycle, various phenotypes, and visible differences between sexes before matching the flies with their proper phenotype and sex. In the second lab, they worked with crosses. Rebels crossed mutant and wildtype Drosophila and then had to identify which phenotype(s) they found in the progeny of the cross. Using allele designations, Rebels came up with the probable genotype of the progeny, and after the initial results, they had to decide whether the allele was recessive or dominant. They then performed a reciprocal cross and had to determine if the gene was on an autosome or the X chromosome. The learners then completed two more experiments with different fly strains, following the layout in the second lab. 

During the last two class periods, learners worked through some practice populations using a Classical Genetics Simulator before creating their own populations to test! 

Throughout the week, we also discussed various genetic case studies. We studied the Bottleneck Effect and the Founder Effect with the help of the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, also known as the Blue People, before learning about the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's caused mainly by the lack of genetic variability (monoculture) among the potato plants. We also discussed the colonization of Mars and how many people we would need to send to set up a population with enough genetic diversity to survive. Lastly, we discussed the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which houses our global insurance policy. 

Next week we will review all we have learned in this session before taking a Genetics exam on Wednesday. 

Civilization

Launchpad Rebels worked on preparing for their presentation in a couple of weeks about a challenge that a modern form of government (or coalition/tribe of people) has faced. The goal is to share information about the country and their form of government and present the dilemma so that the Exploration Studio has enough information to decide: what works well about this form of government in the present day, what doesn't work well, and assess whether it is well prepared to take on the challenges of the future.

To wrap up our session on new forms of government, the Rebels researched Holacracies this week. After reading multiple articles, watching videos of current practices in place, and evaluating infographics, Rebels made a pros and cons list of Holacracy as a form of government. While many agreed that it was ideal in many ways and understood why it could be a successful business practice, the Rebels felt that people crave power and that a system of rules and no hierarchy wasn't possible at this time in society.

Programming and Drones

On Tuesday, Launchpad Rebels reviewed how to calculate regular polygons' interior and exterior angles before programming their drone to fly several shapes, including a triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, and star shape. They also learned more about drone technology with the help of the Zipline documentary created by Mark Rober and a DroneBlocks lesson. They were then tasked with creating their own drone for any purpose of their choice and designed a filmography drone and its required specifications. 

Artificial Intelligence

This week in Reader/Writer started with a discussion and video about the Writer's Strike underway in the US. With the looming threat of AI taking away jobs in the screenwriting business, Rebels discussed how they would feel if they were in the writers' position. What does "intelligence" mean to us? How does the definition of "intelligence" change when describing a robot? Would a Universal Dividend Fund for all ChatGPT users work? After a thought-provoking discussion, Rebels began developing their written entries to go up against ChatGPT next week. It will be interesting to see how the Rebels' work compares to ChatGPT's and what criteria voters will use when deciding which entry was written by a human. We are excited to see what the Rebels come up with for our final workshop of the session, "ChatGPT vs Me!"

Apprenticeship

Launchpad also focused on effective networking this week in preparation for next week's Living Library event. We reviewed how to present ourselves confidently, even when we are nervous and the importance of practicing our talking points in advance so it feels more natural. We then got in small groups to practice answering and asking some of the questions we came up with to work on our pitch. Since Launchpad Rebels already made resumes, they took some time to update them and create business cards using Canva if interested.

One Rebel also had an interview with a potential employer Friday morning, and it went really well!

French

In French this week, we practiced for the French tests for government employees and the Alliance Française French placement test.

Independent Projects

Our Launchpad Rebels hiked up and down Carlington Hill on Tuesday to prepare for their Duke of Edinburgh International Award Adventurous Journey Hiking Expedition through Algonquin Park. They worked on their stamina, and their hiking boots are also getting worked in! They also met with two other teens from our Award Centre on Friday to hike, eat pizza, and play games before their big trip next week!

The Ottawa Children's Business Fair coordinators also met to review what they felt went well, identified the areas that needed improvement, made an action list for the next steps, and tied up this year's loose ends.

This week, we made scones to deliver to Highjinx on Friday. We hope that the neighbours enjoyed them!

Launchpad also took time to plan their goals and programming for Session 7. They will study Modern Art History, read Othello, and populate their Mastery Transcript. They have also requested to attend a Medieval Festival and eat at a Ramen and karaoke restaurant we see each Friday near Highjinx. It's going to be a great session!



Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel: 

  • Spark 

    • What are you most excited to show your family at Exhibition?

    • French: Can you name the insects you know in French? (papillon, coccinelle, mouche, libellule)

  • Discovery 

    • Which badges are most important to you to earn this session? What do you need to do next week to earn them?

    • If you make miscalculations in your business reports as an entrepreneur, what can happen, and what should you do to avoid these?

    • French: Have your seedlings grown much this week? Which ones are the biggest?

  • Exploration

    • Imagine you are a screenwriter for Modern Family. The studio you work for told you and your team that you wouldn't be getting a raise this year since you can use ChatGPT to help you develop the premise and drafts for new episodes, so you don't have to work as many hours. What do you say to your Studio-Head?  

    • What was your process for troubleshooting this week when the drones weren't connecting as planned?

    • Do you feel ready to introduce yourself at the Living Library? Do you want to practice?

    • French: What are you planning to build in your woodworking workshop next session?

  • Launchpad

    • Why do scientists use Drosophila melanogaster to study genetics?

    • Do you feel prepared for the Duke of Ed Adventurous Journey? If not, what can we do to help?

    • Could we ever reach the point where holacracy could work as a form of government?




Dates of Interest

  • Session 6 Exhibitions

    • Exploration Studio Exhibition and Living Library - Tuesday, May 16th at 4:15 pm - 6:00 pm

    • Discovery: Wednesday, May 17th *OFF-SITE* 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm at UOttawa's Leonard Beaulne Studio - see BAND for details. 

    • Spark: Thursday, May 18th, 4:15pm-5:00pm 

  • Exploration Rugby Jamboree - Thursday, May 18th 10 am - 2 pm

  • Launchpad Duke of Ed Adventurous Journey in Algonquin Park - Friday, May 19th - Wednesday, May 24th

  • Sessional Break and DIY Camp - Tuesday, May 23rd - 26th

Erin Anderson