Revel Recap: June 12 - 16, 2023
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
Many of our morning mindfulness activities centred around this week's Quest theme of shelter. On Monday, we began with a guided meditation about sleeping under the stars. We completed camping colouring pages on Tuesday, and Wednesday's yoga was all about being out in the woods! Thursday marked the return of the Boomwhackers to the Spark Studio. We played some of our old favourites and learned some new songs. On Friday, two Sparks led our morning circle. They used the yoga spinner game to guide us through a yoga sequence, and the Sparks enjoyed trying all the challenging partner poses!
Quest
We started Quest with a fun Would You Rather; Camping Edition. For every choice the learners made, they completed an exercise. The guides noticed that most learners selected sleeping in a camper rather than a tent. With this in mind, we asked the Sparks, where would you sleep to be safe if you were lost in the wilderness? We thought about how we could use natural surroundings to make a shelter. When choosing a location, we could use a cave if we check for wildlife first. We could also use tree branches to create a habitat in the shade. Building on flat ground but avoiding low spots where water can collect is also essential. But why is shelter necessary? Many of the learners felt it was needed for protection from wildlife; however, we talked about how it also provides comfort so you can rest and keeps you out of the natural elements such as wind, rain and heat. Exposure to elements is one of the most dangerous situations you can face in the wild! For some real-world examples, we watched Survivor Lilly on Youtube. She showed us some excellent examples of survival shelters. We noted crucial advice she gave, such as making a platform or using debris to get yourself off the cold ground and how she used leaves, moss, and mud as insulation to keep warm. Next, we built our own miniature shelters out of sticks and strings using the knowledge we learned in the videos.
On Tuesday, we compiled a Spark Camping Packing List. They were very thorough and thought of many items that would be useful for a trip in the wilderness. We then read The Camping Trip, a story about a girl going on her first outdoor adventure. We compared her packing list to ours, noting things we had forgotten, such as a flashlight! We read about her experiences hiking, swimming and making S'mores and thought about what we would like to do if we went camping. Next, it was time for another shelter-building challenge! The Sparks created a paper family that was going on a camping trip. Uh oh, rain is in the forecast. Can you design a shelter that fits your paper family and keeps them dry from the rain?! The Sparks designed structures from recyclable materials and tested them by spraying water. We are happy to report that all the families stayed dry!
On Wednesday and Thursday, we got back with our Discovery teams. The groups entered the Revel Survivor Gear Shop, where they had to make team decisions on which tent their group would choose and make tough choices on other supplies based on the group's priorities. Our Thursday Survivor game had the Rebels gather all of their gear, pack it up and transport it from one end of the field to the other. They were then tasked with setting up their tent before "sundown!" Every group was able to complete the challenge successfully! Bravo, Rebels!
Art
This week for our Art Workshop, the Sparks used paper to create a tent and drew a picture of themselves inside. They then drew a background and used some stickers to decorate. Each image was so unique, and they turned out great! We also took some time to explore Origami this week. We challenged ourselves to follow step-by-step instructions to create a fish!
Storytelling Workshop
Storytelling also followed our shelter theme. Each group was challenged to create a story about a camping adventure, with some problem that was resolved by the end. Every group started by presenting their story title, and each tale had a beginning, middle and end. Each adventure captivated the audience, with one learner saying, "This is better than a TV show!"
French
Monday, we played "Who's looking for what and how?" to practice our prepositions and Tuesday, we played «Quelle heure est-il monsieur le loup? (What time is it, Mister Wolf?) with numbers from 40 to 60. Wednesday, we coloured paper dolls to review our clothes in French. On Thursday, we read the books "Je m'habille" and then "Ma rivière" by Marianne Dubuc to learn summer vocabulary.
Math
This week we reviewed our definition of addition. Addition is when we take two or more numbers and add them together. Before we set off on our morning challenge, we talked about how we each have an awesome mathematical resource at our fingertips! We discussed how our fingers are great math tools and completed some equations together to show how to use them. We then got into small groups and played Addition within 10 Bingo. The learners were given boards with addends, and the number called out was the sum. They had to look through their board for an equation that equalled that sum called. It was fun for the learners to observe the different combinations that can make up the same number!
Additional Highlights
The Sparks love games, and team-building activities happen year-round in the studio. This week they enjoyed playing gym games such as a dramatic play game where they moved like animals and the classic Red Light, Green Light. Some circle games they enjoyed included 1, 2, 3 Heads Up, Would You Rather, and Doggy, Doggy, Who's Got Your Bone!
We've also been busy watering our garden, and this week the caterpillars have formed their chrysalis and have moved to a tent. We are excited to see if they emerge next week! We ended our week with a Spark-led Show and Tell featuring a dancing robot, a talking hamster, many new stuffed animal friends and more!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
Monday's mantra was, "I am aware." The Rebels gathered in the Launch space with their yoga mats and tried a grounding meditation. Afterwards, they shared five things they could see, four things they could touch, three things they could hear, two things they could smell, and one thing they could taste. On Tuesday, Rebels participated in a mindful activity focusing on passions. "What was your favourite thing to do when you were younger?" "What is something you do now that you enjoy so much that you lose track of time while doing it?" "What is your dream?" "What is your favourite topic to talk about?" "If you had five minutes and the whole world was listening, what would you say?" Rebels reflected on and drew pictures of what came to mind. After 10 minutes of mindful reflection, Rebels shared their thoughts and discussed connections between each response. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Rebels chose their mindful activities, with some opting for an epic floor puzzle takeover! Feel-good Friday, we jammed out with the Boomwhackers and recorded one of the chord warm-ups we've been practicing!
Launches
Monday's Launch was a great chance to connect, reviewing the results of a Harvard study on the secrets of human happiness. Rebels reflected on the findings and shared which ones they agreed with or disagreed along with their reasoning. Tuesday's Launch was designed to inspire the community by reflecting on Maslow's Pyramid of Needs and how life at Revel fits into these categories: physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Rebels at the belonging level crave more coding opportunities and elective time to establish their esteem and expand their creativity! On Wednesday, Rebels had their Squad Check-Ins, where Squad Leaders led mini-meetings to catch up with their team about weekly goals, non-negotiables for the rest of the week to help them reach Fun Friday, and finalized suggestions to improve our Personal/Studio Maintenance systems. Thursday morning's equip launch was a tutorial on the charging cart. It was also partly Rebel-led by a Squad Leader who took the initiative to organize a new personal maintenance check at lunchtime. Friday's Current Events report included a special "Choose Your Superhero" mantra to help manifest a fabulous Friday, a close look at a corkscrew shark egg, and a hilarious Live From Snack Time!
Math Lab
This week's lab was an exploration of a virtual garden! Rebels used the multiplicative reasoning they have been developing with their array models to think in composed units, or ratios, of flowers to flower boxes. They used the provided information about the front yard layout to estimate how many flowers there were and used this relationship to scale up. Then, they had to work with division to make equal arrangements in the garden in the backyard using the ratio or rate they had found. Some Rebels made concrete models of the problem using manipulatives, while many others made drawings to represent garden arrays and equal sharing of flowers in boxes. One Rebel attempted a more abstract solution, using long division - we had a great congress at the end of the lab to look at how these different strategies compare!
French
This week, we worked on our French game cards and pawns. We also had fun competing in a Kahoot on French board game vocabulary! During our French Workshop, we began testing our carpentry skills, sanding and assembling flower boxes.
Reader/Writer
This week's read-aloud survival tale had us venturing into the depths of Tham Luang cave to learn about the astonishing survival story of the famous Thai soccer team who survived for over two weeks before being rescued! Rebels discussed the power of teammates during a crisis, the importance of mantras to help our mental state and the spectacular work and training of Navy Seals and professional cave divers. Our Writer's Workshop focused on elevating our Survival Handbook rough copies and ensuring all of our how-tos are in chronological order (and the importance of chronological sequencing, especially regarding lists that have to do with survival). Rebels in Aim and Release also utilized their workshop time to proofread fellow teams' rough drafts for spelling and grammar.
Civilizations
Rebels received their tri-fold boards this week and started thinking about displaying their findings clearly and excitingly. They looked at some exemplar displays from an Exploration Studio project and then set out to print write-ups, design bold title lettering, and add visuals. We can not wait to show off this exhibit in the coming weeks!
Physical Development
On Monday, we had a fun game of dodgeball, while on Wednesday, the Rebels tried a roll-the-dice warm-up before playing several rounds of Dragon's Jewels: Sun and Moon edition!
Quest
Now that the Rebel survivors have accomplished collecting water, foraging for plants and harvesting insects, they are ready to build a shelter! On Monday, they explored several different survival-style shelters and made diagrams of each with a materials list included. Some labelled a debris hut, others a semi-permanent A-frame, and others captured various versions of lean-to shelters using natural materials or emergency blankets.
Tuesday, they used their plans to build mini-models using Makerspace materials. They discussed the pros and cons of each style and practiced their knot-tying skills from last week. We joined forces with the Sparks on Wednesday to visit the Revel Survivor Gear Shop! Each team took time to prioritize the items they would choose and the essential criteria to consider before "shopping." Many were lucky to secure their ideal tent and backpack in anticipation of Thursday's Survivor game! On game day, the Rebels had to gather all their gear, pack it effectively, transport it from one end of the soccer field to the other - AND - set up their tent successfully before sundown!
Additional Highlights
The Guides have continued headphone experiments this week, and the Rebels have risen to the challenge in full force! Our leaders are taking on more and more responsibility for answering peer questions and directing important routines like launches, closings, and studio maintenance. The whole studio has also shown great civility towards each other through this process, all while accomplishing excellent work across the board. We are so proud of you, Discovery!
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
After working on our paper roller coasters for 15 minutes, we discussed what we think of when we hear the word "lazy." The learners all have negative associations with the term, including sleeping late, playing video games all day, finding loopholes, and procrastinating. We also discussed how sometimes people think we're lazy, but we have yet to discover our passion, as evidenced by an inspiring story about Joe DiMaggio.
Tuesday Yoga was hands-free, meaning we stayed low to the floor and off our wrists! We tried reclined crescent moon, pigeon, rock and roll and some neck and shoulder hygiene before completing a 3-minute stillness challenge at the end of the flow. After yoga, we heard the story of the "Elephant and the Rope." The lesson learned was that it's easy to get comfortable in our routines and beliefs and go along every day in the same easy and predictable way. Sure, it's comfortable, but the problem is, if you don't step outside the proven path and push your limits occasionally, you'll always have the same view of yourself and the world around you. You'll only know how much you can do once you try something new!
After a body scan during mindfulness, Exploration Rebels discussed what they hope for their children and what they wish their parents knew. There was an overwhelming response of agreement when one Rebel stated they hoped that parents would work on coaching their children instead of rescuing them. The learners said that they know that struggle can be positive and that sometimes when they are hurt or need to vent, others, especially adults, try to "fix" the problem, taking away their ability to rise to the challenge and handle it themselves. The Rebels then took time to help Erin make a list of Family Onboarding topics for the fall.
Thursday's yoga focused on our "Stillness Challenge," where Rebels have been building up to a goal of a 15-minute meditation. During the stillness challenge, Rebels work on mindful strategies like focusing on the breath and belly movements from inhales and exhales as they attempt to "let the urge to move to pass by." This week, we made it to 13 minutes of stillness! Learners then brainstormed the rights and privileges of Canadian citizens in preparation for the afternoon Civilization course. After Free-Choice Friday, our Rebel-led Current Events team led our Launch and got us energized for our last Core Skill session of the week.
Reader/Writer
Rebels were tasked with their third Escape Room of the session, focusing on grammar and punctuation - Commas. An added obstacle this week was the "Entrance Challenge," a grammar and punctuation challenge where Rebels had to find and correct a minimum of 10 errors in an excerpt from a novel. Arguably the most difficult Escape Room we have participated in so far, commas gave Rebels a run for their money when deciding which comma rules applied to specific passages at each station. One of the most confusing rules, using commas to link coordinating conjunction, allowed for a deeper conversation in our feedback session at the end of the Escape Room. Rebels agreed one of the biggest comma rule takeaways was the dialogue commas when ending a sentence inside of quotations. It was a collaborative effort this week and an escape; well done! Next week's Escape Room will highlight homophones, spelling and punctuation.
French
This week, we answered questions about the movie Asterix: Mission Cleopatra and then began inventing a new story for Asterix. During our French Carpentry Workshop, those who had approval, continued sawing and assembling our projects. Some had to retake measurements, but our woodworking projects are progressing nicely!
Math Lab
This week the Rebels met with their accountability teams and gathered content for their Final Act products! They discussed how excellence would look due to a wide variety of projects. For example, there will be several slideshows, a video, a visual manual, a poster, an infographic, a 3D model escape room, and a board game! In common, each Rebel aims for their product to help someone better understand the specific inquiry topic selected!
Quest
Quest Takeovers were an absolute blast this week! Monday's workshop focused on the benefits of finger knitting, with an added team challenge tailored to a group who love a good competition! Rebels attempted to create scarves in the first portion of the workshop, and then as an added challenge, teams lined up their scarves to see which group achieved the longest collective scarf! During our feedback discussion, Rebels noted that finger-knitting was an activity they consider to be incredibly mindful, and a Quest themed around well-being and mental health that incorporated mindfulness activities would be an interesting topic to learn more about. Tuesday and Wednesday's workshops focused on meal prepping, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices, with a cooking workshop about two different kinds of salad! Next week, we have a fun-filled schedule of seminars focusing on baseball, basketball, and a philanthropic sandwich-making workshop!
Apprenticeship
This week, we reviewed the requirements for a successful Apprenticeship. On Tuesday, we learned about Apprenticeship Logs and the required information, including the date, time spent, activities completed, and people met. Those trying to secure an apprenticeship before summer worked on getting their email green-lighted and practiced their phone pitch in case they are granted five minutes of someone's time.
Rules without Rulers
Our Rebels are revolutionaries who have earned the right to a small territory where they will begin their new government! After formulating their ideas over the past two weeks, it was time to put their values in writing. We started by reviewing Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms after brainstorming what the rights and privileges our Canadian citizenship provides. We also looked at the US Bill of Rights and learned more about the historical reasoning behind some amendments.
After learning about the writing of the US Constitution, learners began writing their own! A constitution helps organize a government and provides guidance on what power a government has and does not have. Using a template and some models of excellence, learners wrote their document, including the name of the type of government, who can be a citizen, who can not be a citizen (or have their citizenship removed), how laws are made, and how rules can be changed or removed.
Launchpad
Shakespeare Study - Othello
We began our study of Shakespeare's Othello by revisiting Act 3, Scene 3 and discussing specific lines to analyze the meaning and dissect character development. We then read Act 3, Scene 4 and thought about how we would have Othello recite his lines and which would be more effective, with aggression or more quiet and sinister. Rebels finished Monday's session by creating a visual representation of Act 3, with most choosing to highlight the handkerchief somehow. On Tuesday, learners used the previously viewed theme posters and considered how the topics had arisen in the play. Turning the signs over, each learner created a mind map with critical quotes, characters, keywords, and situations representing their chosen topic. While sharing their maps with the group, we continued to add more information that the other learners came up with. Lastly, we spoke about thematic statements and how to use a topic to analyze a theme and what we believe Shakespeare was saying about the world at large.
Before our table read on Wednesday, we went over the timeline of Act 4. Once we had read scenes 1 and 2, we discussed our feelings about Desdemona and her unwavering devotion and why no one distrusts Iago. On Thursday, we read Act 4, Scene 3, which includes many elements of foreshadowing/foreboding. The learners thought about how a modern audience would view Desdemona and Emilia's different views about women, marriage, and infidelity and how an audience of the time would have as well. After viewing a version of Emilia's speech, learners identified the vocal elements and posturing that made it a convincing monologue. We used Thursday's Claim, Evidence, Counter Claim exercise to practice writing an analytical claim and commentary. We were all excited to read Act 5, Scene 1 on Friday afternoon, and due to the fast-paced scene, we took several pauses to talk about the mounting action. Next Monday, we will complete Act 5 and the play!
Modern Art History
After completing their research, learners held a Socratic dialogue about Symbolism and its departure from the previous art movements and beliefs. They also discussed what was happening in the world when Symbolism arose and the effect of these events on the art movement. We then learned about Edvard Munch (1863-1944), a Norwegian painter whose work influenced German Expressionism in style and theme. Munch's oeuvre consists of over 1,000 pieces, and while he painted in various styles throughout his lifetime, he was notorious for depicting dark, psychological, and haunting themes. A transitional figure in modern art, Munch's work shows signs of both impressionism and expressionism. The learners also learned more about The Scream, an extremely famous piece copied multiple times in pop culture. After learning more about one of the most famous heists, they completed more research on the colourful history from another viewpoint, that of the (criminal) art collector. After presenting their findings, they created a Wanted poster and answered a series of questions on Expressionism.
Two years ago, the Rebels took part in a Living Painting challenge, and they were so excited to bring it back again this year! Launchpad picked a modern art painting and recreated it using props or costumes they could find around the school. To finish the class period, learners chose three other famous art pieces of the Symbolist art movement and wrote why they represent the form and their commonalities.
On Wednesday, we began our study on graffiti! After learning about the history of graffiti through the ages, Rebels discussed how cave drawings and other ancient examples were related to or reflected the culture of the time. They also debated its merits, value, and personal view on whether it is a social statement or vandalism.
You can't study street art without thinking of Banksy. An anonymous British graffiti artist and political activist, Banksy's real name and identity have never been confirmed. (S)He has been active since the 90s and has become famous for his satire of current events and distinctive stencilling technique. After viewing his most famous works, Rebels answered a series of questions and debated whether they felt art needed to make a statement. They then completed 15 minutes of research to make an educated guess about Banksy's identity, their evidence, and who may be helping. We dove deeper into the Street Art scene on Thursday by watching a couple of videos before writing a piece on why street art is significant.
On Friday's studio day, learners created their own Symbolist painting or Banksy or graffiti-inspired piece.
French & Spanish
This week we've been working on our new French workbook, learning the names of countries and their population in French. Meanwhile, our Spanish learner is developing a plan for next year’s study including in school coursework and community conversational groups.
Additional Highlights
We said goodbye to our amazing exchange student from Hungary on Friday. We will miss you, Fredi!!!
Rebels continue to make significant progress in their core skills programs while also working to gather their best work and attach it to the required challenges in Journey Tracker. Great work, Rebels!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark
What would you pack for a camping adventure?
What natural materials would you use to build a shelter out in the wilderness?
French: How do you say sea otter in French?
Discovery
Reader Writer: What does it mean to put something in chronological order? Why is sequencing important when writing a set of instructions concerning survival?
If you were lost in the wilderness, what is the first thing you would do: find water, get food, or set up a shelter? Why?
French: What did you start building in your French workshop?
Exploration
What is the comma rule for ending sentences with dialogue?
Which five rights will be the most important to you and your government?
Did you spin the Wheel of Fortune or Doom this week in Fun Friday? What is your challenge for next week?
French: Who are Asterix and Obelix?
Launchpad
Banksy: brilliant art and social commentator, or anonymous vandal?
Which art movement is your favourite so far?
What are your predictions for the last scenes of Othello?
French: How do you say Germany in French? (Allemagne)
Dates of Interest
Tuesday, June 20th - Launchpad hike at Pink Lake
Tuesday, June 27th - Discovery and Spark Field Trip to Baxter Conservation Area
Wednesday, July 5th (3:00 pm - 5:00 pm) - Full School End of Year Celebration
Thursday, July 6th - Exploration Graduation Ceremony