Revel Recap: September 11 - 15, 2023
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
We began the week with a guided meditation encouraging the Sparks to use their imagination. The meditation had the Sparks think of an animal who was their friend. This friend was part of their safety network. They learned that having a kind friend can go a long way and that talking about your feelings is good. On Tuesday, the Sparks dug into their detective skills as they listened to Snoop and Sniffy: What's that weird sound? Using their skills of investigation and training, they discovered the sound of something quite interesting. Ask your learner what the sound was if you want to participate in next week's investigation! For our midweek mindfulness activity, we embraced the power of movement. The Sparks gathered in our spacious studio with their yoga mats to embark on a high-intensity interval training workout with Ms. Kaitlin. The session got their hearts pumping and brought out laughter and a sense of accomplishment and self-motivation. On Thursday, we slowed the pace and focused on creativity and self-expression. The learners did some colouring in a relaxed studio with music in the background. To end the week, we connected with gratitude. The morning began with a story by Melissa Win, My Attitude is My Gratitude. The story inspires the Sparks to appreciate the little things in life. After the reading, everyone participated in a group activity where they came up with a list of things they were grateful for. Following the brainstorming, the learners took out their gratitude journals, drew a picture and wrote a sentence about the things they are thankful for.
Quest
New week, new topic! The Sparks jumped into a discussion about responsibility and commitment. As a studio, we gathered, much like a family, to discuss the importance of promises and agreements. As a studio, we believe that in any close-knit community, there should be commitments that everyone agrees to uphold, ensuring a positive and respectful learning environment for all learners. On Monday, we read the book Our Classroom is a Family. We then focused on the theme of promises. The learners were encouraged to brainstorm what promises they felt would be essential in the studio. Their creative ideas filled their papers. To help make the promises tangible, each of the groups were given two sticky notes: one green and one red. Each group had to devise one promise that we could take away and one promise they thought should stay for our final masterpiece. After we read aloud the promises, we created a poster with the title, Our Studio is a Family. The Sparks worked on the sign throughout the week, colouring it and writing out the promises they've agreed to keep.
As our promises came into place, we turned our attention to a topic equally important - friendships. Tuesday, we connected with one another by playing an icebreaker game called "Find a Friend in Common." This game brought smiles and laughter and encouraged everyone to discover common interests among their peers. Afterward, we gathered in a circle to read The Little Book of Friendship. The Guides started a discussion by asking the Sparks, "What does it mean to be a good friend?" and "What phrases or words could we use to start a friendship?" These questions encouraged the learners to reflect on the qualities of a good friend and the power of kindness when forming connections. To conclude the day, the Sparks expressed their preferences for objects or toys at home, school and a friend or family member's house.
On Wednesday, we turned our attention to our families. We read the story, All Kinds of Families by Suzanne Lang, which highlighted the uniqueness of each family. To deepen our exploration of the theme, the Sparks continued to work on their booklets, which they will showcase during Exhibition. They added pages about what they enjoy doing with their families and who's in their family. To end our week's Quest, we discussed the importance of bucket filling. Bucket filling and dipping can happen within our friendships and families. After we read the story, How Full is Your Bucket, by Tom Rath, the Sparks brainstormed three things that would fill their bucket and three that would dip into their bucket and presented their thoughts to the studio. Each Spark then received their own "bucket" sheet where they jotted down ways to be "bucket fillers" in the studio.
Geography
We began our lesson by listening to the Continent Song. The song is engaging and has helped our learners remember the continents, animals, and foods. The learners' first challenge was to review the map puzzle. We found each continent and then placed the pieces back together after discussions about each. Next, the highlight of discovering North America was focusing on its incredible animal kingdom. The Guide read a fun fact about each animal, sparking the learners' curiosity. Their adventure would begin once they agreed the animal matched the given points. They then had to find the hidden animal in the studio if their guess was correct. They would then earn the animal sticker to place on their paper!
Math
Our Math Challenge this week was to count to 40 since last week, the Sparks counted to 20, so why not double the numbers? With a handout titled, "I Don't Get it!" the Sparks were excited to start. The worksheet featured bubbles containing phrases commonly heard during challenging tasks. Some terms included "I give up" and "I don't like math," which reflect negative responses. Other bubbles had said, "Mistakes are opportunities for me to learn and grow," and "I can ask another Spark for help," which encouraged a more positive approach to problem-solving. Using green and red pencils, the Sparks coloured, which represented positive or negative (growth or fixed mindset) responses. We discussed each phrase as a group and shared our thoughts on why specific responses were more helpful than others.
French
This week, we're continuing to review what we learned last year to help everyone prepare to move ahead! On Monday, we played Animal Bingo to review our terminology and regular Bingo to practice our numbers. Tuesday morning, we worked on a colouring activity to learn the French word for September (Septembre) and review our colours. Wednesday, we played Quelle heure est-il monsieur Leloup? and Bouledogue Couleur in the gym to practice numbers and colours. Lastly, on Thursday, we played and coloured a game that allowed us to review our numbers from 1 to 15.
Art
On September 15th, it was International Dot Day. We read the story "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. It's a story about a young girl who discovers her artistic potential with just one dot. The Guides then gave the Sparks a sheet which featured three different-sized circles. They had pastels, pencil crayons, and markers to embrace what they wanted by using a dot to create a masterpiece.
Additional Highlights
As we ventured into our second week of school, the Sparks have found a sense of routine. To start with, we explained our new Studio Maintenance schedule. The Sparks sign in each day by placing their name tag at the maintenance job they would like to conquer at the end of the day. Additionally, the learners viewed their new Snack Maintenance schedule and realized they would have another learner tidy up with them this year! One person on table tops and the other on sweeping.
Next, we started reading The Peace Rose, a great introduction to the Peace Table. This new area of our studio will be a place for the learners to talk through any disagreements they might have. We came up with a recipe to follow when visiting this area. At our Peace Table, we promise to: 1. Use the speaking tool. 2. Tell the truth. 3. Use kind words. 4. Say "I feel..." 5. List ways to solve the problem. and 6. Ring the bell when the problem is solved. After coming up with this list, we all went to the table and role played a scenario to see what it would look like and the words we could use. We have already seen the table in use this week and know it will be a safe place for the Sparks to work out their conflicts by talking through them and sharing their feelings. In order to encourage their independence and stay learner-driven, we also introduced the idea of "Ask 3 before G" (Guide). We explained the new poster in our studio, reminding us to pause if we had a question and see if any of the three B's could answer it. We encourage the learners first to stop and think about their questions. If they pause and really think for a minute, do they already know the answer? If not, they can ask a buddy. Who else in the studio might know the answer? We suggest asking at least two learners first. They could also use a book, meaning anything written, including a poster, schedule, or book in the studio.
We have been telling Fun Facts of the day during the studio's Closings. Some of the fun facts have been that we have only one sun in our solar system, but just one of 200 billion stars in our galaxy. Of these, over 3,000 have planets orbiting them, and bees can see colours in sunlight that are invisible to us - but they can't see red. When there is extra time, the Sparks also get to play a mini-game. This week, we got to Musical Chairs!
We were introduced to Chloe from Kanata Music School to end our week. She sang "Let It Be" by the Beatles to the Discovery and Spark Studio, then answered questions about her and life as a singer.
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." On Monday, the Rebels unpacked our Overarching Question of the Year: What choice will you make in that space? in connection with the above Viktor E. Frankl quote. The Rebels discussed how a stimulus activates us in some way: our mind, body or feelings. We talked about reacting vs. responding and the power of the pause! They have excellent strategies in mind already, and we will continue to build on this each week. Talk It Out Tuesday had Rebels discussing a few NowMaps reaction-style scenarios. Reaction Style Scenarios propose a situation where an individual might have a variety of reactions in the moment. Rebels identified which reaction they thought was closely linked to a response they would have. Once we shared our different reactions, we thought about where we would go/what we would do next. Connecting with our Question of the Year, Rebels discussed the choices they could make in an uncomfortable space and how certain feelings or reactions could affect their decisions. On Wonder Wednesday, the Rebels tried skyscraper or floor puzzles to complete. Many reflected that this made them feel calm and ready for the day! For Thankful Thursday, the Rebels used a gratitude recipe and wrote things they were thankful for, manifestations for the day or mantras that would set them up for success for the rest of the week. Feel-Good Friday, we tried a new tune on the Boomwhackers!
Launches
Our first launch of the week opened with creating our own personal covenants that we try to follow daily in our lives, both inside and outside of Revel. Rebels shared a few of the covenants and promises they prioritize in their day-to-day and discussed how some could be useful to add to our 23-24 Rebel Covenant Contract. Tuesday's Launch equipped learners with creating SMART goals on Journey Tracker, a discussion about Journey Tracker Points, how to earn them using our Weekly Tracking, and goals we've set throughout the week. Wednesday's first "Squad Chickens" had our Leadership Team checking in on Rebel Goal Sheets to see what goals have been accomplished so far and what still needed to be done to earn Fun Friday. Leadership Team Rebels offered advice and words of encouragement to fellow Rebels who felt they still had a long way to go to achieve their first Fun Friday. Thursday's Launch was a follow-up from earlier in the week, looking at progress in terms of how Rebels are tracking their hard work and converting them to JT points. Friday morning, we had a special guest sing at our launch - thank you, Kanata Music School, for organizing - it was such a beautiful morning!
Reader/Writer
Our second workshop kicked off with a gratitude letter from the late Kobe Bryant, Dear Basketball. Rebels created a gratitude word wall using some of the vocabulary Kobe used to describe his love for the game. Rebels then spent the remainder of the workshop drafting their own gratitude letters as we prepare for next week's Rebel Edits workshop. Rebels will use a checklist when they seek a Rebel's approval to write good copies and start our next written sample, a script about "Drawing a Line in the Sand," dealing with conflict resolution.
French
On Tuesday, we played a conversation game to practise answering fundamental questions in French, such as: What's your name? What's your favourite video game? How old are you? We then played Bingo to practice our numbers from 1 to 79. We realized we needed more review and practice with our numbers, so we played a number Kahoot and completed an activity sheet on Thursday.
Math Lab
Congratulations to our first Golden Gopher winner! Although three Rebels completed correct solutions, this Rebel showed their thinking for the Problem of the Week (POTW) using a brain crossing: a combination of words, pictures, numbers and symbols! After we reviewed the excellent Rebel examples of different solutions, we examined the How Many visual from last week and discussed the question string developed by Rebel questions. We organized them on a scale from less challenging to more challenging and practised how to pose various questions using a new How Many visual. Rebels identified certain skill sets within their questions, like counting vs. skip-counting, and how specific math terms, operations or concepts lend themselves to more advanced questions. For example, counting items in a group would be a great Spark question, while developing a pattern rule based on how many shapes a geometric pattern is changing each time would be closer to the Aim or Release level in the Discovery Studio. Next week, Rebels will repeat this process with Ms. Kaitlin as she guides them through a new How Many visual and question string! Lastly, the Rebels used the rest of their lab time this week to conduct a materials survey and lock in the material they'd like to work with for their own How Many visual. Some were ready to start posing questions and organize their question string.
Civilizations
Welcome (back) to the Middle Ages, Rebels! For our very first Civilizations block of the year, Rebels did a timeline walk, reviewing the excellent artwork and mapping from last year's Discovery Studio timeline of the Ancient World and early Middle Ages. We discussed the badge expectations with concrete examples. Each week, Rebels will complete a mapping activity, listen carefully to the stories of (heroic) leaders from the past, tune in to key buzz words, and then participate in a Socratic discussion about the tough choices in the story. This week's story told tales of the Vikings who settled in Normandy and some who travelled to Iceland and Greenland. Rebels discussed the French king's choice to give land to the invaders as a peace offering as well as Iceland's move to banish Eric the Red for violence.
Quest
Last week in Quest, the Rebels answered the Call to Adventure! This week, they transitioned to their Initiation and Supreme Ordeal. On Monday, they practised their top Rules of Engagement (ROEs) from last week in a launch about robots and noticed that interrupting was happening a lot. Some Rebels observed that not everyone got a turn to share their thinking, others were not as interested in the topic, while others still had too much air time. We continued to test and revise these provisional contract items for the rest of the week. We determined that there are many ideas we have yet to try, some we might recycle, and other new ideas we need to add to our culture experiment. Monday's main event was a Journey Tracker Scavenger Hunt in small groups. Rebels practised everyday features of our online platform, like commenting on a Bulletin Board post, adding a badge to their badge plan, and giving a Rebel Buck to a peer for collaboration. On Tuesday, the Rebels acted as Council members and had to examine case studies and decide if the Rebel in question should lose a Rebel Buck, receive a strike or something else. We had a robust discussion, and overall, the Rebels are developing a solid understanding of our accountability systems. Wednesday Quest, the Rebels watched the Hero's Journey video and discussed the monsters on the path: distraction, victimhood and resistance. They discussed how to battle these monsters when they appear and which type of team leadership dynamics would help them the most in team challenges. Then, they tried Ms. Jenna's tennis ball maze challenge again and reflected on how their chosen leadership style helped or hindered their success. On Thursday, the Rebels thought about how they would answer the question: since Revel doesn't have grades, how do you show proof of work and learning? They responded with their Goal Trackers in Google Sheets, badges at the end of each session, and especially our Exhibitions of Learning! Then, we brainstormed in teams about what our first Exhibition will look like and what we will do. Next week, learners will develop committees to ensure their plan comes to life!
Physical Development
For Tuesday's PE, the Rebels chose between hiking or soccer. Most learners headed outside for soccer, as many will participate in a Soccer Jamboree against other schools at the end of the month. After a warm-up jog around the field, we met and discussed the game of soccer. Learners who have played the game shared their experiences before we went over the objective and rules of the game, the different positions, and demonstrations of how we can kick the ball. As the rain started, we opted to jump into a game to get some time playing before the weather worsened. It was a close game, with great participation.
For Thursday's PE, the choices were outdoor soccer or indoor obstacle courses. The obstacle course was very popular with some creative learners, as they could build their own play course.
Additional Highlights
Rebels participated in our annual fire drill procedure and did an excellent job prioritizing the safety of our team and safely met in our designated meeting area outside of the school with all of our Guides. Rebels discussed excellent points about the importance of fire drills and being knowledgeable of safety procedures.
Discovery Studio's first Book Club of the year has started up this week! It was a studio-wide nomination to kick it off, reading Pax by Sara Pennypacker. We will come together thrice weekly to listen and read along at DEAR. Our Book Club will celebrate at the end of Session 2 with a Book Club Cafe, discuss elements of the novel, and share our thoughts and some sweet treats.
Our Town Hall meeting on Friday afternoon is a prime example of the magic that happens when Guides step back and let the Rebels lead. This week's meeting was Rebel-directed, and the learners who shared testimony on important studio issues like maintenance and squad leadership were diplomatic, asked thoughtful questions to clarify evidence and made firm but fair decisions. We ended with Character Call-outs - this year's studio crew is INCREDIBLE!
Exploration and Launchpad Studios
Mindfulness and Launch
Last week, we spent the majority of our time getting to know one another and working on team building. This week, we began to set our goals for the year and for new learners, introducing our various adaptive programs. On Monday, we discussed the plan for the week and what the expectations would be to earn Fun Friday. We also introduced Triads, our three-person groups that help to keep one another accountable and motivated throughout the week and meet on Fridays to reflect and celebrate accomplishments. We also participated in a Scavenger Hunt around the school to ensure that all learners knew the location of various supplies, including the First Aid cabinet, scratch paper, cleaning supplies, extra pencils, templates for Deep Book reviews, Town Hall slips, and PE planning forms. The winning Rebels got to each pick a duck to keep from one of the several hidden around the school.
Tuesday morning's yoga practice featured a guided breathwork meditation and ended with gentle seated stretches for the neck, side body and legs. We then returned to the studio and heard the story of the Big Rocks. Recognizing that we must dedicate time to our most significant priorities first to ensure we have time for the important things in our lives. Learners reflected on what their personal Big Rocks are and worked on a handout to add to their Hero Board.
We began Wednesday with a fun, directed drawing! With the help of a Muffalo Potato video, we all drew mice driving cheese cars, and they turned out awesome! We then introduced the Challenge Donut and discussed the Comfort, Challenge, and Panic zones, how to maximize time in our Challenge Zone, and strategies to get out of the Panic Zone.
After Thursday's yoga session, we learned about the stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. As we get to know one another better and become more comfortable, it is natural to start having more disagreements or finding things that annoy us. To help us when we are struggling with relationships, we introduced the Peace Table and how to participate in the conflict resolution process properly.
If you walked into our studio on Friday morning, you would have seen people colouring, working on Diamond Dot paintings, puzzles, resting, and crocheting. After our Free Choice mindfulness session, we reviewed the goals for the day and how to earn Fun Friday this week.
Quest - Creating the Culture
Communities of heroes are comprised of many types. Do you consider yourself naturally generous, someone who gives as much as you take, or someone who is more protective in relationships? After watching this TED talk on Givers, Matchers and Takers, we discussed whether we personally act as a Giver, Matcher or Taker and agreeable or disagreeable, recognizing that it may change depending on the environment (home, school, sports team, etc.). We also reflected on our current studio, what percentage of our group aligns with each group, and what the mix would be in the ideal scenario. We followed this discussion up with learning how to comfort and assure one another with the help of a Love Language test. After posting their Love Language (Gifts, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, or Physical Touch) on the board, learners continued working on their Hero Boards, including what they learned about themselves from the Quest period.
On Tuesday, we learned that three of our most significant challenges on the Hero's Journey will be resistance, distraction and victimhood. We took time to learn about each pitfall and identified which one we struggle with the most and the strategies to use when we can't get started, can't focus or are escaping responsibility by blaming others.
We collaborated with our groups to finish drafting our Studio Covenants, Rules of Engagement, Rebel Buck System, Gym Rules, and Studio Maintenance system on Wednesday. Once the drafts were complete, we met as a full studio to go over the documents and seek feedback for any points to be added, removed, or refined for clarity. Changes were then typed up and posted so we could use the drafts for the next three weeks, making tweaks when necessary. Whenever we finished Quest early, learners worked hard on their Hero posters, which will be on display at Exhibition. These boards will be used to illustrate what makes each learner unique and showcase who they are and where they want to go. Next week, Astronomy!
Math Lab
This week, Rebels explored some amazing mathematical concepts that make geodesic domes so mesmerizing. In particular, they investigated dome frequency in connection with the tessellation of the dome's triangular faces. The studio voted to move forward with a "3v" dome design because they can work on one large dome as a team (rather than two smaller 2v domes), and it will be a more challenging project. They investigated how a 3v dome varies from last week's 2v model and tried to establish how big the diameter of their dome would be. To do this, some were using chord factors to determine strut length in relation to radius. Another aspect to consider is whether they will have enough cardboard for their design, and how we can maximize dome size based on what we have. We are hopeful dome design plans will be finalized by a few volunteers before our next lab so we can start with construction next week!
Physical development
We began our session by reviewing the expectations for PE, the importance of our health and having a choice. This week, our learners chose between hiking around the neighbourhood and touching football on Monday, games at the park, or soccer on Wednesday.
Civilizations
Humanity's view of the universe changes with new technologies, evidence, and theories. The foundation stories of religious belief and philosophy often reflect the same fundamental questions scientists are trying to answer. In this week's Civ class, Rebels discussed whether the modern view of the universe's origin contradicts the origin stories of faith or whether science is different from philosophical belief. After watching a few videos and reading a couple of articles, we imagined we lived in the time of Ptolemy and pondered what evidence would have convinced us that the sun, not Earth, was the centre of the universe. Would we use observation of the parallax effect, logic from mathematical equations and proofs, or the belief that man has been placed at the centre of creation is meant to be a story about God's intent for those who believe in God, not a scientific fact? Our Socratic discussion continued as we debated the types of people (experimenters, observers, or theorists) who push progress the most, and who we would believe if new evidence contradicted a previous theory. Next week, we will dive into stars, elements, and the Periodic Table.
Elective
Learners polished their proposals this week before pitching their Elective ideas to the studio. They had to explain what they wanted to work on and give details on the resources they would use to learn, the materials and budget required, the deliverables and deadlines, and how they would showcase their newfound skills or knowledge. While we have a few learners who still need to present, beginning next week we will have learners working on American Sign Language, crochet, soccer, Zine creation, guitar, solving Rubik's Cubes, woodworking, starting a business, and computer-animated design!
French
On Monday, we completed a Kahoot to remember the names of different careers in French, especially how to conjugate them in the masculine and feminine genders. Then, we played a Domino game where the Rebels had to match the right job with the correct description. Then, on Wednesday, we chose the profession we'd like to present to the others at Exhibition and began our research.
Reader/Writer - Exploration
For Reader Writer this week, Rebels dove deeper into creating their myths. We began with a Mentor Myth that inspired the story, The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien. After an "Imagine This" discussion, putting Rebels in the shoes of certain characters from The Cursed Ring, they worked on their myths, developing ideas for settings and characters. In our debrief at the end of the workshop, some Rebels shared the concepts they had started to create so far and listened to feedback from team members. Next week, we'll begin rough drafts and explore a mentor myth about leadership and bravery.
NGA - Launchpad
This week, we further introduced the Acton Academy Next Great Adventure program, showcasing one of the speeches from last year's Declaration Talks. Learners then continued working on the challenges from Week 1 of the first NGA app Quest.
Additional Highlights
We began holding Mentor Meetings this week to help learners set their year-long and short-term goals. We will create a plan over the next couple of weeks and then meet with families to discuss and adjust as necessary. Keep an eye on BAND for sign-ups!
We are consistently practicing our communication and presentation skills at Revel; plus, you are never too old for Show and Tell! Learners signed up to share and explain an object or story that means something special to them. These quick, little peeks into the Rebels’ lives teach us so much about one another and truly build community. Rebels also learned about the expectations for Deep Books at Revel and were asked to pick one to pitch this week or next. It was so fun to hear the various choices and reasonings for choosing their novel.
Lastly, learners met with their Triads on Friday to fill in their Goal sheets and reflect on their progress. They also voted on this week's Character Badges and gave one another their earned Rebel Bucks before snacking on some popcorn and enjoying Fun Friday!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark
What do you and your family like to do together?
Can you share what you learned about another Spark in the studio?
What fills your bucket? How can you fill your bucket at home?
How does the Peace Table work? (Run through a pretend scenario with your learner)
Before you ask a Guide a question, what other tools could you use to find the answer? (Brains, buddies, books)
French: Up to what number are you counting in French?
Discovery
What is the difference between an ROE, a covenant, and a guardrail?
How does the Rebel Buck system work? How about the Strike system?
R/W: What was Kobe Bryant grateful for about the game of basketball? How is your Gratitude Letter coming along?
Math Lab: Which material did you choose for your How Many project? Why did you choose it?
French: Is there any mathematics involved in saying numbers in French? Do you know which ones?
Exploration and Launchpad
What shapes do you need to build a geodesic dome, and how many do you need?
Which force was more important in changing the way people view our universe?
advances in technology like the telescope
individual great thinkers like Ptolemy, Galileo, Keller, and Newton
collective learning, with ideas being shared, preserved, and built over time
French: What profession did you choose to present? Is it a job you want to do when you get older?
Exploration: How is your myth coming along? Can you tell me about some of the characters you're creating?
Launchpad: Which NGA challenge has been the most complex so far? Why?
Dates of Interest
Alex Mateas' Mindful Movement workshops are taking place at Revel Academy this Fall. They are open for registration and will run from October 1st to December 3rd. Email alex@alexmateas.com for more information!
Grade 2 & 3 Soccer Jamboree - Wednesday, September 27th
Grade 4 - 6 Soccer Jamboree - Friday, September 29th
Rebel Guardian Onboarding - Accountability Systems Wednesday, September 27th at 6:00 pm (for guardians of learners in Discovery, Exploration, and Launchpad)
Exploration and Launchpad Overnight Camping Trip Monday, October 2nd to Wednesday, October 4th (more information to come!)
Session 1 Exhibitions
Discovery Studio - Tuesday, October 3rd, 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm
Spark Studio - Thursday, October 5th, 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm
Exploration and Launchpad Studios - Thursday, October 5th, 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm
Pumpkin Run (G4 - 12): October 17th
Rebel Guardian Onboarding - Self-Driven Child Book Club Thursday, October 26th at 7:00 pm - The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives Book Club (Read the book in advance and come ready to discuss.)