Revel Recap: Oct. 21 - 25, 2024

Spark Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

Welcome to Session 2, Sparks! To start our week, some Rebels revealed the turkey disguises they created over the break! We had birds camouflaged as the Hulk, a sloth, two Disney princesses, Super Mario, and an axolotl. Thank you for sharing your designs! Next, the learners wrote and illustrated what they did over the session break and shared their adventures with the group. It sounds like everyone had a fun time! To go with our Lego-themed week, the learners completed a directed drawing of a Lego person on Tuesday. The rest of the week's mindfulness and launches leaned into the excitement of Halloween! On Wednesday, the learners participated in a Halloween-themed yoga practice that included spooky poses such as pumpkins, owls, bats, spiders, skeletons, and witches. Next, they came up with suggestions for the guides' Halloween costumes and illustrated their ideas. There were many great ideas, such as a police officer, a pumpkin, a witch, a banana, and a dinosaur! On Thursday, we read Pumpkin Pumpkin, which helped us learn about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. We then completed a Roll a Pumpkin drawing activity. In pairs, the learners took turns rolling dice and matching the number to an action to draw. They continued adding details to their pumpkins, and the result was so unique! On Friday, we read Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies and then talked about some safety rules and etiquette for trick-or-treating. The learners then completed a Halloween I Spy activity while listening to spooky music! 

Every day this week, we also spent a portion of our launch or closings answering some thought-provoking questions from our Table Topic cards. This collection asks questions on a wide variety of topics, and it is always so interesting to hear the learners' opinions and perspectives. This was a really engaging activity and helped the learners to connect. 

Quest

We are so excited about this session's Building and Engineering Quest! On Monday, the learners brought in Lego sets they had completed at home to share. We have some very talented Lego builders in our group! On Tuesday, we read Iggy PeckArchitect. The learners were amazed at everything Iggy built in the story, especially the bridge at the end. This served as our inspiration for the day, as learners got into groups of two and set out to make a bridge that went over a piece of paper, acting as the water. Before building our bridges, we looked through the illustrations in the book 13 Bridges Children Should Know to give us an idea of the various types of bridges. Each group successfully created a stable bridge that stretched over the water! On Wednesday, we read Maybe I'll Be an Architect. Some Rebels shared that they would like to design buildings or bridges someday! We then had a Lego building competition. Learners were challenged to have the fastest time to stack twenty Lego bricks in a right-angle tower. They had to build the tower using alternating hands. Each learner's times have been recorded and will be displayed at Exhibition. They want to challenge their families to see if they can beat their records! On Thursday, we read The Most Magnificent Thing, which reminded us of the importance of a growth mindset and not giving up when something is tricky! This inspired our next challenge: building and testing Lego towers with weights. The learners worked together to build a tower 10 inches tall and sturdy enough to hold weight at the top of it. Our architects did a good job building some very solid structures. To celebrate at the end of the week, we indulged in a few pieces of Lego candy! The Sparks were excited to see the candy pieces fit together like real Lego. Don't forget your cardboard for next week, we are building a city! 

Art

This week, Lego, ink pads, and paper were the mediums for our art project. The learners watched a quick video where they saw someone creating houses, robots, flowers, and more by stamping various Lego pieces. The learners then set off to create their own masterpieces. The artists decided that the ink wasn't working how they wanted, so we switched to paint. This led to a practical life activity afterward, as the learners worked on washing and drying the Lego pieces they used. 

Math Lab

In the last session, Group One worked really hard learning the numbers to twenty and their associated quantities. We will continue to strengthen this understanding and build on it through the use of various materials during the learners' work periods. Our Math Lab this week introduced this group to the idea of addition. We discussed that addition is combining two or more numbers and finding the total amount. We looked at the plus and equal signs and talked about tools we can use to help us find the sum, such as counting on our fingers. We then used Lego as our manipulative to help explore this arithmetic operation. The learners were challenged to find two different Lego pieces for their equation and then count how many dots were on top of both pieces to find the sum. 

Group 2 was introduced to the world of patterns. They were asked, "Can you explain what a pattern is?" Many learners describe it as two colours repeating in a row. We then talked about AB, ABB, and ABC patterns and how each letter represents a symbol in their pattern, which will continuously grow. Together, we worked on six different patterns, described the pattern type, and continued the pattern. For an additional challenge, the Sparks created six of their own patterns on the whiteboard. Another learner then did their best to extend each other's patterns. We will continue this topic over the next five weeks. 

Reader/Writer Workshop 

This week, for our Reading Workshop, Group One reviewed the letter sounds we have learned so far: S, A, T, M, P, I. They are showing a strong understanding of these phonetic sounds! Rebels set off to make each letter out of Lego and then practiced blending them to form and sound out CVC words such as sat, map, pat, lap, sam, etc. Some of the learners in the studio have also started working with the UFLI program to further practice and support their growing literacy skills. We have introduced decodable passages and roll and read activities that offer practice with specific phonic patterns. 

Group Two began their book study on The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky by Jory John and Pete Oswald. Before the story was read aloud, everyone made a prediction about the story from only seeing the title and cover page. Sparks made predictions such as the seed stealing costumes and pumpkins and going trick or treating. The learners then reviewed the story elements, title, author and illustrator, setting, and main characters. Group Two worked well together by helping each other write sentences, brainstorm their predictions, and help others discover where to find the many story elements on the book's front cover.

Geography

For geography this week, we learned about Canada's tallest freestanding building, the CN Tower. The learners watched the evolution of the building from 1973 to the present day. We read fun facts, such as how it held the title of the tallest structure in the world for 32 years, how it took 40 months to be built, and that there is a high-speed elevator, a glass floor, and a 360-degree revolving restaurant inside! We also watched a virtual tour of the structure and talked about whether we would want to do the daring EdgeWalk. Afterwards, the learners completed a cut-and-paste activity to build the CN Tower and added a drawing of themselves visiting this North American architectural landmark! 

Discovery Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

Monday morning, the Rebels took turns sharing highlights from their week off. It was fun to hear about the Rebels' travels, activities, and random Revel community meet-ups! For Launch, we played a game of snowballs where the Rebels threw snowballs at each other as a throw and catch game. As the game got more and more chaotic as more snowballs were added, we stopped and discussed how the game was a metaphor for group work, and then we came up with strategies to help the game work more smoothly.

On Tuesday, we went on a Gratitude Walk around a few blocks near the school. Rebels said they were grateful for Revel, their friends, the beautiful fall trees, and much more. During Tuesday's Launch, we reviewed the Bulletin Board post on Journey Tracker about Session 2 Leadership opportunities, and Rebels signed up for jobs they'd like to have.

Wonder Wednesday's puzzles were challenging! The Rebels solved the daily Wordle in 5 guesses but were completelystumped by the colour-themed Connections. We worked on our Joy Workbook for Launch, focusing on the Question of the Year. Last time, the Rebels brainstormed times they felt joy; this time, they looked for similarities between their joyful times.

We headed out into the crisp October air for another Mindfulness Walk on Thursday morning. We focused on finding the colours of the rainbow.  Thursday's launch (re)introduced the ICEE framework for studio intentionality, civility, energy and excellence. After discussing what each of these might look or sound like in our daily lives, Rebels voted if they thought we were lower or higher in each category. This discussion brought our attention to an opportunity to raise civility and we will explore this more deeply in the coming weeks. 

Friday morning, we warmed up our Boomwhackers, practicing our scales and chords. Then, we played a version of the song "Happier" by Marshmello featuring Bastille. The Current Events report featured a CBC Kids article about the Demetra effect, a video about Skate America title winner Ilia Malinin's backflip on figure skates, and a review on how to spot fake images online.

Math Lab

In both labs this week, Rebels worked on the "How Many Paperclips in a Shoe?" task. We used rulers and various referents like link cubes or paperclips to measure studio objects. Draw/Anchor Rebels worked on two different task sequences. First, they used different referents to measure the same object, and second, they used the same referent to measure various objects. Aim/Release Rebels completed these, and a third task sequence where they were given referent estimates like "eleven paperclips" and had to find and measure objects that matched.

Reader/Writer

Draw and Anchor Rebels: We started our session thinking about how we are all children at some point, with some pictures of the Guides as kids. The Rebels tried to guess who was who unsuccessfully. We discussed how we are all children who grow up, take on more responsibility and continue to learn. Ms. Amy explained that each Rebel would run their Journey Meeting with their parents in the coming weeks. They began by writing their script for what they will say at the meeting, focusing on their goals, journey and behaviour in the studio. 

Aim/Release Rebels: We discussed how we are all children who grow up, take on more responsibility and continue to learn. During this session, they will demonstrate their responsibility by assessing how they are doing, making a progress report, writing a script, creating an invitation, and then running a journey meeting with their parents. Aim and Release Rebels worked on looking at their goal sheet and Journey Tracker and updating their progress report for their Journey Meeting with their parents. 

Civilizations

This week's read-aloud was about the civil war in Japan and the leaders in power around the late 1500s and early 1600s. Rebels mapped out sections of Japan to show the parts that Ieyasu and Hideyori ruled, as well as where Korea and China are in relation to Japan. Throughout the story, leadership styles were explained using a metaphor about a bird that won't sing. One leader would kill the bird for not singing, another would make the bird sing, and a third would wait for the bird to sing. After the story, Rebels had a lot to say during the Socratic discussion about whether or not they would work as a samurai for a nobleman who gave them the most money or one they believed in. Additionally, they argued about whether it is better or worse to harm someone or take away their sword and wondered if it is legal today to defend themselves.

Quest

Rebels are now Architects! This week, the Rebels learned what is needed for a blueprint by completing a Revel Academy Scavenger Hunt. They had to find the Revel mailbox, the ladder to the roof, how many fire extinguishers and outlets there are, and more. On Tuesday, the Rebels used an actual blueprint of the Discovery Studios and had to find specific items such as toilets, doors, staircases, sinks, and windows. Wednesday, we focused on practicing measuring different items in Revel, including length, depth, width and height of doors, sinks, cubbies, rooms and even the gym. They also had to find the perimeter and area of various rooms to determine which Discovery room was bigger. On Thursday, we learned about scale. Rebels were challenged to draw walls or rectangles of specified measurements using scales such as ¼ or ½ inch. This was challenging for the Rebels, and we will revisit it next week.

Physical Development

Session 2's physical development will have two choices each Tuesday and Thursday. The learners will have the opportunity to learn the sport of Badminton or play cooperative games outside. Tuesday's games were Blob Tag as our warm-up and then many fun rounds of Capture the Flag. On Thursday, the Rebels played Zombie Invasion. The objective of the game is for the Zombies to capture all of the candy inside each of the hoops and not get tagged to head into the graveyard. If the Rebel was not a zombie, they were the pumpkins protecting the candy and tagging the zombies. 

Exploration Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

After welcoming back the Rebels, we spent a few minutes writing in our Gratitude journals before going over the expectations for the day for those going to the soccer jamboree and those staying at school. We also celebrated one of our Rebels whose birthday it was!

We added a new loop to our path on Tuesday's mindful walk! Along the way, we could see more stunning autumn colours on the trees that make up the forest lining one of the streets near our school. Once back in the studio, we took a crack at a conundrum that has perplexed humanity from as early as the Ancient Greeks. So which came first, the chicken or the egg? On Wednesday, learners had the option to draw, paint, colour, or create a eukaryotic cell to go along with our Quest focus this week.

Thursday's yoga flow included a variety of fast and slow movements, like squats, leg lifts, seated side body stretches and pigeon pose. Afterwards, we learned about the weird and wonderful history of cell theory and the twists and turns that came together to build the foundations of biology.

Friday morning, we started our morning with mindfulness puzzles. We began with Wordle, quickly moved on to Connections, and ended with The Mini.

Reader/Writer

For the next two sessions, one of our Launchpad Rebels will run our Reader/Writer Workshops about Journalism!Learners began by brainstorming what Journalism is and why it matters. We also played a Jeopardy game to check our understanding of fact versus opinion.

Math Lab 

This session's Math Lab theme is note-making, not taking. Rebels shared ideas about the difference between these at Thursday's lab. They said note-making is stuff that YOU write, not someone else. It also includes sentences about a math problem, including reminders of what worked or didn't. For each lab this session, we'll experiment with a note-making template to try and make more meaning out of the things we write down. Regarding the math tasks, Rebels worked on a series of challenges this week, responding to the prompt: "What's the best deal?" Rebels used a variety of ways to solve the problems, from scaling up and down to finding equivalent fractions, making visual models, and using operations to find unit rates to compare different deals more directly. 

Civilizations

The Persian Wars were fought between the Greeks and Persians over two thousand years ago. Their battles originated for many of the same reasons wars happen today - resources, pride, revenge and prejudice.

On Tuesday, we researched the Battle of Marathon and the Persian Wars before learners picked one person of interest to study from Datis, Artaphernes, Miltiades, Darius, Xerxes, Aeschylus, and Herodotus. We then met to discuss our research and answer Socratic questions. For example, how would you rank the following attributes of a military force in order of importance: Effective weaponry, Committed and well-trained soldiers, Respected or feared leaders, and Well-executed strategy?

Quest

Upon our return from the Soccer Jamboree on Monday, the Rebels got into their Session 2 Science Teams and chose their Team name for the session. They also learned about the Mystery Cell challenge. Each team has been assigned a secret cell identity. During the week, team members will receive clues about their identity after completing different challenges. Using their clues, they will prepare a skit to get the other teams to guess what cell type they are without using any words! On Tuesday, we learned about prokaryote and eukaryote cells before exploring organelle structures and functions, modern cell theory, and plant vs. animal cell comparisons. Learners took notes in their online or paper science notebooks and received their second Mystery Cell hint. They then began cycling through 20 different stations about cells using a handout as a guide. At Tuesday's Closing, we also learned a few facts about Henrietta Lacks and how her (Hela) cells were taken and used for important scientific research without her knowledge and consent. We watched a Crash Course biology video on Wednesday to review some of the terms we discussed the day before. Rebels then continued working through the stations before taking ten minutes to play a game called Cell Craft. The focus for Thursday was Mitosis! We learned about the reason for mitosis, why we don't want cells dividing all the time, Interphase, DNA and chromosomes, mnemonics for Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and Cytokinesis. Rebels then made a Mitosis Wheel to be used as a study tool before using Oreos and sprinkles to recreate the various stages. At Thursday's Closing, the five groups presented their awesome cell skits, and the teams successfully identified each cell type! On Thursday afternoon, Rebels also had the opportunity to play games inspired by biology. There were matching games, BINGO, puzzles, and board games to choose from!

Additional Highlights

Eight of our Exploration and three of our Discovery Rebels participated in Monday's Grade 7-8 Soccer Jamboree. It is always a pleasure to hang out with this crew as they demonstrated great teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the entire day! We were especially proud of all the learners who left their comfort zone and played their best. Way to go, Rebels!

Launchpad Studio

Launchpad Rebels continue to impress with their ability to self-manage and challenge themselves with their coursework.

Leadership, Pedagogy, and Journalism

Beyond their independent math and computer science courses, SAT prep, and personal reading, they are also taking on more and more leadership roles within the community. One learner is guiding our Exploration Reader/Writer workshop for Sessions 2 and 3, focusing on journalism. (See above) They did a great job outlining expectations and showed an outstanding balance of confidence and vulnerability, allowing the younger Rebels to feel more at ease! After the class, they met with their mentor guide to ask for feedback, do further research on engaging learners, and review next week's lesson plan to ensure they are prepared in advance. Way to go!

AP Biology

This week, our learner began Unit 4, which introduced heredity and genetic variation. They learned about the stages of meiosis and explored how meiosis results in offspring with unique combinations of genes from their parents. There were readings as well as a test to demonstrate their understanding. A review also took place, where multiple assessments were utilized to see how much of the previous units were still clear and identify areas for improvement.

AP Language and Composition

In AP Language and Comp, there was a new set of vocabulary to learn, as well as readings with interspersed checks of understanding about lines of reasoning and unity and cohesion when writing essays. Our learner also worked to give feedback on anonymously showcased essays of her classmates using the initial rubric provided.

AP Literature and Composition

Meanwhile, our learner began analyzing Renaissance poetry in a new AP Lit and Comp Unit and wrote a final comparative essay to cap off the exploration of modernist dramas from weeks prior.

Communication/Literature

On January 1, 1818, a small London publisher printed 500 copies of Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, on the cheapest paper available. This was only the beginning. In this session, a couple of our learners will read the classic by Mary Shelley. On Monday, they began by learning about Gothicism and Romanticism and looking into the scientific developments occurring in England and America between 1764 and 1898. Rebels were also asked to review a list of popular literary devices and look up any unknown terms, such as Bildungsroman and Byronic Hero. On Tuesday, they took a fun True/False quiz before reading up on some background information and themes in the novel. The rest of the week was spent reading, and we will meet on Monday to discuss our initial thoughts!

Canadian and International Law

This week, one learner began drafting an essay on the Japanese Hostage Justice system for the Canadian and International Law course they are taking through RISE.

Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:

Spark Studio

• What is the lifecycle of a pumpkin? 

• What do you think your guide should dress up as for Halloween? 

• Would you like to try the EdgeWalk outside of the CN Tower?

• Would you like to be an architect someday? Why or why not? 

• Who was your partner for the Lego building challenges this week? Did you and your partner have different ideas for the type of bridge or building you wanted to build? 

Discovery Studio

• Math Lab: What's a measurement referent and how do you use one?

• Culture: I heard there was an ICEE discussion this week at Launch, and the majority of Rebels say civility is low in the studio. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

• CIV: Is it better to take a job that pays well or that you believe in?

• Quest: What do you find exciting about being an architect? What skill do you want to work on?

Exploration Studio

• Quest: Will we ever be free of serious illnesses, or will we always have cells that "go rogue?"

• Civ: The Greeks believed they were victorious largely due to the pride of the Persians. Is pride in your abilities a strength or a weakness?

• Math Lab: What is a unit rate, and how do you find it? 

• What was the best part of the soccer jamboree: time with your friends, the weather, playing, or something else?

Launchpad Studio

• What are your most important priorities this next week?

• When you aren’t feeling productive, what strategies could you use to get back on track? How can our family support you?

• If you could take time to be a tourist in your own city, what would you most want to see?

Important Upcoming Dates

• Revel Pumpkin Run: Wednesday, October 30th 

• Halloween Red Carpet Parade: Thursday, October 31st at 9:00 am

• Yearbook Cover Contest Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024 at 9:00 a.m

• Session 2 Exhibitions

• Spark: Wednesday, November 20th at 4:15 pm

• Discovery: Tuesday, November 19th at 4:15 pm

• Exploration and LP (DATE CHANGE): Wednesday, November 20th at 4:15 pm

• Sessional Break and Camp: November 22nd & 23rd

• School Pictures: Tuesday, November 26th