Revel Recap: Nov. 25 - 29, 2024

Spark Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

Welcome to Session Three! On Monday, we started our morning listening to the story, The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need. This story highlights the importance of giving and generosity. Afterward, the Sparks shared items that they had previously donated, such as clothes and toys. We then learned about two important programs in the Ottawa community that help others during the holiday season, and the Sparks want to help! We will collect new, unwrapped toys for children ages 0-12 for the Toy Mountain campaign. We reviewed some toy ideas they recommend, such as Barbies, books, board games, Play-Doh, and sports equipment. We will also collect funds and non-perishable food for the Ottawa Food Bank's Holiday Food Drive. We talked with the Sparks about some of the most needed items: canned fish and chicken, pasta and sauce, rice, nut butter, canned vegetables and fruit, and diapers. Each Spark then created posters that will be displayed around the school to share this information with the rest of the community. Three Spark Rebels also visited the other studios to share the information. Check out the BAND app if you would like more details.

On Tuesday, the Sparks followed a directed drawing of hot chocolate with marshmallows and discovered it was a hit about Friday's Quest! On Wednesday, the Sparks participated in yoga, which two learners led. They used a yoga spinner game to demonstrate the poses to the learners with many solo and partner moves. Thursday, the Sparks listened to a read-aloud of The Color Monster. They explored the zones of regulation and shared how they were feeling. Following this, they coloured monsters to show how they were feeling that morning and answered a question, "What makes you happy and feel calm?" To end the week, the Sparks used their gratitude journals to express what they were grateful for during the holiday season. 

French

This week, we worked on weather and clothing vocabulary in French. On Monday, we coloured the weather terms, and on Tuesday, we learned the weather song: Quel temps fait il? - Alain Le Lait. Wednesday, we played "Clothes Edition" Bingo, and on Thursday, we played a Clothing Seek-a-Boo game in the gym!

Quest

Experiments are in full swing in the Spark Studio, with Kitchen Chemistry taking center stage. The Sparks kicked things off by experimenting with candy canes, testing both fruity and peppermint flavours. They placed a candy cane in each cup and hypothesized what would happen when different ingredients, such as soda, vinegar, water, and vegetable oil, were added. They immediately observed the candy canes and waited 30 minutes to see if any changes occurred. The Sparks quickly noticed that the vegetable oil did not affect the candy canes, while the vinegar caused them to melt, and the colour changed. This experiment sparked curiosity and discussion about how different substances interact. The following day, the Sparks began a new experiment involving water, food colouring, sparkles, and baking soda. Working in teams, they prepared batches of ingredients and filled cups to create their "trees." Each team completed a lab sheet documenting their hypotheses, ingredients, and procedures. After freezing their creations overnight, the Sparks poured baking soda over their icy trees the next morning to observe the reaction. The Sparks excitedly explored the textures with their hands as they fizzled and bubbled. Afterward, the learners documented their findings in their notebooks. Next on the agenda was slime! The Sparks were divided into two groups to make two different types of slime. One group followed a simple two-ingredient recipe using a "magical potion," and the other group experimented with a more complex recipe involving several ingredients. They worked hard to get their slimes to form, adding red sparkles for an extra touch of fun. Once both batches were ready, the Sparks compared the two slimes. One was sticky and stretchy, while the other was light and fluffy, each offering a unique tactile experience. To officially end the week, the Sparks completed the melting snowman experiment using hot chocolate powder and marshmallows. Each learner made snowmen using marshmallows and markers. We filled 6 cups with cold, warm, and hot boiling water. We placed the miniature snowmen and large snowmen marshmallows in separate temperature cups. The learners made a hypothesis and collected data, identifying which cup melted the marshmallow snowmen the quickest, slowest, or not at all. In the end, they enjoyed a lovely cup of hot chocolate! 

Art

Wednesday's Art Workshop was all about elves. The learners listen to the story How to Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace. The story elaborates on an elf loose in a house. The homeowners are unsure if they want to catch the elf or follow along with a mischievous creature throughout the holidays. With traps and many fun adventures, the Sparks explored ways they may want to catch an elf. Before making an elf of their own, they completed an activity where they wrote down and drew what they would do if they were an elf. The learners' finished elves are in the Spark window! 

Math Lab

Group One began a geometry unit this week. To make it hands-on and fun, they were asked to explore and find triangular, square, circle, and rectangle objects and share them with their group members. Afterward, they picked one of their items to draw while creatively thinking about what else it could be while maintaining the same shape.

This week, Group Two explored 2D shapes using the geometry cabinet in the studio. We went through each drawer, which contains shapes grouped together as polygons, curved figures, quadrilaterals, and triangles. Some shape names were well-known by the Sparks, such as triangles, squares, pentagons, circles, and hexagons.  We focused on unfamiliar shapes by tracing and repeating the names such as oval, ellipse, quatrefoil, trapezoid, rhombus, heptagon, nonagon, and decagon. Afterwards, the Sparks demonstrated their learning by completing a sheet where they had to draw various shapes and write the names.

Reader/Writer

Group One has been working on printing books and material from the shelves all week. During every group activity, they focused on printing each word as a Guide sounds out the letters for them. They have also been using the chalkboard, wooden planks, and sand letters during work periods to make the letters, whether tracing the sandpaper letters or using the chalk and blocks to form the letters independently. 

Group Two, meanwhile, explores different types of writing and focuses on spelling, sizing, and spacing of letters. This week, we worked on an informative writing piece on how to brush your teeth. We discussed as a group the sequence of steps we take when we brush our teeth. Then, each learner communicated their steps through writing and illustration. Afterward, they worked in partners with UFLI Read and Roll activities to practice reading fluency. They took turns rolling a die, which directed them to a word they would read out loud. 

Geography

On Thursday, the Sparks explored the world of traditions. To start, Ms. Kaitlin shared a tradition from Germany during the Christmas holidays. The German tradition comes with the fun of a pickle ornament. Guardians of the children will hide a small pickle ornament on the Christmas tree, tucking it out of sight among the branches. On Christmas morning, the first family member to spot the pickle is rewarded with a special blessing for the coming year and receives the first present from under the tree. Using the continent map, we discovered that Germany is a European country. Three learners also shared a family tradition. One learner brought in a menorah and a Christmas tree ornament. The learner explained that their family celebrates both traditions in their home and explained when they light the candles on the menorah. The second learner shared traditions about the Persian New Year, which is celebrated on the first day of spring. The learner brought in colouring sheets, which represent how their table is set up, called a Haft Seen. On the table, you can find Seer (garlic represents medicine), Sabzeh (wheatgrass represents rebirth), Sekkeh (coins represent prosperity and wealth), and many more wonderful foods and items with meaning behind them. Our last tradition comes from Australia as a part of a learner's family is currently living there. They shared a book called The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas. During the reading, we learned that Australians go to the beach during Christmas and also have Boxing Day. 

Additional Highlights

This is a friendly reminder that Show and Tell is back on Fridays this whole session. Your learner also has the opportunity to share a holiday tradition on Thursday during our Geography Workshop. Please see BAND for your learner's given date. On December 16th, your learner will participate in the sock exchange. Please have your learner bring in a pair of new and wrapped "fun" socks over the next two weeks for the exchange!

Discovery Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

On Monday morning, the Rebels shared things they were grateful for and listened to reinterpreted classical music by a young pianist who infused hip-hop and electro beats into classical pieces from composers like Bach and Schubert. For Launch, we reviewed the terms of the Session 3 Fantastic Flow of Fun Friday rewards: if Rebels complete all of their weekly goals (without skipping any and before lunch on Friday) two weeks in a row, they unlock a fancy drink! Three weeks in a row, they earn the drink and a "screen" Fun Friday, where they can play computer games together, and if they can complete all goals four weeks in a room, they get these and a Rebel Buck bonus!

On Tuesday, we started our day with Mindful Colouring, and the Rebels requested some time to draw their favourite animals.  We set up our Secret Rebel gift exchange during Launch by completing our surveys. On Wednesday, for Mindfulness, we struggled at first with the Wordle but got it in the end. Then we tried a new game called Letterboxed, which the Rebels understood quickly and won in the end! For Launch, we worked on making a list in our Joy Workbooks of what we love to do. The learners started their day with mindful colouring on Thursday while listening to holiday jazz music. The fireplace channel made it feel extra cozy! At Thursday's Launch, we continued discussing how to manage our friendships. We talked about the friendship thermometer and what a true friend does and doesn't do. For Feel-Good Friday, we drew names for our gift exchange, and then a Rebel ran Current Events, which featured stories on how some teens want the voting age to be 16 years old and an art piece that sold for 6.2 million dollars of a duck-taped banana.

Reader/Writer

For both the Draw and Anchor Rebels and the Aim and Release Rebels, Ms. Amy introduced our sessional focus, Podcasting! We talked about the kinds of podcasts they liked and listened to, and then we listened to a couple of very popular podcasts: Wow in the World, Story Pirates, Smash Boom Best, and Dream Big. They listened to identify the type of podcast, the topic, its elements (music, sound effects) and if they liked it. Next week, we will start creating the basics of the podcast they will be recording. 

Math Lab

This week, the Aim and Release Rebels met in the lab to discuss "ish" numbers. We made an idea map connecting these numbers with the session theme of computation and making calculations with the four operations. Rebels shared the steps they knew for the addition algorithm, and we talked about how this is like a computer program in which everything has to be completed in a specific sequence. Many other ways exist to solve an addition problem but may differ from the algorithm. With "ish" numbers, we lack precision, but we can build understanding by reflecting on the reasonableness of a number! Rebels flexed their "ish" number skills in groups using a variety of visual prompts and then tackled the Dice Problem. Thirty-five dice were rolled; what is their sum-ish? 

Draw and Anchor Rebels started this session's computation theme with the read-aloud "The Best of Times." We then completed the Track Day task! Rebels worked on various scenarios of Olympic Races competing in heats, determining the total number of athletes in an event. For example, how many athletes if there were eight heats of 7 athletes?

Civilizations

Civilizations took us to Europe for the Thirty Years War that took place from 1618-1648. Ferdinand owned German lands but then died, and the land passed hands several times until it was finally passed to Ferdinand the Second, and trouble started. Ferdinand was Catholic, but many noblemen were Protestant. Ferdinand left the country, and a riot broke out, and the Protestants threw Ferdinand's two officials out the window. Protestants then felt free to celebrate their religion, but Ferdinand retaliated and immediately defeated the Protestants with his allies, Austria and Spain. That caused more unrest, so the Protestants gathered an army, and Ferdinand hired Wallenstein to be his new general, who was known as being violent. Ferdinand's army won and took control of Denmark. The Protestants hired Gustavus as their general to fight back, but Gustavus was killed in battle, and then the Protestant army started to fall apart. Ferdinand began to make peace with the other side. They signed a treaty, and a couple of weeks after it was signed, the Protestants declared war. Even after the leaders of both sides died, it still took years to end the war.

French

This week, in preparation for building our gingerbread houses, Group 1 worked on house vocabulary by making activity sheets, and then we worked on a craft about our dream gingerbread house.

Group 2 completed a translation activity where they translated the ingredients and verbs in a gingerbread house recipe in preparation for making it next week. Then, the Rebels drew plans for their gingerbread house in teams of two.

Quest

In Quest this session, the Rebels are becoming Movie Directors! This week, we introduced Stop Motion by watching some excellent examples and trying out three challenges. The first got the learners to learn the basics of stop motion by taking an object and making it move across the screen from one side to the other. The second challenge was to take the same object and move it from one side of the screen to the other, but it had to climb over, go under or go around an obstacle. The third and final step we worked on was to choose several objects and get them to move across the screen bit by bit. After each challenge, the directors showed the group, and we voted to make sure they passed the challenge and gave them feedback on how to improve it next time. We finished the week of Stop Motion by making an Excellence Criteria Checklist of what their Stop Motion needs to have.

Physical Development

Due to the rainy weather on Tuesday, there was an indoor option for P.E. We all started together as a group, completing a holiday-themed yoga led by Jamie from Cosmic Kids. We then split the gym in half, with one group doing some dance-related exercises and the other playing games! On Thursday, the outdoor group played football in the field whereas the indoor group did dancing games! 

Exploration Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

We introduced ourselves to our new learners on Monday before filling out our Secret Santa surveys. Once all the surveys were completed, learners drew names and will purchase a gift for that Rebel to exchange during the last week of the session! It was raining Tuesday morning, so we took part in mindful colouring instead of our usual walk. Learners then pitched their Reader/Writer journalism pieces to their peers for approval before their workshop. We took both Mindfulness and Launch on Wednesday to start a Holiday Tessellations art project. Rebels used either a cardstock form or graph paper with one shape already printed to create a tessellation of either a gift, stocking, tree, elf, Santa, or ornament. Thursday morning's yoga was very chill - not cold, relaxing! Rebels selected a resting position for the first ten minutes of the practice, and then we ended things with some very simple seated stretches. After yoga, we began our Etiquette workshop series. We started with basic dining etiquette in preparation for holiday meals with family and friends.  We learned that while sometimes manners and etiquette seem like "rules for rules' sake," at their core, manners are just about being mindful and considerate of other people.  Friday, learners crushed the Wordle, The Mini, and Strands and had a start on the day's Connections before it was time to move on. During our learner-led Current Events presentation, we learned about the opening weekend of Wicked, which earned CAD 229 million, the highest-earning Broadway movie adaptation. We also learned about a few animals that are "So Cute I Can't" and, of course, a few Live From SnackTime quotes to cap it off!

Math Lab 

This session's Math Lab theme is Trip Fundraising! Rebels started out by considering two "ish" number questions with their teams: what is a realistic amount-ish for each person to pay for a two-night trip somewhere and what does a trip like that cost-ish? After some initial reflection, many teams asked excellent questions like, "What did last year's trip cost?" Or, "What percentage of the trip costs were for food?" After investigating local brochures for fees associated with some potential trip activities, Rebels turned to the internet to search for pricing for various trip elements, and we soon began to categorize costs into transportation, accommodation, food, and activities. With our "ish" amounts in mind, Rebels then read through an article outlining forty ways to fundraise. These were divided into five types of fundraising: monetary contributions, event-based, sale-based, service-based and creative. Rebels highlighted the ways they would be most interested in pursuing to bring down the costs of their trip! Next week, we'll move to the planning and execution phase!

Quest 

Welcome to the JOY of Travel Quest! In this session, Rebels will be planning their Spring 2025 Studio Trip! This week's focus was exploring their travel instincts, what type of travel interests them the most, and where they would love to go if money and time were unrestricted. On Monday, we interviewed travel buddies and developed travel pacts (both in the spirit of how people like to travel and in the sense of working together on Quest challenges). Tuesday's task was to develop a Bucket List of their Top Ten places to see in the world and create a photo journal. Wednesday, they needed to create a list of 3-5 destinations that would make sense for a studio trip, emphasizing how we could convince adults that the trip is educational or worthwhile. On Thursday, Rebels had to complete a "Security Checkpoint" to round out the week, ensuring they had finished all challenges and reflecting on takeaways. If they were caught up, there were "first class" challenges they could elect to work on, exploring Google Maps vs. Google Earth or interviewing someone about an impactful travel experience they'd been on. Next week, we'll start with travel planning constraints for our trip and then work on itineraries and budgets!

Reader/Writer

The Rebels are now putting the journalism skills they learned last session to work as they create their piece! On Tuesday morning, each individual or group pitched their project idea for approval before getting started. We can't wait to read the final articles!

French

This week in French, the Rebels competed in several Kahoot games to review the three verb groups. We then played a game of Port and Starboard in the gym, where the learners had to mime each of the verbs as quickly as possible before their teammates.

Civilizations

We began learning about the Byzantine Empire this week, beginning by comparing the similarities and differences between the Roman Empire and the "Byzantine Empire" (which considered itself the continuation of the Roman Empire).We looked at the capital, language, religion, law, governance, and culture between the two, setting the stage for what would come. We then read ten fascinating facts about the medieval empire that bridged the gap between the classical world and the Renaissance before participating in our Socratic discussion. 

Additional Highlights

We welcomed two new Rebels to the Exploration Studio, one who is new to Revel and one who earned his way up from our Discovery Studio! We are so excited to have them both join us!

On Thursday, Rebels had time to catch up on Core Skills or work on a special Holiday Joy badge! Learners chose to either work on a 2-point perspective gingerbread house or choose a holiday traditions baking project. 

After reading the Wild Robot last session, Rebels who earned Fun Friday could watch the movie this week. While the learners felt the book was much better, it was a relaxing afternoon.

Launchpad Studio

Our learners continued working on their Python 2 course or Web Development course, where they were brushing up on padding, margins, indent, and textbox usage in CSS and HTML coding. They also worked on independently preparing for the SATs and various mathematics coursework.

Amgen Biotech Experience

In order to prepare for the Amgen Biotech Experience, learners used their time this week to review or learn about DNA. Rebels began by watching an overview of the DNA bases, complementary base pairing, and the structure of the double helix before using a structure of DNA interactive. They then completed a couple of handouts to help cement their understanding. On Wednesday, they learned that DNA serves as the molecular basis of heredity through replication, expression, and translation processes. Replication creates identical DNA strands, while transcription converts DNA into messenger RNA (mRNA). Translation then decodes mRNA into amino acids, forming proteins essential for life functions. After watching an introductory video on DNA, Rebels also learned about replication, transcription, and translation using videos, Doodle notes, interactives, and simulations. On Thursday, the learners came together to play a DNA board game. It was a fun way to review what they learned this week!

AP Biology

In AP Biology, learners were asked to present and then comment on another's answers to one of the five big questions from previous units in a variety of forms. There was also an analysis lab, taking a deeper look into comparing and matching species' genetic sequences, and the final test encompassing the whole of Unit 6.

Canadian and International Law

Our learner finished a major 12-page essay on the hostage justice critique of Japan's criminal justice system and began searching for and keeping a list of music to use when this piece is turned into a podcast!

AP Language and Composition

This week, our learner finished Unit 4 in AP Language by revising the rhetorical essay from Unit 3 and completing the FRQ. The free response question simulated how the AP exam would go and helped to discern how much would need to be trimmed to fit within the time limit.

AP Literature and Composition

Our learner taking AP Literature read Their Eyes Were Watching God this week. They then wrote one essay on Janie's development of agency and identity and how this relates to the imagery of the budding pear tree. They also did a reading comprehension exercise in discerning character relationships, motivations, and points of conflict before completing another lesson in thesis construction. Lastly, they engaged in two discussions and completed two quizzes with high scores on both!

Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:

Spark Studio

• What experiment did you like the most? What did you observe? 

• What happened to the fruity candy canes in the oil, water, vinegar and soda? 

• What is a hypothesis? 

• French: How do you say sweater in French? (chandail)

Discovery Studio

• Math Lab: Can you skip-count by 2s? 5s? 10s? What strategies do you have for solving multiplication questions, like six groups of 7?

• Math Lab: Keep your ears open for "ish" numbers. When do they come up?

• Quest: Can you tell me about your Stop Motion challenges? Which one was your favourite?

• French: What does "Pain d'épices" mean? (gingerbread)

Exploration Studio

• Quest: If you could go on a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? What would you do while there?

• Math Lab: What type of fundraising are you interested in planning to generate money for your studio trip?

• Math Lab: How much money-ish is reasonable to pay per person?

• The Byzantine Empire lasted over 1000 years but still came to an end in 1453. Do you believe all empires are destined to fall eventually? If so, what do you think Canada's downfall will be, and when will it occur?

• French:  What is the 2nd verb group? (verbs ending in IR)

Launchpad Studio

• Which process do you feel you understand best: replication, transcription, or translation? Which do you need to review next week?

• What is your current Deep Book, and why did you choose to read it in particular?

• What is your big rock goal for the next three weeks?

Important Upcoming Dates

• Collecting donations for Toy Mountain and The Ottawa Food Bank- Nov. 25-Dec. 13th . Please see BAND for more information. 

• Friday, December 6th and 13th - Yearbook Winter Photo booth!

• Exploration and Launchpad Skating at Dulude - Friday, December 6th, from 2 pm to 3 pm.

• Friday, December 13th - Discovery Studio Secret Rebel Gift Exchange

• Monday, December 16th- Spark Sock Exchange 

• Wednesday, December 18th - Exploration and Launchpad Secret Santa Exchange

• Session 3 Exhibitions 

  • Spark and Discovery Exhibition: Wednesday, December 18th at 4:15 pm

  • Exploration and Launchpad Exhibition: Thursday, December 19th at 4:15 pm