Revel Recap: Dec. 9 - 13, 2024
Spark Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
As we get into the holiday spirit, the Sparks started each day by opening the advent calendar and their surprise holiday book! On Monday, they worked on adding 100 decorations to their tree. Their Guide read out specific items for their tree and had to fit everything on it. All together, they had 100 items! On Tuesday, they participated in a Grinch-themed yoga. On Wednesday, the Sparks followed a directed drawing of a gingerbread man in preparation for Quest later in the day. Thursday, we listened to some holiday music while completing mindfulness colouring. To end the week, we had a lovely visit from a Sparks family who spoke about Karthigai Theepam, a Tamil Festival of Lights celebrated for over 2,500 years! It takes place every year in November or December. People light oil lamps at home, in temples, and on hills to spread light, joy, and gratitude. Our visitor then read a book they co-authored, called Amutha Loves to Read, a lovely story that introduces Tamil language and culture. The learners really enjoyed the story and had fun looking for Anbu, the monkey, on each page. Each Spark Rebel also received a copy of the book to take home and share with their families! We then had a chance to paint our clay lamps and add light to them. During snack time, learners enjoyed a traditional Tamil snack, murukku, prepared by our learner's grandma! We are so thankful for the wonderful visit!
French
This week, the Sparks learned and practiced two songs in French: « Vive le vent d’hiver » and « La neige tombe ».
Quest
It was a week packed with baking and cooking! After two weeks of in-depth learning about physical and chemical changes and kitchen safety, the Guides felt the Sparks were ready to take their knowledge into the kitchen and have some fun with hands-on experiments. The experiments were different from their first week as they could eat the end result. To kick off the week, they got right into making themselves lunch - French toast. In pairs, they prepped everything they needed for their French toast: eggs, milk, vanilla, maple syrup, and bread! Many learners enjoyed it so much that they asked for seconds. The next day, we had a lovely note from Dazzle the Magical Dino, "I tried making chocolate chip cookies, but it didn't work out. Can you help me make a recipe?" The Sparks then branched into small groups to come up with a recipe for the chocolate chip cookies. Some recipes consisted of no flour, lots of sugar, lots of chocolate chips and even 1 cup of salt. The Sparks shared their recipes and then gave a thumbs up if they had the ingredients the Guide had on her recipe that they were officially making. This activity made many learners laugh as some groups forgot chocolate chips. We then headed to the kitchen and made chocolate chip cookies using the Guides' recipe. They turned out delicious! Our next activity started with the book How to Catch a Gingerbread Man. The Sparks used their imaginations to think of creative ways to catch a gingerbread man before heading into the kitchen to make their own! Our last visit to the kitchen this week had the Sparks making pasta from scratch! They worked hard to perfect their pasta dough, experimenting with the ingredients and kneading it. Everyone enjoyed this meal they prepared for themselves for lunch! The Sparks are excited to share some of the cookies they made this week with their families at the Exhibition!
Art
Art is a broad and dynamic concept. It's not just about painting or sculpture; it's about creativity, expression, and the exploration of ideas. As Guides in the Spark Studio, we believe that a scavenger hunt can bring out many forms of creativity. From storytelling through discovery, creative problem solving and designing, the experience, the hunt can become the canvas. With many Sparks intrigued by the Grinch this holiday season, they went on a Grinch scavenger hunt. A letter stated, "Welcome to the Grinch Scavenger hunt. You have activities to complete to make your way to me. I want you to listen to a famous story about me. Afterward, you will receive another task." The next challenge was for the Sparks to play a round of Grinch Bingo. They were then asked to sing, "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch." Next, the Grinch said he could hear the Sparks singing, and it began to fill his heart. He asked the Sparks to do a craft where they would make the Grinch and fill in a heart with ways to help it grow. Many learners said to give him something he loves, like an onion or coffee. After this, they got their final note, which shared a riddle about candy canes that led them to their magical land of candy canes. They discovered that the Grinch had planted two more candy canes! He then went on to explain he stole all the ingredients from the Guides and to find him where the baking supplies were kept. The Spark then bolted to the kitchen to find the Grinch!
Math Lab
Group One continued working on their understanding of 2D shapes. This week, they practiced some of the shape names they had learned and started working on shape attributes, such as identifying how many sides the shapes have.
Group Two's Math Lab was all about 3-dimensional shapes. Using the geometric solids, the learners were introduced to a sphere, cone, cube, cylinder, rectangular prism, ellipsoid, ovoid, square-based and triangular-based pyramid. After examining each 3D shape, the learners would repeat the name. We then passed around a bag with a variety of shapes inside. The learners were challenged to use their stereognostic sense in this game, which is the ability to identify an object without looking at it. To end our lesson, each learner traced the shapes on paper and wrote the shape name.
Reader/Writer
Group One reviewed the letter sounds they have been working on. With this growing phonetic awareness, the learners in this group have been excited to work on activities such as reading drawers, Bob books, and spelling with the moveable alphabet.
Meanwhile, Group Two continued working on creative story writing this week. First, we read the book, The Snow Globe Family. This story is about a family that lives inside a snow globe. Afterwards, they imagined they lived inside a snow globe and wrote about what life was like inside of it. To assist them with their writing, the learners were provided with a word bank to use if they wished.
Geography
We had another wonderful week learning about more holidays and traditions that the Spark learners celebrate. To start, one learner shared a Dutch tradition called Sinterklaas. He brings a chocolate letter and gifts every year and leaves the items in a boot near the fireplace. The Spark brought in their chocolate letter and stuffy(reindeer). This learner also worked on a wonderful poster which showed a picture of Sinterklaas and hand-drawn pictures that explained this tradition! Next, we learned about Diwali. The learner explained that his family in India gifted him the book My Diwali Light by Raakhee Michandani. Together, we read this lovely story that taught us all about the Diwali festival. Some traditions this story talks about are making mithai and designing rangoli with her papa, painting diyas with her nani, and eating some delicious food they enjoy together, such as samosas! Our next two learners talked about their own Christmas traditions. One learner shared an ornament they made for their tree and brought in a ukulele. They spoke to us about how they would all gather around their Grandpa for a holiday sing-along on Christmas Eve. Her favourite song to sing with everyone is "Jingle Bells." Our last learner talked about how he gets gifted a new ornament to add to his family's collection every year. He also spoke about making crafts and baking cookies around the holidays. Thank you to everyone who has shared the amazing ways their families come together and celebrate! We have learned so much from each other this session!
Additional Highlights
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our toy and food drive. All the donations have been dropped off, and your generosity will help those who need it over the holiday season.
The 12 Days of Holiday books continued this week, with titles such as There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell, Finding Christmas, How the Grinch Lost Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, and What the Dinosaurs Do the Night Before Christmas.
Dazzle was busy this week in the studio! She brought us some supplies for baking, spent a day drinking tea to recover from sickness, enjoying some of the cookies we baked, and brought us lights for a dance party! It's a joy to see how happy the learners are to see what she has been up to and read her notes each day.
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
Monday morning, we gathered to play, "This is not a snowflake, this is a…" where Rebels took a drawing of half a snowflake and completed it to become something from their imagination! For Launch, we listed qualities that make a good film and then used this list to suggest ideas for our Movie Afternoon next Friday. We watched an ArtHub video Tuesday morning and drew a Christmas Llama wearing a Santa hat and Christmas lights. A Rebel then led us through a presentation and Kahoot, which helped us to get to know her even better!
On Wednesday, we played Wordle and Letterboxed. Rebels correctly guessed the Wordle on their sixth and final guess, but we were stumped by Letterboxed this week. For Launch, a Rebel put together some slides to share everything about her Irish dancing and Oireachtas competitions.
On Thursday morning, a couple of brave Rebels bundled up and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine but struggled to go for a walk as it was icy. We skated around the block while mindfully paying attention to the icy terrain. Thursday's Launch…
For Feel-Good Friday, we warmed up the Boomwhackers and then played a version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey. The weekly Current Events report featured Santa scuba diving to visit fishes in an aquarium in Budapest, Hungary, and set up some decorations and a Christmas tree. The Rebels read an article about the different Advent calendar choices and then suggested their favourites. Last but not least, we watched three movie trailers: The Grinch, Klaus and Prep & Landing and voted for their favourite to watch on the last Fun Friday of the year.
Reader/Writer
This week in Reader/Writer, the learners created their Podcast scripts! The Rebels were given sentence starters to help them write their scripts, but they needed to take these sentence starters, choose their favourites and then customize them to make them their own. Some Rebels began to practice reading their scripts or even started to record their podcast. Next week, we will finish recording our podcasts and learn how to add music and sound effects.
French
This week, we baked our gingerbread houses while speaking only in French!
Math Lab
Aim and Release Rebels worked on two challenging problems this week: The Folding Paper problem and a What Number Am I? Riddle. Rebels used a paper prop to investigate how many sections are created by folding a paper different amounts of times. Rebels found the doubling pattern and determined that IF you could fold a paper twenty times, there would be 1048576 sections! Then, using a series of clues, Rebels used trial and error to find a three-digit number.
On Wednesday, Draw and Anchor Rebels listened to the story My Full Moon is a Square by Elinor J. Pinczes. Rebels discussed the illustrations in the story and made connections to multiplication, division, arrays and especially, square numbers! They then worked on labelling and colouring in true-scale multiplication grids, highlighting the square numbers in some way. We ended the lab with choral counting for more numbers on our studio chart: skip counting by 3s, 6s and 9s.
Physical Development
On Tuesday, learners had three different options for P.E. One group headed outside to play in the snow! They spent their time building forts, jumping in the snow and making up their own fun games. Inside, some learners were dancing while others played games in the gym.
Civilizations
This week, we explored the incredible rise—and complicated legacy—of the Mughal Empire in India. It all starts with Babur, a young warrior who wasn't content with his little kingdom in Central Asia. Dreaming big, he defeated the Sultan of Delhi in 1526 at the famous Battle of Panipat, kicking off the Mughal Empire. His victory paved the way for a dynasty that would bring both unity and incredible culture to India.
Fast forward a couple of generations, and we meet Akbar, Babur's grandson and one of the Mughal Empire's most famous rulers. Akbar was a genius not just on the battlefield but in leadership, too. He believed in bringing people together, no matter their religion. He invited scholars of all faiths to his court, eliminated unfair taxes on non-Muslims, and encouraged cultural exchange. Under Akbar, the empire thrived, with art, architecture, and trade reaching dazzling heights.
Then came Aurangzeb, a ruler whose decisions steered the empire in a very different direction. Aurangzeb was devoutly religious, and he reversed many of Akbar's tolerant policies. He brought back the jizya tax on non-Muslims, banned Hindu festivals, and focused on costly wars in southern India that drained the empire's resources. But Aurangzeb also made a decision that shaped India's future in ways no one could have predicted. When the English East India Company wanted permission to set up a trading post in Calcutta, Aurangzeb agreed, thinking it was just a small deal. Little did he know this decision would open the door for the English to slowly gain power in India, eventually leading to their takeover of the entire subcontinent.
Aurangzeb's reign was a turning point, showing how big and small decisions can have consequences that last for centuries.
Quest
It is Recording Week! The directors grabbed all of their characters, backdrops, and plans and got ready for filming! We made sure to discuss what makes an excellent Stop Motion film: no body parts, small movements, clear view, easy to see, the camera stays in the same place and has good lighting. We can't wait to see the final products!
Additional Highlights
Arguably, one of the most heart-warming highlights of this week was the Secret Rebel Gift Exchange on Friday morning! All of the gifts were incredibly thoughtful, and the reactions were priceless. Thank you, everyone, for participating and taking the time, care, and creativity to make this memorable tradition such a success.
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
We began our week with a Hot Chocolate Tea Party! We reviewed how to set a table and then sipped our hot cocoa while listening to our read-aloud, The Girl Who Saved Christmas. Tuesday morning, we spent mindfully colouring and completing puzzles due to the icy weather. Rebels then took on the Lake Returns Conundrum. Using the information provided, they had to determine who deserved the most credit for saving the lake: the corporation, the scientists, the puppetmaster, the media, the politicians, or the citizens. We took time to complete a couple of holiday-themed directed drawings on Wednesday morning; Rebels drew a picture of Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer using only numbers and letters. At Thursday's yoga flow, Rebels warmed up with a seated twist and some neck hygiene. Then we tried some new poses: cow legs with a forward bow or butterfly legs with a bow. To close out the practice, we tried pigeon pose before ending in savasana for our relaxation. We completed several of the NYT daily puzzles before learning more about Jewish holidays during this week's Rebel-led Current Events presentation.
Math Lab
This week, Rebels were ready to use their budgets from Quest to develop a fundraising target. We created a large number line to visualize the range of all-in costs that Rebels have planned for, using the labels "base," "extended," and "luxury."Trips are estimated to cost anywhere from $1500 to $12000. Using this information, we then completed some calculations to determine how much money each Rebel would need to fundraise to cover these trips' costs. Further, we figured out the per-person cost, which ranges from $75 to $600. From there, we discussed what we could realistically fundraise based on different ventures like a bake sale or snow shovelling. Rebels set a target to raise $225 each to afford one of their extended trip packages valued at $4500. Next week, the Rebels will have voted on their preferred trip, and we will be able to lock in our fundraising goal and establish a timeline to get down to business!
Reader/Writer
In Journalism, the Rebels learned about global revisions versus local revisions and finished up their projects with MLA9 citations. Rebels who were ahead were also encouraged to think about how they wanted to present their article for Exhibition
French
This week in French, we played games to learn holiday vocabulary. We played guessing games and a mime game about winter words, and we played Bâbord-tribord in the gym (Holidays Vocabulary Edition).
Physical Development
This week, learners spent time playing in the snow, sledding down the hill, playing soccer in the gym, and getting active with the help of fun fitness videos.
Quest
This week, the Rebels turned their attention to Grand Tour presentations. For Exhibition, they will showcase their planning skills with a multimedia display and hone a solid elevator pitch to entice "customers" to buy their planning services. On Monday, teams worked on choosing a name for their Travel Agency and added details to their itineraries and budgets from last week. Some teams tried making phone calls to get more accurate estimates from personnel rather than using "ish" numbers from websites. On Tuesday, Rebels continued putting everything together but also started to think about how to price their services for Exhibition. Wednesday's challenge was to draft an Elevator Pitch that captures the essence of their team, their services, and their trip and hooks a customer into doing business with them. Thursday, Rebels completed Security Checkpoint #3, a success checklist ensuring they have included everything required in their Grand Tour display!
Civilizations
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages turned social structure on its head. As the power of the Church increased, so did the number of powerful church positions. As a result, the daily duties and tasks of the average citizen changed significantly. In Civ this week, Rebels selected a role from the Middle Ages: Pope, King, Noble, Knight, Monk, Merchant, Minstrel, Court Official, Bishop or Serf. They researched what they would have eaten, their sleeping, living, and health conditions and considered their political and religious freedoms, or lack thereof. We then held a discussion on different members and how religion may have shaped their daily lives.
Additional Highlights
This week, learners had the opportunity to taste-test one another's Holiday Joy baking projects, build Gingerbread houses, and watch Elf for Fun Friday. This group of learners continues to impress us with their work ethic and love of learning! Way to go, Rebels!
Launchpad Studio
What an exciting week in the Launchpad Studio! One learner met with an admissions counsellor at Carleton University, another met with their mentor guide to craft their course plan for the remainder of the year, and most learners participated in the Amgen Biotech experience all week!
We also had the extreme privilege of welcoming JP Michel to test out his new set of cards that dispel common career myths! The Rebels felt honoured to be some of the first teens to see the deck and give their honest feedback.
Canadian and International Law
Our learner continued recording and editing their podcast for their Canadian and International Law course. They also worked on integrating music and researching the relative sound ratio of music to speech in video editing. Additionally, they were tasked with writing a report on human rights violations in Canada and a few particular bills like the 2001 ODA (Ontario Disability Act) and the organisation of AODA, in 2005.
AP Biology
This week's unit focused on microevolution in populations and applying Hardy-Weinberg principles. The complicated definition of a species was explored, as was how species evolved from ancestors. After completing the assigned reading, there was a quiz to test their knowledge. There was also a test on allele frequencies using PTC Taste Strips and a Unit 8 test.
Amgen Biotech Experience
On Monday, Launchpad learners learned about another essential tool used in biotechnology. Gel electrophoresis is a widely used technique that helps scientists sort and visualize small biological molecules based on two properties: size and charge. It uses a polymer matrix, called a gel, and an electrical current. After learning about the process and using an online simulation on LabExchange, Rebels practiced by pipetting into practice gels. Once they felt comfortable, they pipetted three different samples into the wells of an agarose gel, turned the machine on and observed as the current was conducted through the electrophoresis buffer and to the gel, the samples moved toward the positive electrode. Since the samples in the well have molecules of different sizes and shapes, they travel through the matrix at different speeds and end up at various distances from the well. It was fun to see the results during and after the experiment!
On Wednesday, Rebels reviewed the full process, beginning with gene isolation and using restriction enzymes to digest plasmids and isolate their gene of interest. They then learned about making a recombinant plasmid from DNA fragments using ligation and then the importance of verifying the products using gel electrophoresis. Rebels then returned to the lab to transform their bacteria with recombinant plasmid to produce a protein of interest. Rebels plated their samples on three plates: LB (our control), LB/Amp, and LB/Amp/Ara and placed them in the incubator overnight. We checked the plates on Thursday and were thrilled that our results matched our hypotheses! Lastly, we used column chromatography to purify our protein, which could be seen due to the fluorescent pink colour!
We owe Amgen and Carleton Univeristy a massive debt of gratitude for allowing our learners such an incredible, authentic, hands-on experience!
AP Language and Composition
In our AP Language and Composition course, we took a quiz on last week's assignments regarding citing and analyzing sources. We also wrote a reflection on Unit 4's free response question to improve the revision process in the future.
AP Literature and Composition
This week, our learner wrote a final essay exploring the role of gender and disguise in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. They also spent significant time studying for and taking the Semester 1 Final Exam, which consisted of a lengthy multiple-choice section and two essays.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel
Spark Studio
What was your favourite thing you made in the kitchen? Do you remember the recipe? (French toast, chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cookies, or pasta)
What holidays or traditions did you learn about this week?
Were you surprised to meet the Grinch?
Can you sing me a song in French?
Discovery Studio
What is a true scale multiplication grid?
How can you use a multiplication chart to help you with multiplication and division?
Where are you at in your stop-motion process? Will you be done in time for Exhibition?
How did baking your gingerbread house go from start to finish? What did you find difficult?
Exploration Studio
What is your fundraising goal based on the trip you've been planning?
What is the easiest part of planning a trip? What is the most challenging?
Would you rehearse your Travel Agency elevator pitch for me?
You are born into a noble family. As you grow and are groomed to become a knight, you realize you do not subscribe to the same faith. Does your lack of belief, despite widespread Christian presence and enforcement, encourage you to:
Remain silent and feign belief or
Give up your status and flee Europe
What has been your favourite Holiday Joy activity so far?
How do you write «bonhomme de neige» in the plural form ? (BonShommeS de neige))
Launchpad Studio
What component of the Amgen Biotech Experience was your favourite? What did you find most challenging?
What do you need to get done this week to feel good about taking a break?
Important Upcoming Dates
Spirit Week - Monday, December 16th - Friday, December 20th
Monday, December 16th- Spark Sock Exchange
Wednesday, December 18th - Exploration and Launchpad Secret Santa Exchange
Session 3 Exhibitions
Spark and Discovery Exhibition and Potluck: Wednesday, December 18th at 4:15 pm (Please see BAND to sign up!)
Exploration and Launchpad Exhibition: Thursday, December 19th at 4:15 pm
Friday, December 20th- Spark and Discovery Movie Afternoon- The Grinch