Revel Recap: January 29 - February 2, 2024
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
We started our Monday morning listening to the story The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi. This encouraging book reminded us of the power of the word YET! We all have things we may struggle with or can't do, but adding the word changes our perspective and allows us to focus on using a growth mindset. After reading the book, we took time to reflect and draw something that we did not know how to do yet but would like to learn how to do someday. The learners drew pictures and dreamed of skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, skating, bike riding, conquering the monkey bars, and more! Never give up, Sparks! While listening to some upbeat instrumental music on Tuesday morning, the learners were engaged in mindful colouring using our new Zendoodle colouring book. These detailed pictures of baby animals also had inspiring affirmations. We got our bodies moving on Wednesday and completed a 12-exercise workout routine. Thursday had a musical start as the learners explored with the Boomwhackers. We started with a warm-up and then played "Old Macdonald," "Twinkle, Twinkle," and "You Are My Sunshine." We ended with a challenging song from Trolls, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" To end the week, our artists enjoyed beginning their Friday by creating some beautiful watercolour paintings.
Quest
This week, we used a flight simulator from YouTube that had us really feeling like we were up in the sky! Our pilot took us on a flight to the continent of Europe, with our first stop being Paris, France. After learning some fun facts about Europe (Did you know it is the most visited continent?), we set off to learn more about the world-famous Eiffel Tower! Ask your Spark to tell you a bit about this famous landmark!
On Tuesday, we used our classified cards to learn about the animals of Europe. We were surprised by all the similar animals we also have here in North America. We then split into four groups and used our Waseca continent books to learn about more unique European animals. Each group decided which animal they wanted to research. They selected the Alpine Ibex, Hedgehog, Bell Spider, and Polecat. The groups worked together to read the cards and match the pictures with the words. They then each picked one fact to present. All of the Sparks did a wonderful job providing a very informative presentation! Ultimately, we filled in our passports with the animals we would most like to see someday.
On Wednesday, we boarded a new airline, Ryanair, the most cost-effective flight to get us to our next location, Rome! Once we landed, we headed straight to the Colosseum. After learning about this Wonder of the World, the learners chose whether they wanted to work on building the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. Though we found ourselves in Italy for the day, we learned a new game from Denmark called Nimbi. This is a thinking game developed by a mathematician in Denmark. Using 16 popsicle sticks, the object of the game is to set your opponent up to take the last stick! The learners really enjoyed playing this new game.
On Thursday, we moved on from Rome to visit Venice. One of our Sparks and Ms. Megan have visited this city, so they shared their experiences as our expert tour guides. We then read Olivia Goes to Venice. During the story, we listened for a clue about a type of food we would try from Italy, and we admired all of the bridges and buildings that Olivia went to see. Next, we played Cencio Mollo, a favourite children's game in Italy. The goal of this game is to avoid laughing! We will have a table with all these new games we are learning for our families to try at the Exhibition! We wrapped up our week of Quest by revealing which Italian food we would try: gelato! The Sparks loved this sweet treat and are curious to try more flavours!
Math workshop
Our focus for this week's math workshop was skip counting by 5s. We started by listening and singing along to the song "Counting By Fives" by Scratch Garden. We then worked together as a group using our counting chain and tickets to practice counting by 5s up to 50. Then, each Spark individually filled in their own counting chain paper. We ended by playing Number Bubble on ABCYA! We worked together to fill in the missing numbers by popping bubbles and dropping the numbers in the correct chests. The Sparks loved this interactive activity!
Writing Workshop
This week, we explored text-to-self connections with our mentor text by comparing our experiences with the characters. We re-read Sneezy the Snowman, noting times when his friends helped him throughout the story. We then illustrated and wrote about a time someone helped us. On Thursday, we imagined and drew pictures of what we would look like if we were snowpeople and what adventures we would go on. We had snowpeople going to fancy parties, in space, riding a camel, and even taking a plane to visit Antarctica! We have such a creative group!
Art workshop
As we were still visiting France, our Art Workshop this week was inspired by George Seurat, a famous French artist! We started by reading Sunday with Seurat and learned that he was known for using pointillism. These tiny dots of colour blend together to form an image. After looking at some of his famous paintings, such as A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, The Morning Walk, and The Eiffel Tower, we created our masterpieces. The Sparks lightly drew a picture of their choice and then used Q-tips and paint to complete their pictures.
French
To strengthen our conversational skills, every day in French, we began with our chart to practice saying the day of the week and the month and counting up to the day. We also identify and state how we feel, observe the weather outside, and review our clothing vocabulary as we dress our toy Potato Head. On Monday, we practiced writing the months in French and coloured in our February activity. On Tuesday, we did a Day of the Week number colouring and on Wednesday, we continued learning our days of the week and month songs. To wrap it up, we reviewed the week's lessons with games in the gym!
Additional Highlights
On Friday, we joined in the fun celebrations of Groundhog Day! We read Groundhog Day by Gail Gibbons, an informative book about the history behind the day. We then made our predictions about whether it would be an early spring or six more weeks of winter. We also went around the studio, asking for others' predictions and charting them on a bar graph. At the end, we watched a clip of Wiarton Willie predicting an early spring! Many of the Sparks were excited by this news!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
We spent our mindful time on Valentine's Day cards for Memory Care patients on Monday morning. Rebels took time to decorate the postcards they would use during Launch thoughtfully. Tuesday morning, we continued our Under the Sea mindfulness activities - Rebels added a calming jellyfish tank and instrumental music with waves. Wonder Wednesday, the Rebels tried another Connections puzzle from the New York Times, and one group solved all four categories, one of which was Super Mario Power-ups! Thursday's "Thank you for sharing" prompts were, "Lately I've been getting really good at…" and "It's hard for me to say yes to…" Rebels are developing a beautiful practice of showing gratitude for each other's stories. For Feel-Good Friday, the Rebels warmed up their Boomwhackers, set a new playlist of songs to try, and then played a version of "Peaches."
Launch
On Monday, Rebels wrote friendly notes on their postcards for the Memory Care patients at Amica. The Rebels took great care to write kind messages and pose thoughtful questions. Tuesday's Equip Launch was about CPR - content, pattern or relationship conversations. When you need to have a tough conversation with someone, what kind is it? If it is the first time setting a boundary, it's a content conversation: please don't chit-chat in the Silent Work Area during Core Skills. If this has happened multiple times, there is a pattern at play. "I've noticed you continue to chat each week after discussing it; what's going on?" Even when frustrated, Rebels will try to have warm-hearted pattern conversations. Lastly, if it is a relationship conversation, trust is low and doubt is high. Rebels will seek a guide for support. Wednesday's Squad Chickens saw Rebels coming back to their work on Intentionality in the studio as they took an opportunity to give Rebels in their Squad a Rebel Buck for one of the new reasons they added last week (jumping in the pool for another Rebel, taking time out of their own schedule to help another, checking in without being asked). Rebels also named their most challenging goal to their Squad and attempted that goal Wednesday morning. Thursday morning, we had a special Launch delivered by Ms. Kaitlin! As she embarks on her second of three teaching placements for her Master's degree, she will be guiding more and more over the next six weeks in Discovery. She used this opportunity to introduce herself to the Rebels and connect. Friday's Rebel-led Current Events report featured a review of Black History Month and how it started, a record-breaking marathon runner and the possible discovery of Amelia Earhart's plane!
Math Lab
Rebels got to work on their Ocean Animal Geometry Art this week! Bringing together everything they have been learning about, such as attributes of pattern blocks, tangrams, and other polygons, as well as how these shapes move on a map or grid, Rebels began to design ocean-themed landscapes, and some even started to populate their plane with geometric figures! There were turtles and mermaids and spiny-looking urchins! Some Rebels also set up their x- and y-axes to be able to describe the relative positions or direction rules for movement later on.
Reader/Writer
This week in Reader/Writer, Rebels began transforming their Marine Animal Journals into essays. Draw and Anchor Rebels met in a focus group with Ms. Jenna to review their essay format and template. For some, this is the largest piece of writing they have done in their Hero's Journey, and we discussed what that should look like. What information do they think is the most important from their Marine Animal Journal that they want to feature in their essay? Are they happy with their notes, or would they like the opportunity to gather more research? How can we organize our Marine Animal Journals into categories so our essays flow clearly? Aim and Release Rebels got to work using an "Essay Planner" and their teammates if they needed help. Using the information they'd gathered over the past three weeks, those Rebels began their Introduction paragraphs and Body Paragraph 1, focusing on physical traits and special adaptations of their marine animals.
French
This week, we worked in teams to invent an eighth planet for the Little Prince. The Rebels had to describe what their planet would look like, who lived there, what the climate was like, and more! During Thursday's workshop, we started making our own papier-mâché planets! We can’t wait to see the final products at Exhibition!
Physical Development
For physical development this week, there were a wide variety of options. Sink the Ship, Freeze Dance, Marbles, play on the snow mountain, Tag and more! Each session started with a warm-up to get our hearts pumping and a cool-down at the end.
Civilizations
This week, the Rebels learned about Isabella and Ferdinand and how they joined their kingdoms into a united Spain. We mapped Castile and Aragon in relation to the area of Spain and Portugal, as well as a route that Portuguese sailors (like Henry the Navigator) later took to North Africa. Rebels were fascinated by the navigation tools of the Middle Ages! We also discussed the tradition of arranged marriages and, given this, whether it was appropriate for Isabella to find her own husband.
Quest
Rebels had one more day to work on their TUNA Week Challenges on Monday. With their Squads, they put the finishing touches on their papier mâché deep-sea creatures and then finished compiling their research into presentations. On Tuesday, Rebels began their Shark Week Challenges! As they level up into their fourth week of the Oceans Quest, Rebels head out into the Open Ocean to explore food webs, chains and how energy transfers in marine ecosystems. This week's big questions focused on how previously discussed problems facing our oceans (like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, warming temperatures, mass fishing, and pollution) can impact these food webs and, ultimately, the world. Rebels began with a research block on Tuesday where they were tasked with learning about categorizing marine life into decomposers, producers, consumers, and predators - where do they fit on a food web? What could happen when an animal in a food web or chain disappears? How does pollution affect decomposers? If a predator dies/disappears from overfishing, what happens to other animal populations in their chain? Rebels worked together in their Squads to uncover as many answers to these questions as possible to prepare them for their Ooey Gooey Ocean Tummy lab on Wednesday. Rebels became Marine Biologists as they dissected marine animal "stomachs" to uncover various food chains. Which stomach belonged to which predator/consumer? Is that animal an herbivore, carnivore or omnivore? Which predator/consumer consumes the most? Why do you think that is? Can you make connections between consumers and populations of marine life? Wrapping up the week on Thursday, Rebels took what they've learned this week to complete a few more slides on their "Our Oceans" presentations. As we enter the final weeks before Exhibition, Rebels are revisiting the problems facing our oceans that they were most interested in back from Week 1 and will continue to work on developing these presentations for Week 6. Don't forget, we head over to the Nature Museum on February 8th for an exciting Discovery Tank workshop!
Exploration & Launchpad Studios
Mindfulness and Launch
A photograph represents a scene much better than a sketch, right? We began our week watching a quick The School of Life video explaining why this might not be the case and discovering why drawing something might lead to better observation skills and understanding. We then spent the rest of mindfulness observing and sketching an object and were impressed by the learners' attention to detail. Rebels then took the next 15 minutes to write and hang motivational "Pump It Up" Post-its for themselves and their peers.
Tuesday morning's pilates routine involved exercises for a lean back - Rebels tried new moves like wall squat hip hinge! We then discussed what "pushes our buttons" and how knowing what upsets others can help us avoid those behaviours to create an even stronger community.
Wednesday's Mindful Connections and Wordle games had Rebels problem-solving and working together to solve this week's word games before our Rebel-led Current Events presentation. At the request of several Rebels last week to focus our yoga around improving our posture, Thursday's yoga focused on spinal stretches - opening up the back of the body with spinal twists and a series of bridge poses. As it is now February, we started with a Black History Month-themed Blooket to help the Rebels learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and inspirational heroes. Before boarding the bus to the Canadian War Museum on Friday morning, Rebels used their Mindfulness and Launch time to fill in their weekly Goal Trackers and finish any incomplete Core Skills.
Quest
Prices are rarely set in stone, as discounting products and services can significantly help businesses. However, it can also hinder them, often unintentionally. Some of the many factors that can shape the effects of discounting include business, time of year, competition, of course, the sheer amount, and even raw human psychology. After watching a video on when a business should offer discounts, Rebels agreed that if they choose to include one in their pitch, it needs to have a deadline, or people will always buy at a discount. We then learned about the art of pricing and how to select a price for their product or service. After reading a detailed piece by the Acton Academy School of Business, Rebels decided whether they would plan on pricing based on Cost-plus, Value-based, or Competition-based pricing. They also had to determine if they would use a "skim" or "penetration" pricing strategy.
Pricing. It sounds so simple, but as veteran entrepreneurs will tell you, pricing is - at best - a complicated, in-exact science. On Tuesday, learners were challenged to take an even deeper dive into the art of pricing and, thus, how to price their product or service. After reading about supply and demand, Rebels had time to play the Price Point game. While initially difficult to understand, the learners got the hang of it and learned the importance of pricing right!
On Wednesday and Thursday, Rebels had the opportunity to work on their presentations. Based on how our Dragon's Den Exhibition is coming together, they have shifted the initial plan and will deliver a pitch with visuals to the panel. All of the Rebels decided to create a digital presentation, with most choosing Canva. Some have begun working on their scripts, while others are focusing on ensuring they have their hook, story to address their customer's needs, and a call to action. Next week, they will present what they have so far and use the feedback received to strengthen their project.
Math Lab
This week in the Graphic Design Studio, Rebels reviewed the steps of the logo design process in more detail, with a visual example of the logo's state at each step. Using a watercolour artist's brand as an example, they explored the keywords and colour palette selections listed by the artist; they examined a mathematical mock-up showing the "x-ray" or skeleton of mathematical properties underneath the proposed logo; they reviewed calculations related to the organization of each element's area on the design grid; and they compared a fully coloured copy on blank paper and multiple digital versions designed on Canva. This week's key task was to use tools such as rulers and protractors to develop their logo x-ray precisely and in connection with the mathematical properties they investigated earlier in the session. Rebels will continue next week and approve each other's designs using the success list they created together.
French
This week in French, we've started writing our newspaper! After discussing what makes a good newspaper article, we got into groups of four. Each group is tasked with writing a newspaper with at least four articles on four different topics. Everything must be in French!
Exploration - Reader/Writer
Rebels are nearing the end of our Salem Witch Trials novel study and spent our fourth workshop learning about the executions and the drastic attempts to prevent them that were ultimately ignored. Some Rebels opted into an active listening exercise, documenting critical points from several execution stories. What connections do these executions have? Why do you think the accused never admitted to being witches/wizards, even though it could prevent death? Rebels spent the rest of the workshop reflecting on discussion questions such as "Imagine this: You are one of the accused witches/wizards, and your fate is undoubtedly to be hung at Gallows Hill. You have one last chance to write to the Governor of Massachusetts - not to save yourself, but to potentially end the rest of the trials before they hang anyone else. What do you say?" and "Would/have you ever admit(ted) to being something you're not just to please someone else?" Rebels will wrap up the final two chapters in our novel next week and begin Book Club Prep - a series of 10 questions that they will need to have prepared notes on before our Book Club in Week 6.
Exploration - Civilization
Who was Wernher von Braun? Wernher von Braun was one of the most important German weapons specialists to work on rocketry and jet propulsion in the United States after World War II. He disapproved of military use of the rocket and surrendered willingly to American troops in 1945, eventually becoming technical director of the U.S. Army Ordnance Guided Missile Project in Alabama. He was also chiefly responsible for rocketry for the nation's space program. After learning more about von Braun's role in the war and afterward, Rebels discussed whether he deserved to be welcomed as a scientist or tried for war crimes.
On Thursday, we continued to learn that some of the most significant scientific advances have come from humanity's more destructive impulses. There may be no better example of this than the work done by the Manhattan Project - the years-long, multinational effort to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. The project created unfathomably destructive weapons and led to a 50-year Cold War with the USSR. Still, it is also the source of much information about the atom we didn't have before, which has led to advances in many beneficial fields, like energy production and medicine. After an interesting debate, learners quickly agreed that science, like history, is always complicated.
Launchpad - Canterbury Tales
On Monday, we began with a couple of pre-reading activities for the Pardoner's Tale and then started reading the Pardoner's Prologue. As we read the tale on Tuesday and Wednesday, we stopped every few paragraphs to discuss the satirical devices used, looked up any terms or words we were unfamiliar with, and made notes of meaningful quotes. Rebels completed a reading guide once we finished the story, which we then discussed on Thursday. Next up, The Wife of Bath's Tale!
Launchpad - World History
It is 1532. Imagine you are Copernicus, and you have just inked the last sentence of your book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, in which you contradict the doctrine of the Church—the Earth is not the center of the universe. However, like Ptolemy, you cannot fully explain the orbits of the planets; so, like Ptolemy, you add epicycles to reconcile the discrepancy. Do you publish your findings even though the math is not perfect? After completing their research on Rational & Scientific Revolutions from 1450–1650, learners debated whether they would publish and face certain persecution from the Church and possible imprisonment or wait, not knowing if the math would ever improve and they may die before they get a chance to publicize their work. They also discussed if they were in Galileo's shoes whether they would renounce their life's work or remain in prison for the rest of their lives.
On Thursday, Launchpad covered The Protestant Reformation (1500–22). After completing their research, Rebels debated whether they felt the Catholic Church's corruption, the printing press's invention or the role Martin Luther and John Calvin played were the most responsible for the Protestant Revolution. They also discussed what they would have done in the Pope's position. Would they have banned indulgences, compromised on doctrine, or ordered the immediate execution of all heretics?
Next Great Adventure
"There's a moment where you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up." — Malala Yousafzai
A few of our Launchpad Rebels began the third NGA Quest this week, all in preparation to give their Declaration Talk at the end of March! This week's challenges helped walk them through finding their purpose and developing a speech with the help of a story spine. They were also asked to put their stake in the ground with the Acton Academy network and work on identifying five mentors to invite to the event. With this completed, they will be matched with a Running Partner from around the world this next week!
Additional Highlights
Exploration and Launchpad Rebels all went to the Canadian War Museum on Friday to explore the different galleries and go on a guided World War II gallery tour to learn more about Canada's role in the war. The Rebels behaved impeccably and learned so much about our history. It is a pleasure exploring the city with you, Rebels!
We took time to connect as a studio and play all week long at Closings! Between games of Skribbl.io, Blookets on various topics, and an exciting game of Pictionary, the last fifteen minutes of our day was full of laughter!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark Studio
What can you not do YET but would like to do someday? Can we help you with this?
Can we count by 5s to 50 together?
Can you practice your song for Exhibition for me? (It's A Small World)
Did the groundhog, Wiarton Willie, predict an early spring or six more weeks of winter?
If you could only choose one, would you rather visit the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum?
French: How do you say February in French? (Février)
Discovery Studio
RW: How did your first essay writing workshop go this week? What did you like about it? What did you find challenging?
Quest: What is the difference between an ocean predator and an ocean consumer? What is the difference between an ocean producer and an ocean decomposer?
Quest: How does pollution affect the ocean food webs/chains?
Quest: What did you think of your dissection lab this week? What did you enjoy, and what would you like to do differently next time?
ML: What animals or other ocean species do you include in your Ocean Animal Geometry project?
French: What will your planet look like? (for the Little Prince)
Exploration Studio
RW: None of the accused who were hung confessed to being a witch/wizard before they died, even when a confession might save them. Would you admit to being something you're not just to please others?
ML: Which mathematical properties are you including in your logo x-ray? How will you label them or be able to convince someone to approve your design?
Civ: You are Wernher von Braun and have been asked to pursue your dream of building rockets. Do you:
Accept, knowing your rockets will be for military use and will be built by prison labour in horrific circumstances.
Decline, risking arrest, imprisonment and death for you and your family.
French: On what subject are you writing your article? What's the title of your newspaper in French?
Launchpad Studio
How did you respond to "The Pardoner's Tale," being that it is told by a man of the Pardoner's character?
If Copernicus had not published his work, would Newton still have developed his Laws of Motion? Does this make Copernicus irreplaceable or expendable? What does this say about your contributions to the world?
Is there a principle or belief you hold so dearly that you would refuse to recant, even under the threat of imprisonment or exile? Why?
Do you need help identifying five people to invite to your Declaration Talk?
Dates of Interest
Revel Family Glow Party! - Join us on Wednesday, February 7th, for some music, dancing and activities at Revel! Please send your RSVP to Sara Miles on BAND.
Spark and Discovery Field Trip to the Canadian Museum of Nature: February 8th, travelling by school bus
Spark Skating Party - February 14th, 2024- 12:15 pm-1:30 pm (See Band for more details)
Session 4 Exhibitions
Spark and Discovery Studio Exhibitions: Tuesday, February 13th at 4:15 pm
Exploration and Launchpad Studio Exhibitions: Thursday, February 15th at 4:15 pm
Sessional Camp - There is still time to register for Mme Marianne's February Master Chef camp. Please register before February 12th!