Revel Recap: June 10 - 14, 2024
Spark Studio
MINDFULNESS
On Monday morning, we started with a new activity from the book Mindful Arts in the Classroom. This book is filled with stories and creative social and emotional learning activities. We completed a movement activity called Mindful Museum. This lesson was all about connecting with our bodies and training ourselves to stop when we want them to stop and move when we want them to move. We imagined that the studio transformed into a museum, and we needed to travel through it quietly so the security guard wouldn't notice that we snuck in! The learners practiced moving only when the security guard wasn't looking and freezing into a statue when they turned around. On Tuesday, Spark artists followed a directed drawing of Little Red Riding Hood and a cute little wolf. On Wednesday, we did Charades yoga. The learners took turns creating a pose and challenging the group to guess what they were doing! On Thursday, we read Eric Carle's book, "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said the Sloth. Throughout the story, when the Sparks heard the words slowly, slowly, slowly,they would raise one arm in slow motion. When the book was over, we continued moving our legs, hands, and neck in slow motion, noticing how this made our bodies feel. Next, we tried this with our eyes closed, noting any differences. We completed some mindfulness activities from our Breathe Like a Bear book to end our week. After finishing our breathwork exercises, we felt calm and ready to tackle our gratitude journals! Each Spark drew a picture, wrote about something they were thankful for, and shared it with the group.
ART
This week's guided art lesson started with reading a classic version of Little Red Riding Hood that a learner brought from home. Everyone enjoyed the pop-out picture details in this story. Each Spark then worked on creating Little Red Riding Hood using a paper plate, tissue paper, and construction paper. They were sure to add her distinguishing feature, a little red cape, as a finishing touch!
QUEST
We launched Quest this week with Ten Second Objects, a fun drama game. The learners got into small groups, and a guide called out the names of objects, such as a plane, a car, a clock, a washing machine, a volcano, a giraffe, and a spaceship. The teams had ten seconds to make the objects using their bodies. We saw great teamwork and communication happening! Next, the learners worked on colouring in a character headband for their role in their play. They will wear this as part of their costume at Exhibition. To wrap up the day, the learners joined their groups and continued practicing their plays.
On Wednesday, we started with two different games to help us further develop our acting skills. First, the learners sat in a circle and tried to count to 21 randomly without two people saying a number simultaneously. If two people spoke at the same time, we started all over again. Though we didn't make it to 21, the Sparks started becoming very observant and noticing cues from the other learners. The next game was called Group Stop. The Sparks walked around the studio, and someone would randomly stop at any time. As soon as this happened, the rest of the group also needed to stop. Then, someone else could start moving, signalling the rest of the group to resume the game. Both of these games helped the learners to think about the other characters in the story and to listen to their lines and actions for cues of when it's their turn. Next, we discussed what types of clothes they would like to wear on the day of our performance. Everyone chose a colour that coordinates with their character and will chat with their family to prepare themselves. After another play rehearsal, the groups performed their plays for each other to get feedback.
Thursday's Quest game was called Space Walk. This activity helped our actors practice using space on stage. The learners walked around the room, paying attention to the space around them. A guide would call out different scenarios for the learners to "walk through," such as pudding, clouds, water, mashed potatoes, feathers, mud, marbles, and more! The learners had to imagine and act out how they would move through each material. We saw some great performances! Each group then took turns performing the play for each other. We are really proud of how hard the actors are working. They are starting to memorize their lines and are incorporating movement, actions, facial expressions, and props into the story. Bravo! With just over a week left until our final performance, we think the Sparks are well on their way to putting on a spectacular performance!
READERS WORKSHOP
This week's mentor text was the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. On Monday, we started with a twist on this story called Little Red Hot. This book is about a little girl who loves red, hot chilli peppers. She sets off to take her grandma a hot pepper pie when she meets Senor Lobo, a cunning wolf. When Little Red arrives at her grandma's house, she saves the day by feeding the hot pepper pie to the wolf, who can't handle the heat! The Sparks enjoyed this new take on an old tale. We coloured in our title pages and then worked on the story map. The learners identified the setting, characters, problem, and solution. Later in the week, we read Ninja Red Riding Hood. This fractured fairy tale was voted the Spark's favourite out of the three versions we read. Ask your learner to share a bit about the story and what they liked about it! The Sparks then connected Little Red Riding Hood's story and their lives. They drew a picture of the pie that Little Red Riding Hood brings to Granny and then imagined what they would bring if they were going to visit a family member. There were many treats, a sweater, and even a handwritten note! To wrap up our week on this story, the Sparks worked together to identify the wolf's character traits.
This week for language, we also explored the bossy R rule. This is when the "r" changes the sound of the vowel. The Sparks learned how this rule applies to words containing "ir", "er," and "ur." Together, we practiced identifying and pronouncing these words, noticing how the "r" influences the vowel sound. For extra practice, the Sparks completed a sheet filled with these words and had to sort them into their proper columns.
MATH workshop
After exploring non-standard measurement for the last couple of weeks, we learned more about measuring objects with rulers. We started by examining a ruler, explaining each number, looking at the centimetres (cm) and inches (in), and discussing how to use this tool correctly. The Sparks watched a brief video emphasizing the importance of starting at zero on the ruler and making sure the object they are measuring is lined up with zero. First, we practiced as a group, measuring objects and saying how long they were. Then, using a worksheet with various lines, the Sparks worked in pairs to line up the ruler and record their measurements in centimetres. At the end of the lesson, each learner read their answers to a guide.
FRENCH
On Monday, we read Marcel the Letter Carrier's pop-up book, and on Tuesday, we listened to an episode of "The Postman in Space." On Wednesday and Thursday, we played a game in the gym. Mme. Marianne hid French words (days of the week, seasons, months, numbers, etc.), and the Rebels had to find the right one when she said a word. The Rebels then sorted all the words into categories.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
The guides are so impressed with how hard all of the learners are working during our morning and afternoon work periods. They set goals and complete daily reading, writing, and math activities. We are seeing so much independence, concentration, and growth! Way to stay focused on your learning, Sparks! They also continue to love signing up for read-aloud during DEAR, and we always enjoy the stories they share with their friends. A big thank you to all the Sparks who brought in some exciting Show and Tell items to share this week. We also had fun ending our days together by playing several rounds of the board game Hedbanz, listening to a story written by a Spark, and watching cute animal videos!
Discovery Studio
MINDFULNESS and LAUNCHES
Monday morning, Rebels practiced a new breathing technique aimed at helping relieve stress and anxiety - "The Physiological Sigh." Dr. Andrew Huberman stated that it has been scientifically proven that by taking two sharp inhales followed by one long exhale and doubling your oxygen intake while offloading more carbon dioxide, you can calm your body and relieve feelings of stress and anxiety. Rebels discussed scenarios that made them feel anxious and practiced the breathing technique together. Jumping right into Monday's Launch, Rebels reviewed their reflection sheets from Week 2 and began to outline their schedule for Week 6 of Session 7 - "Play Hard Celebrations." Rebels began brainstorming a list of fun things they want to do together before the year ends, and we agreed that in honour of Revel's 'work hard, play hard'philosophy, we would do our best to incorporate as many of their "Play Hard Celebration" wishes into the schedule. Rebels mapped out everything they had listed in their previous week's reflections and discussed what those would look like on the schedule. We'll continue to revisit this a few more times leading up to the end of the session to keep us motivated and remember what we're working towards! Tuesday's Mindfulness offered various options for Rebels to choose from, such as some new Zen Doodle colouring pages and floor puzzles or working on designing and colouring their Quest posters/programs. On Wednesday, Rebels solved the Wordle, Mini Crossword AND Connections! Way to go, Rebels! During Thank You for Sharing Thursday, Rebels discussed what they would do if they were invisible for a day! For Launch, we watched an inspirational video about Derek Redmond's disqualification in the 1992 Olympics and how he finished the race anyway with the support of his father despite a torn hamstring. Feel-Good Friday, the Rebels warmed up with their Boomwhackers and then tried a new tune: Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up!" Friday's Rebel-led Current Events featured a rare pink grasshopper sighting, the Olympic race-walking event, an initiative to help stabilize the manatee population and some big moments worldwide, like the election results in India and a giant Pride flag in Thailand.
READER/WRITER
In Reader/Writer this week, Rebels continued working on their Talent Show speeches. Rebels began the workshop with a Ted-Ed video on public speaking. How can you make your voice heard in a noisy world? Why is 'presentation literacy' a skill of the future? What is the purpose of sharing our speeches with an audience, and how does transferring an idea to another person inspire, connect, and equip others? Rebels discussed these questions after the video and felt a clearer calling to their "why" as they embarked on another work period. Using the recipes from Week 2, many completed their rough drafts this week and began practicing reading their speeches out loud, timing their speeches and seeking feedback from another team member before moving forward to their good copy. Next week, we'll continue to refine and practice our speeches, ultimately incorporating them into our Week 4 rehearsal schedule for Quest.
MATH LAB
Do we have enough money to spend, save, and donate? This week's deep-thinking problems asked Rebels to allocate part of a budget for different purposes. The first scenario gave them a chore list with corresponding allowance rates. They had to select then which household contributions they would make and, based on their earnings, how much would be left for personal spending if they wanted to save one-fifth of their earnings and donate one-tenth. It was interesting to see how the different groups selected chores: for example, one team chose the three highest-paying chores to maximize earnings. In contrast, others made a budget based on taking specific (or many) weeks off from chores throughout the year. In the second scenario, Rebels were allotted $150 and a detailed list of itemized costs for three potential studio pets (i.e. a hamster, beta fish, or hermit crab). They had to review the various needs and extras available and ensure their budget adequately provided for the health and happiness of the pet for a year.
QUEST
Welcome to "Rehearsal Week: Part 1"! We kicked off our next set of Quest challenges with much excitement and energy around developing our performances. "Rehearsals are where the magic happens" was a quote we revisited often this week in anticipation of our second set of Feedback Circles on Wednesday and Thursday. We began our week with a video about the power of practice and what happens in our brains and bodies when we practice something repeatedly. With creating an adequate practice space in mind, Rebels set some clear guidelines for what rehearsals would look like this week. How will we track our progress and hold ourselves (and each other) accountable? We incorporated the "Rebel Rehearsal Log" tool to monitor progress with each rehearsal period. Rebels began and ended Quest blocks filling out their logs - kicking off Quests by setting goals for that day's rehearsal (whether that be a specific dance move they were trying to master, completing a set number of slides in their TEDTalks, or creating a particular number of artworks/crafts for their presentations) and checked back in as a team for the last ten minutes to share what they accomplished, what they missed, and what they might need to change or work on next time. As we entered Wednesday and Thursday's Feedback Circles, Rebels discussed the expectations. How will you show your growth from your first audition in Week 2? Rebels agreed that they would bring their Rebel Rehearsal Logs to the next round of feedback performances so that the judge's panel could see each goal and whether or not they were visible in their performance or presentation. This was no easy feat - Rebels dug deep and were honest with each other about whether or not progress had been made, offered sound advice regarding the next steps, and how to utilize rehearsal time more efficiently in Week 4. In both sets of Feedback Circles, Rebels agreed the performances had shown growth across the board! We are excited to elevate our show even more next week, begin ticket sales, finish show programs, work on marketing and complete dress rehearsals.
CIVILIZATIONS
This week, the Rebels learned about William Shakespeare's career and heard an adaptation of his tragedy, Macbeth. They were captivated by the revelation from the "fates" that Macbeth would become King of Scotland, only to be equally enthralled by the evilness of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's plan to inherit the throne. We mapped the locations of Stratford-upon-Avon, London, and Scotland and then discussed Shakespeare's legacy. Is it more challenging to write comedies or tragedies? Is it more impressive that we still use lines from Shakespeare's plays in our everyday lives or that people still perform his plays worldwide?
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
On Tuesday, the learners enjoyed playing games in the field or dancing in the gym! On Thursday, one group played a new game called Pick It Up. With pylons, bean bags, and a bucket, the learners got into teams. They had to sink the bean bag into the bucket from each pylon location, and the first team to do so won. We played many different rounds by changing the places of the pylons and switching up the teams! The other group participated in gymnastics. Before they started, they made sure to stretch to avoid injuries.
FRENCH
This week, the Rebels learned the songs, "Je serai" by Lori, and the classics "Un éléphant qui se promenait", "Je vais à l'étable" and "Le roi, la reine et le petit Prince." We then reviewed the song "Tout le bonheur du monde" by Kids United, which we'll be singing at Exhibition!
Exploration Studio
MINDFULNESS AND LAUNCH
On Monday morning, we took time to reflect on our most significant accomplishments this year as well as what advice we would give to new Rebels in the fall. Many cited their progress in Khan as their most important achievement and advised new Exploration learners to work hard on Day 1, Week 1 of every session, as staying on track is much easier than trying to catch up. After our reflection, we participated in a Socratic discussion on the Olympic Games. The original Olympic Games were relatively simple contests held in ancient Greece. The modern games bring together athletes from 200+ countries, are held every four years, cost billions to produce, involve thousands of athletes and are often embroiled in political controversy. Rebels discussed what they would do if they were a city mayor considering hosting the Olympic Games, the purpose of boycotts as a symbol of political protest, corruption, and the 1976 Olympic Games that left Montreal bankrupt.
Tuesday's Pilates flow was the ultimate head-to-toe workout. We did exercises like backward lunges, calf raises, and standing wall-supported bicycle crunches! We book-ended our practice with a Physiological Sigh - a technique discovered in the 1930s and recapped by Andrew Huberman as two inhales through the nose and an exhale out through the mouth to balance carbon dioxide levels and calm the body. After Pilates, Rebels met to update their badge plans. New learners were shown how to add sessional badges and remove those that weren't earned the session before. Wednesday morning, we worked on our pinatas for the Summer Birthday Celebration on Wednesday, July 3rd. Many are getting close to being ready to be decorated and filled! Thursday, we played a new game with our Yoga Pretzel cards - "Elimination Island!" Rebels guided a yoga sequence while the rest of the studio observed and attempted to recreate it in the same order. Learners who missed a pose or did the sequence out of order were "eliminated off the island." Before starting core skills, we introduced ourselves to our visiting learner in a community circle.
Friday, Rebels tried their hands at Mindful Connections, Wordle, and the Daily Mini as they worked through a series of puzzles together. Our Current Events presentation included information about the Gengis moth, a study that showed elephants call each other by name, and the group shared recent sports news.
QUEST
Rebels looked at different print-making processes on Monday before attempting to create their own collagraph. We compared the steps to creating relief prints, like Dürer's woodcuts, to etching-style prints and lithograph work. Next, we watched a fantastic video re-creating Warhol's silkscreen printing process using photographic emulsion to make stencils and reproduce iconic photographs with layered blocks of colour selected by the artist. Rebels then tried collagraphy, thinking about creating their design by building up layers of foam sheets onto a surface and/or breaking apart aspects of a reference image to layer blocks of colour during printing. On Tuesday, many Rebels were ready to pull their first prints and we practiced the steps of conventional labelling. This was based on whether the artist pulls one print only (writing AP for an artist's proof) or multiple prints to make an edition (a fraction representing each successive pull in a series). On Wednesday, Rebels discussed cultural appropriation before embarking into the world of mask-making. We started by debunking myths like, "I'm just showing appreciation," and focused our conversation on the differences between appreciation, appropriation, and assimilation and meaningful examples of cultural exchange. We then spotlighted some of Pablo Picasso's famous work and reviewed an article discussing whether or not some of his early Cubist work appropriated African masks. After a great conversation, we watched another clip showing a contemporary Italian mask maker's process, including a brief history of mask-wearing in Italy dating back to 1162 CE! Finally, Rebels were taskedwith sculpting their masks using plasticine, with the additional challenge of incorporating their preferred level of relief (i.e. alto, mezzo, basso or sunk). On Thursday, Rebels had more time to complete either their prints or masks, and we quickly reviewed some project ideas and an order form for materials in anticipation of PLAY week next week.
FRENCH
On Monday, we reviewed our French expressions and the imperative form of French verbs in teams in preparation for Wednesday's Jeopardy game!
READER/WRITER
This week in the Reader Writer workshop, we explored the life and artworks of Salvador Dali and the artistic style of Surrealism. Rebels looked at some of Dali's most famous artworks and compared "The Persistence of Memory," "Swans Reflecting Elephants," and "The Elephants." Salvador Dali's home and life in Figueres, Spain, greatly influenced his artwork. We took a peek at a documentary short film about Salvador Dali's house turned museum, the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dali, in his hometown that attracts tourists worldwide. Rebels agreed that many parts of the house, from memorabilia to the actual architecture and beautiful views of the surrounding area, are reflected in much of his work. As our last Mentor Artist workshop ended, Rebels built the criteria for writing their biography about a famous artist. What makes biographies unique? What essential elements should be included in a biography? Should events in a biography be chronologically ordered or not? Why? After finishing our biography criteria, Rebels reviewed a list of artists they could research and write about as they prepared to begin their written biographies for Weeks 4 and 5.
Civilizations
After learning about the atrocities of the Holocaust, learners were understandably upset to hear that another genocide occurred in 1994 in Rwanda. For one hundred days, the African country of Rwanda suffered a horrific campaign of mass murder. Neighbours turned against neighbours as violence engulfed the region, resulting in the deaths of over one-tenth of the country's population. How did this happen? And why didn't international organizations intervene? After learning about the multiple conflicts between the Tutsi and Hutus, Rebels discussed who they felt deserved the most blame for the genocide: hatred and racism between the Rwandan tribes, linkering effects from colonialism, or a lack of intervention from the outside world. We also debated what they would have done in President Habyarimana's position to create a transitional government and whether losing civil liberties is worth having greater peace and prosperity.
MATH LAB
This week's problem-solving theme was geometry! To warm up, Rebels worked through three problem strings highlighting two important properties of multiplication: the commutative property ( a x b = b x a ) and the associative property ( a x [b x c] = [a x b] x c ). We had a great moment where we were able to confirm the difference between the associative property and the distributive property ( a x [b + c] = [a x b] + [a x c] ) when one Rebel was thinking that 10 x (4 x 3) was equal to 10 x 40 x 30. For our first deep-thinking problem, Rebels had to use visual clues to determine the area of a red region within a rectangle that was decomposed into two congruent triangles layered with two congruent circles. Midway through solving, Rebels rallied together to support other teams by sharing essential geometric knowledge or resources that would provide the knowledge needed to solve this situation: the value of pi, the relationship between diameter and radius, formulas for the area of a circle, and relative area relationships for the other included polygons. In the final problem, "The Painted Rubik's Cube," Rebels had to determine how many smaller cubes would have 0, 1, 2 or 3 painted faces if the Rubik's cube was painted on the outside. If they could do this, their final challenge was to investigate a 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 cube and possibly determine a general rule for finding the number of faces that would be painted on any cube ( n x n x n ). Awesome job this week, Rebels!
Additional Highlights
We made time to get outside a priority each day, whether for Activity Breaks, PE, or Free Time. Kickball, hikes, playground play, basketball, Flying Dragon, and soccer were played throughout the week.
In Town Hall, we discussed creating a House Cup system next year and planned our Late Night In at Revel party for June 28th.
Launchpad Studio
Poetry Analysis
This week, Rebels analyzed poems by Rudyard Kipling, Carl Sandburg, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Lola Ridge, William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, Margaret Widdemer and Aline Murray Kilmer. While they didn't agree on the winner of each match-up, they all liked "If You Should Tire of Loving Me" and "Bound," which were Thursday's selections. Next week, we will find the ultimate winner over our Poet vs. Poet bracket while also working on reading independent poetry Deep Books and choosing pieces for final analysis or artwork.
MTC
On Wednesday, three learners met to begin populating their Mastery Transcript. They started by thinking about their Personal Statement and double-checking their listed courses for accuracy. After going through the Foundational and Advanced competencies list, Rebels made notes on those they've earned and the evidence they could put forward to prove their mastery. Once their earned competencies are added over the weekend, they will begin attaching proof next week.
CIVILIZATION
It's 1960, and apartheid in South Africa is the law of the land. Police opened fire on unarmed black citizens in Sharpsville, South Africa, killing or wounding over 250 people. Learners put themselves in the shoes of Nelson Mandela and reflected on whether they were the leader of the anti-apartheid movement, would they continue using nonviolent methods of resistance, leading to more arrests and deaths and no change, or release their supporters to defend themselves through strikes, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. What is more important: "doing the right thing" or winning? They also debated who was more important to ending apartheid: Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu.
Independent Learning
This week, learners also worked on their personalized math programs and physics and philosophy courses. They also continued building their PC, and further developed their digital art skills.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark Studio
Which version of Little Red Riding Hood did you like best? (The Classic Version, Little Red Hot or Ninja Red Riding Hood)
How are the rehearsals for your play going? Are there any lines you need help remembering? What would you like to wear on the day of your performance?
Can we play one of the drama games you did in the studio this week? (Ten Second Objects, Space Walk, 21)
What are some character traits of the wolf?
French: What is a postal address? Do you know your address?
Discovery Studio
What is your greatest priority for the next three weeks?
Math Lab: If you received a portion of your weekly allowance, what part should be used for spending, saving, and donating?
French: Which five songs did you choose to earn your French badge?
Exploration Studio
In 1980, the USA led a boycott of the Moscow Summer Games, and in 1984, the Soviet Union led a boycott of the Los Angeles Summer Games. Do you believe that nations using the Olympic Games as a symbol for political protest is legitimate, or should the Olympic Games be a showcase for individual athletic achievement and free from boycott?
Since the genocide in 1994, Rwanda's economy has grown, life expectancy rates have skyrocketed, and President Kagame effectively secured peace for all Rwandans but at the cost of stifling conflicts between the Hutu and Tutsi. Which do you believe is more important: economic prosperity, safety and stability, or free speech and democracy?
Quest: What is the difference between cultural appropriation, cultural appreciation, cultural exchange and assimilation?
R/W: What does Surrealism mean? How was Salvador Dali's artwork "surreal"?
R/W: What artist are you going to write a biography about?
Math Lab: If you know 8 x 27, how does this help you solve 4 x 27? 16 x 27? 4 x 54?
Math Lab: What is the difference between 10 x ( 3 x 4 ) and 10 x ( 3 + 4 ) ? How would you solve each expression?
French: What does the expression "Mêle-toi de tes oignons" mean? (Mine your business)
Launchpad Studio
How were Mandela and Tutu alike? Different?
When do you think the PC will be done?
What competencies (Foundational and Advanced) have you earned? Which are you hoping to earn by the end of next year?
Dates of Interest
Exploration Graduation Ceremony - Monday, June 24th at 3:00 pm
Session 7 Exhibitions
Spark and Discovery off-site at uOttawa Academic Hall - Wednesday, June 26th, 2024 - Doors open at 2:45 pm, Showtime at 3 pm!
Exploration Vernissage Exhibition, on-site at Revel - Thursday, June 27th, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Exploration and LP Late Night at Revel - Friday, June 28th from 4:00 to 11:00 pm
Canada Day - Monday, July 1st - No School
Rebel Olympics - Tuesday, July 2nd
Summer Birthdays and Ice Cream Truck - Wednesday, July 3rd
Bouncy Castles!!! - Thursday, July 4th
Last Day of School - Friday, July 5th