Revel Recap: January 27 - 31, 2025

Spark Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

This week's mindfulness focused on five stories with an art piece connected to each one. On Monday, we started reading Miss Spider's Tea Party. This story is about three fireflies, four bees, and five rubber bugs who reject Miss Spider, leaving her with ten cups of tea and a broken heart. But when Miss Spider comes to the rescue of a rain-soaked moth, everyone joins Miss Spider's party! Following this, the Sparks worked on a drawing of stacking mugs. On Tuesday, we read the story Sky Color by Peter Reynolds. The story celebrates the creative process and what it means to be an artist. The Sparks then used watercolour paint to design a colourful sky. On Wednesday, the Sparks participated in a yoga adventure celebrating the Lunar New Year. Jamie, from Cosmic Kids Yoga, created a yoga sequence that tells the story of how the Jade Emperor created the Chinese Calendar. The Sparks went through a swimming race with all the animals of the Zodiac. Afterwards, we read a story called Ruby's Chinese New Year, and watched some videos from CBC Kids to learn more about this celebration. We also learned about how it is the Year of the Snake and completed a colouring page. On Thursday, we read Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin. It explores the concept of cause and effect with an understanding that it is possible to keep our cool even when things don't go as planned. It also guides our learners not to get discouraged and try to make the best of a situation. The art activity connected to this book was to create two types of tacos: spicy vs. mild. On Friday, we had a special guest reader join us. One of our families at Revel came to the studio to read a book on Pongal, a multi-day harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. Our guest explained that it's a time for them to thank the sun, Mother Nature, farmers, and the environment for what they do for us. She then shared traditional clothing their family wears and even had the learners try it on. She then taught the Sparks a dance with music they listen to during the festival. The presentation ended with the Sparks trying a special dish called Ven Pongal!

Launches

This week, we had two successful launches! The Guides are fully immersed in their Guide roles, participating in weekly Guide Squad meetings to exchange new experiments and stories with other Acton schools. Thanks to these insights, they've completed two launches to improve the studio further. Tuesday's Launch, was inspired by the TV show Masterchef Junior. The Sparks watched a mini clip that focused on one contestant. The contestant receives warm feedback – things they did well – as well as cool feedback – things they could improve. Then the Sparks had to imagine they were in the show and in a full circle; the Sparks were asked, if you were on Masterchef Junior, would you be more excited or more nervous about receiving feedback and which type of feedback is more challenging to receive: in person or written down? The Sparks answered with very thoughtful answers, such as wanting to hear feedback written down as others wouldn't know, and some learners said they would feel nervous because it would be embarrassing. The Guides then shared with them that feedback can be challenging sometimes, but they know it can be positive. It's a way for the Sparks to grow their brain and progress. Friday's Launch focused on how learners "lift their eyes to the horizon" by moving from "me, my emotions and now" to more thoughtful, personal and tribal, long-term goals pursued in a healthy community.  There is no right path or correct sequence for offering the right incentives – it's more a matter of experimentation, offering tools, systems and frameworks for learners to try. With that being said, as a studio, we have created an experiment for the next session that begins with short-term, individual incentives and moves towards longer-term, more group-based rewards over time. The Sparks agreed to focus on their printing books to earn an incentive to have a body break in the gym with Discovery. Their long-term goal is to have some "extra" during fun Fridays. 

Quest

A new week calls for a new artist(s). Tom Thomson was a Canadian artist best known for his stunning landscape paintings and for being a key figure in the development of the Group of Seven. He spent much of his time painting the wilderness of Ontario, especially around Algonquin Park, which became the focus of many of his most iconic works. To begin, we read a book about his life and learned that he liked going into a canoe to paint, he had nine siblings, and he was known for buying the most expensive art materials for his projects. The learners worked hard on two projects this week related to Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. They were introduced to one of Tom's most famous paintings, "The Jack Pine." The Sparks worked hard to replicate it in their own way. Their second project was learning about other paintings by the Group of Seven and choosing just one painting they liked the most. They answered questions about what made them choose the painting they did. Following their questionnaire, they used oil pastels to make their favourite art piece. Many learners picked the "Northern Lights" by Tom Thomson or Lawren Harris' painting called "Pine Tree and Red House, Winter City." We are super excited to share these masterpieces in two weeks!

Math Lab

Group One used many of the materials from the shelf this week. From the counting chains, the 100 board, the teen board and number rods. During each work period, a Spark would meet with another friend and work together. Using this material is important as it encourages the Sparks to develop a deeper understanding of numbers and their relationships. By working with materials like counting chains and number rods, they can visually and physically experience the concepts of counting, place value, and simple arithmetic. The 100 board and teen board further reinforce these skills by allowing learners to see number patterns and sequences in a hands-on way. We will continue to work on all materials to master each piece. 

Group Two continued building on their fractions knowledge. This week, we noticed that there is a top number and a bottom number separated by a line when writing a fraction. We learned that the top number is called the numerator and represents the parts we are counting or working with. The bottom number is the denominator and tells us the total number of equal parts. We explored with our fraction insets, mixing up all the pieces and finding the parts that go together. The learners then practiced writing more fractions in both words and numbers and completed a worksheet where they needed to find the fraction to match the image. 

Reader/Writer

From this week onward, Group One will review the alphabet and the sounds and practice their printing. The Sparks used their printing book to practice writing their names. We are doing our best to write the letters in order and between the lines. They were then challenged to write the alphabet. Many learners sang the song to themselves while printing the letters. After this, we used the sandpaper letters and traced each letter. Each learner said the letter aloud and the sound it makes when tracing. Lastly, we mixed the alphabet up and worked as a team to put it back together. 

Group Two continued their grammar studies this week, focusing on compound words. We started by learning that compound words are words made up of two or more words combined. When two or more words are put together, they create a new meaning. We looked at images of two different words and then a picture of what it makes when they combine. For example, rain and bow come together to make rainbow. The learners completed a game and a worksheet using pictures and words to build on their understanding.  

French

On Monday and Tuesday, the learners explored the concept of opposites through a colouring activity. On Wednesday, they then coloured different emotions to create a puppet game. We continued our theme on Thursday with an opposites game in the gym. In teams of two, the learners participated in an association game to match opposite concepts.

Geography

As we made our way through North America, we landed in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. As some learners have been, the Guides figured exploring it more in-depth would be ideal. We read facts such as that holding sloths from the rainforest is illegal, that the Arenal volcano last erupted 57 years ago, and that the flag's colours are blue, white, and red. The Sparks went on a scavenger hunt around the school to look for six things that symbolize Costa Rica: oxcarts, the flag, artwork, 3-toed sloths, and many more. They partnered up and worked hard to find everything on their list. To end the lesson, we listened to a song about Costa Rica. It explored all seven provinces within its country and was a catchy song. 

Additional Highlights

Another big thank you to this week's Mystery Readers. Our guests shared special stories about the Lunar New Year and Tamil Heritage Month. We also enjoyed a new story called The Sour Grape and even got up for a dance party at the end of one story! 

The Sparks had so much fun sledding at Carlington Hill. They worked so hard to bring their sleds to the hill in the deep snow! On the hill, the Sparks went down many times, super fast and got covered in snow. We hope we can go again. With the weather being super cold, we finally had a "warmer" day on Friday and spent an extra long recess outside at the park. 

Discovery Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

On Monday morning, we started our week by connecting with the "How's the Water?" game. Rebels discussed experiences when they realized they had no control and shared that if they could relive any memory, which would it be? For Monday's Launch, a Rebel ran a Kahoot! for the studio to learn all about him. On Tuesdays each week, we work on mindful colouring, but the Rebels had a great idea: to create a book so they could draw in it. We spent mindful time creating our drawing book. Tuesday's Launch was about our first-ever connection survey and culture map results! Rebels reflected on ways to increase connection in our studios, in particular, looking at our Rebel Buck system and the specific reasons to GIVE one. Wednesday's puzzle provided a very good challenge! The Rebels worked on the Wordle the entire time and were stumped, unable to guess the word correctly in six attempts. For Launch, we focused on putting all the pieces of a puzzle together for our Joy Workbooks. We combined all our work: what we love, what we're good at, what the world needs and what we contribute. Bringing it all together, we tried to identify our JOY, the thing in common in the middle. On Thursday morning, we started the day with a meditation about kindness, and for Launch, a Rebel led an activity using Morse code! Feel-Good Friday's Boomwhackers practice was a lot of fun - we warmed up with our scales and chords and then played "It's Corn!"

Reader/Writer

In Reader/Writer this week, Draw and Anchor learners continued working on their Best Part of Me template and worked on adding adjectives and adverbs to their writing. Rebels were asked to revise and edit their work, and next week, we will take pictures of their best parts. Meanwhile, Anchor and Release Rebels reviewed what their paragraphs needed, including utilizing as many senses, descriptive words, and verbs as possible.

Math Lab

Monday's Math Lab with Aim/Release Rebels focused on a second string of problems in the "I'm Thinking of a Number…" task. However, this week, the Rebels made connections to their knowledge of fact families and the way addition and subtraction, as well as multiplication and division, work together as inverse operations when looking at equations with unknown variables. Rebels worked with their small teams to solve equations involving all four operations and flexed their computation skills by trying to solve the equations without a calculator (and only using it to check their work). At Wednesday's lab with the Draw/Anchor team, we attempted a task with five difficulty levels called "Keep the Balance." Rebels worked with their small team to examine a series of balance scales with various weights and animals. They used algebraic reasoning to keep the scales balanced and determine the unknown values. They had to work their way up from basic, one-step equation questions like one kitty = 14, to two-step and eventually three-step equations such as three geckos + 7 = two geckos + 13. 

French

This week, the Rebels completed the draft copy of their family tree. They then neatly transferred it onto a large poster board and carefully coloured it.

Civilizations

This week's read-aloud featured conflicts in the new world. As new settlements spread across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, collaborative relations with the Wampanoag diminished.  Rebels learned about many leaders of the time on both sides. Additionally, they heard similar stories about conflict between French settlements and Indigenous communities to the north. We mapped New England and New France in relation to the Atlantic Ocean and key countries in Europe, noting some settlements in particular, like Plymouth and Montreal. One story we heard was a little different, however. William Penn wanted his colony in Pennsylvania to be a place of peace, brotherhood, and love. What was most heroic about William Penn: that he had a vision to treat everyone equally, that he had three separate but equal groups in government, paying the Indigenous for the use of their land, or something else?

Quest

On Monday, we started learning about Self Esteem. Self-esteem is defined as how we value and perceive ourselves. We had a great discussion about self-esteem and how we can assume how others feel about themselves, but we never actually know because we can never tell what others think. We learned about Identity and the various roles that we play. Learners made an Identity Map, and then we discussed which components they felt were most significant in shaping their identity. On Tuesday, we discussed the link between our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If we have negative thoughts, we are more likely to have negative feelings and actions. The same is true for positive thoughts. The Rebels were given some scenarios to work through and using their negative thougths and then do the same scenarios but with positive thinking. On Wednesday, we worked on writing our own Mission Statement. A Mission Statement is a simple and brief description that encompasses the purpose of a person defining its culture, goals, and values. We reflected on some key questions to write ours: What do you want to be remembered for? What are your strengths and how can you share them? How do you want people to feel in your around you? What are some of the values that are important to you? What do you truly believe in? What are you passionate about? We used the Quest period on Thursday to finish any uncompleted work from earlier weeks.

Physical Development

On Tuesday and Thursday, this week's chilly temperatures kept us all inside for physical development. The learners completed a Star Wars-themed yoga sequence for a warm-up before we played our game of the week, Capture the Flag! The learners enjoyed many competitive rounds, showing great teamwork, participation and strategy! 

Exploration Studio

Mindfulness and Launch

After our Free Choice Mindfulness on Monday morning, we got ready for the week ahead by reflecting on where we are with our goals and where we would like to be by the end of Week 4. On Tuesday, we played "It's Corn," "Peaches," and "Goo Goo Muck" on the Boomwhackers before discussing Power and Privilege. Using the Wheel of Privilege from JUST 1 VOICE, Rebels reflected on where they were in several categories, such as skin colour, age, wealth, religion, gender, neurodiversity, and more on the wheel. We viewed the three rings: power, erased, and marginalized and discussed how we knowingly and unknowingly silence groups of people. Rebels talked about working harder to identify who they aren't hearing and elevate those voices when they can. On Wednesday, Rebels used the first thirty minutes of the day to draw an eye of their choice using a tutorial and a series of prints. Next week, we will colour them using oil pastels to make them pop! Thursday's yoga flow involved neck hygiene, seated side body stretching, and cat-cow flexing. We then tried "threading the needle" from the tabletop position for a deep stretch in the shoulders and upper back body before ending with a reclined twist on either side and a final rest in savasana. After yoga, we discussed the ideal qualities that a leader should possess. With our brainstorming complete, we read the book The Empty Pot, in which the Chinese Emperor announces an unusual test to choose an heir - the child who raises the best flowers from a seed given by the Emperor will be his successor. The protagonist in the story has no luck after taking painstaking care of the seed, only to discover that the Emperor had given cooked seeds and was truly looking for the most honest and brave among them to rule. On Friday, Rebels crushed the NYT Wordle, Connections, Strand AND Mini! During Current Events, we learned about the new Nintendo Switch, a depressed sunfish, and the Planetary Parade!

Math Lab 

This week, Rebels continued with their "catch and release" sampling after reflecting on the strategies from the previous lab. We looked at the concept of a census vs. a sample as well as how and why scientists might want to sample a population in real life like butterflies, red wolves, or fish. Then, Rebels returned to their populations of beads to simulate a catch and release, "tagging" beads with a marker and using repeated samples to try and estimate portions of the population and its overall size. Some teams were able to estimate with relative accuracy, while others found their estimates to be quite skewed upon completing an audit or count of their beads. At the end of the lab, we collaborated to share strategies and reflect, looking at a snapshot of penguins in Antarctica. Rebels shared how they would estimate the size of the population, reasoning that groups of about 20 would shrink in size the further into the background that they counted. When asked if the estimate was reasonable, one Rebel wondered if they were estimating the population of all penguins in Antarctica or just one particular colony, considering how they might account for birds who were away fishing or elsewhere. While we may not know the exact amount of penguins in the picture, it's safe to say that Rebels are certainly thinking carefully and critically about sampling and populations!

Quest 

This week, learners began pulling together all they have written and dreamed about when crafting their worlds. Over the next two weeks, they will create a final project that showcases what they've imagined. Using a project planning guide, Rebels broke down their deliverables and created an action plan with deadlines. Some are building a 3-D version of their world, while others are writing stories, creating board or card games, or drafting Creature Compendiums! While learners love having choices with their final project, it can be daunting to pick and stick with it while also staying on track with a longer-term deadline. You can do it, Rebels!

Reader/Writer

On Tuesday, Rebels worked hard to complete their Character Profile and backstory. They were reminded to use juicy, descriptive words where possible to paint a more vibrant picture and truly capture their character's personality. Learners also focused on ensuring their backstory had enough detail to explain their character's current motivations. Next week, we will trade our work with at least three peers for feedback. 

Physical Development

On Monday, Rebels split, with half going to the gym to play soccer while the other half had fun with a series of Would You Rather videos.  With the fresh snow on Wednesday, a group journeyed to Carlington Hill for sledding while others played wall ball and soccer in the gym. 

Civilizations - Cartography

Time to add even more detail to our maps! With one week left, Rebels got to work on their worldbuilding maps, ensuring proper placement of their capital, towns, cities, castles, or holdfasts. At the end of the class, we reviewed iconography and additional features that the learners may want to include to make their map unique. From ancient roads and musty tombs to the heraldry of imaginary nations and kingdoms, their new worlds are shaping up beautifully!

French

This week, the Exploration Rebels presented their projects in front of five other classmates. They received constructive feedback from their peers, highlighting both positive aspects and areas for improvement in their presentation «Apprends-moi quelque chose!». Everyone had fun engaging in this enriching and stimulating activity!

Apprenticeship Prep

We started Apprenticeship Prep by brainstorming a list of Dream Jobs as well as a list of Nightmare jobs. The Rebels quickly realized that for some, their ideal job was the worst nightmare of one of their friends and vice versa. We then watched a few videos and viewed Top 10 lists, including the most dangerous jobs and jobs with the highest and lowest satisfaction rates. We also discussed how the lists can change, and it's hard to control every facet, including who you work with and for. Afterward, the learners made their own top ten list of dream and nightmare jobs before going back and completing any unfinished Apprenticeship Prep challenges. 

Additional Highlights

This week in band, our learners worked on playing "Zombie" by the Cranberries and began to learn "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars.

In Book Club, we covered Chapters 13 - 16, reviewed our vocabulary words, and discussed why Sydelle thinks Angela is the bomber. 

Launchpad Studio

What a week in the LP Studio! One of our founding LP learners turned 18, and we celebrated with oyster shucking and taste-testing!

Literature and Communication

After reading more of Jane Eyre, our learners wrote an essay outline discussing Jane's commentary as a developing feminist for their AP Lit and Comp course.

Meanwhile, our learner taking the AP Language and Composition course completed Unit 7, a significant milestone in the class. They had to complete three essays: a synthesis of a museum's considerations, a rhetorical essay on a passage from Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, and an argumentative essay about whether entertainment could ruin society. They also worked on a revision of their rhetorical essay from Unit 6.

Learners also finished reading Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis, this week. We discussed how Gregor's father proved to be a dynamic character and how Gregor's role in life and his family changed throughout the story before revisiting the themes of isolation and purpose. It was a stimulating discussion about the parallels Gregor's life had with old age, and the argument for various interpretations and theories was interesting to ponder. Was Gregor Samsa a Christ figure? Was the story's central character Grete, not Gregor, and it is her that the title refers to? Was the first line erroneous and misleading, and Gregor should be viewed as a literal human throughout the entire story for it to make more sense? Was the entire story a metaphor for leprosy? Over the next two weeks, learners will craft an essay analyzing the novella.

Introduction to Archaeology

Our learner completed the second course, Archaeology as a Science, in the Introduction to Archaeology specialization offered by Rice University. They are making impressive time as they have already completed two of the four courses in only four weeks; this happens when learners are given time to pursue their passions!

AP Biology

This week, our learner tackled Unit 12: Energy and Metabolism. They learned how energy is transferred, used, and stored, as well as how metabolism is how organisms maintain homeostasis through chemical reactions. They also studied how the laws of thermodynamics apply to biological systems, particularly the processes in cellular respiration and the role of enzymes in energy transformations. 

Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:

• Spark Studio

• Reader Writer Group 2: Can you find an example of a compound word in a book? 

• What did you learn during geography this week?

• Which Tom Thomson or Group of Seven artwork did you choose to create for your project? 

• Where are the Group of Seven from?

• Can you share what incentives you plan to use in the next session as a studio?

• French: How do you say cold and hot in French? (froid/chaud)

Discovery Studio

• Math Lab: What is the difference between an expression and an equation?

• Quest: What do you find more motivating - small, daily rewards, larger weekly incentives, or one big prize once a session?

• Quest: If you could re-organize Maslow's hierarchy, how would you arrange a diagram of all the types of needs?

• French: Did you complete your family tree in French? Did you know everyone's first name?

Exploration Studio

• French: How did your presentation go?

• Math Lab: What were the results of your catch-and-release experiment? Were you able to accurately estimate the size of your bead population based on this method of sampling? Why or why not?

• What did you choose for your final project in Quest? Are you working alone or in a team? Do you feel that you are on track?

• What are your dream and nightmare jobs?

• When you have free time at Revel, how do you spend it?

Launchpad Studio

• What time of day do you find yourself most in flow? Can you switch your schedule to make it more productive?

• As judges for the Worldbuilding Exhibition, what are you looking for?

• Do you prefer to discuss books with others to hear their perspective or analyze them on your own?

Important Upcoming Dates

• Spark and Discovery Field Trip to the Ottawa Art Gallery - Friday, February 7th

• Session 4 Exhibitions

  • Discovery Studio - Tuesday, February 11th at 4:15 pm

  • Spark Studio - Wednesday, February 12th at 4:15 pm

  • Exploration Studio - Thursday, February 13th at 4:15 pm

• Sessional Break and Camp: February 18th - 21st