Explore Studio

Explore Year 6. Session 2. Week 5.

November 16, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

This Week in the Explore Studio

The Explore learners honed their entrepreneurial skills in Quest, embraced artistic flow in Art, and made strides in Writers’ Workshop. A visit to Bull Creek capped off the week with adventure and discovery!

QUEST

This week, Explore entrepreneurs reviewed the essential elements of an excellent pitch as they prepared for their upcoming Exhibition Trade Show. They drafted pitches, rehearsed them aloud, and exchanged warm and cool feedback with Fellow Travelers. After refining their presentations, the Explorers elected an Exhibition Planning Committee. Creativity came alive as learners began designing banners and signage for their booths, setting the stage for a dynamic showcase of their ideas. On Friday, a Guest Hero in Entrepreneurship visited Ascent to share his Hero’s Journey with the Discovery and Explore leaners.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The authors in Explore advanced in their writing process, completing drafts and preparing for the critical stage of final editing. Focused and determined, they worked toward refining their pieces, laying the groundwork for polished and impactful, Persuasive writing.

ART

In Art, the Explore learners were immersed in the flow of the creative process. They continued painting their canvases, collaborating to mix primary acrylic colors to achieve their desired hues. Learners also supported each other in keeping their studio sacred, sharing responsibility for cleaning and organizing supplies. The artists in Explore completed a writing piece that was “All About the Artist,” to showcase their individual styles and artistic influences.

FRIDAY OUTING

The week ended with a trip to Bull Creek, where the Explore learners let curiosity lead the way. They encountered wildlife, scaled heights, and splashed in the water, celebrating the joy of exploration and the natural world.

For more from Session 2 Week 5, click here: Explore Session 2, Week 5 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 2. Week 4.

November 9, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

This Week in the Explore Studio

The Explore learners started prototyping in E-Ship Quest, celebrated achievements in Work Cycles, and added paint to their canvases in Art.

QUEST
This week, the Explore learners dove into the world of prototyping in their E-Ship Quest! Building on their entrepreneurial skills, they brainstormed creative ideas and crafted initial prototypes of their products. This hands-on stage was all about trial, feedback, and iteration as they refined their designs. Learners also practiced giving and receiving constructive feedback, helping each other enhance their prototypes to reach the highest standards.

WORK CYCLE
The Explorers celebrated big achievements in Work Cycles, reflecting on their personal goals and the progress they’ve made so far. They shared milestones they’d reached, along with challenges they’d overcome, and set new objectives to keep the momentum going. There was a sense of accomplishment in the Studio, as learners recognized the growth they’ve experienced individually and as a group.

ART
This week, the studio was filled with creativity and color as Explorers added paint to their canvases! With brushes in hand, they experimented with different techniques and colors, bringing their unique ideas to life. Each canvas told its own story, with learners exploring new styles and expressing their individuality through their artwork.

FRIDAY OUTING

On Friday, the Explorers traversed the creek at Willowbrook Reach, hiked along the trail, and swung beneath the trees.

For more from Session 2 Week 4, click here: Explore Session 2, Week 4 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 2. Week 3.

November 2, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

This Week in the Explore Studio

The Explore learners journeyed to Hiring and Competition + Substitute Islands in E-Ship Quest, began drafting their persuasive essays in Writers’ Workshop, and celebrated the fall season in Art.

QUEST

This week, Explorers dove into an experiment on production efficiency, comparing assembly line and individual production methods. As a Studio, they collaborated to develop a rubric, establishing clear standards of excellence for their work. Armed with their rubric, teams got to work assembling care kits, using both production styles. Afterward, they analyzed their results and found that while the assembly line method appeared to be the most efficient, they noted that the sample size was too small to confirm universal results. The experiment sparked thoughtful discussions on teamwork, quality, and productivity!

On Friday, the Explore and Discovery Studios came together for an entrepreneurial challenge: The Trail Mix Stand-Off. The Explorers were challenged to work in teams to create a Trail Mix Stand. Each team started with $15 Hero Bucks to purchase ingredients for the trail mix they would sell. They had to consider what would make their trail mix stand out to customers over their competitors. Discovery learners allowing heroes to step into a customer’s shoes to better understand buyer behavior. The Discovery learners each had $5 Hero Bucks to spend at the Explorers’ Trail Mix Stands. After the experiment, the entrepreneurs in Explore counted their profits and reflected on how the choices they made when setting their prices, decorating their stands, and choosing ingredients impacted the success they had.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

In Week 3 of Writers’ Workshop, learners launched into the drafting phase of their persuasive essays. As a Studio, they reviewed the 6 Traits of writing, focusing on Voice as they typed their first drafts.

ART

Explorers embraced the season’s spirit by carving pumpkins with the Discovery learners. They saved the seeds to share a special fall treat during the campus pumpkin party. The learners from Spark, Discovery, and Explore gathered to enjoy the fall festivities.

On Thursday, Explorers engaged in a learner-led launch about Diwali! One of their fellow Explorers facilitated a thoughtful Socratic Discussion on Diwali’s traditions and significance. Explorers then created rangolis and mandalas, experimenting with colored rice to create vibrant, intricate designs inspired by traditional Indian art.

FRIDAY OUTING

After donating the care-kits to Caritas, the Explore learners played in Pease Park. They hung around, climbed to new heights, and looked at the world around them from different perspectives!

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the Session! The Explorers’ journeys are just getting started, and we’re excited about what’s to come.

For more from Session 2 Week 3, click here: Explore Session 2, Week 3 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 2. Week 2.

October 26, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

TOWN HALL

The Explorers held their weekly Town Hall on Wednesday. They made announcements and shared what they perceived to be problems in the studio, then collectively agreed upon solutions to those problems.

SUPPORTING SPARK

On Thursday, the Explore learners joined the Spark learners to plant herbs and flowers in the Spark Courtyard. The Explorers supported the Sparks with choosing their tools – gloves and trowel – and a plant. They worked together to dig a hole and add new life to the Spark garden!

QUEST

The learners in Explore continued to dive deeper into E-Ship Quest this week! They decided on the business they will start, created surveys to get feedback from their fellow travelers – as well as family and friends outside of school – and dove into unit economics. They ended the week considering when to hire employees and when to go it alone!

MATH POWER HOUR

The Explorers got into flow during their Math Power Hours this week. They supported each other when they felt stuck, and when they needed breaks from their work, they stopped to solve the day’s math riddle together.

ART

The Explore learners began planning what they will be painting on their canvases. They reflected on what their personal styles are and let their creativity take the lead as they sketched their first drafts!

FRIDAY OUTING

The learners in Explore landed their week with their first Friday outing of the year. They ran through Pease Park with excitement, bravely climbed trees, and played on the tree house together.

For more from Session 2 Week 2, click here: Explore Session 2, Week 2 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 2. Week 1.

October 20, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

SESSION 2 BIG GOALS

The Explore learners made maps for their Session-long goals. They denoted each week in Session 2 on their maps and wrote the smaller goals they want to achieve to help them reach their Session 2 Big Goals.

ART

The Explore learners discussed the meanings of colors and shared the emotions and themes they associate with different colors. Then they used paint to mix primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors for value scales.

WORK CYCLE

The Explorers dove right into flow in their Work Cycles this week and focused on the steps they decided to take to reach their Session-long goals. They supported each other with math as well as with holding each other accountable when the Monster of Distraction showed up.

QUEST

The Explorers set sail on their E-Ship Quest this week! They reflected on what their motivations are, where their interests and passions lie and brainstormed what kinds of businesses they would want to start. The Explore learners conducted research on businesses in three different industries and created surveys to get feedback from their community about their businesses ideas.

For more from Session 2 Week 1, click here: Explore Session 2, Week 1 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 1. Week 5.

October 4, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

The Explorers celebrated their many achievements from Session 1 this week. They shared their work with their community at their Exhibition of Learning, worked together to earn freedoms, and expressed feeling successful in their team building challenges.

TEAM BUILDING CHALLENGES

The learners in Explore worked together to write a word using the “Robot Writing Tool”. They discussed how they achieved success and shared that they followed the lead of one of their studio-mates. The Explorers reflected on what makes a good leader and came up with these traits: “someone you can trust, someone who is calm, someone who is a good communicator, someone who listens to everyone, someone who is helpful, someone who is confident, and someone who leads.”

The Explore learners worked to create their Studio Contract during Session 1 and after weeks of thoughtful debates, they voted enthusiastically to approve their Studio Contract on Wednesday!

EXHIBITION + SHOWCASE

On Thursday, the Explorer’s guests were invited to their studio for Work Cycle Check-Ins with their learners, a poetry reading, Showcase presentations, and to witness the signing of the Explore Studio Contract.

The Explore learners’ guests joined them at their tables for a Work Cycle Check-In. The Explorers guided their guests through their Badge Plans and learning programs, and their guests asked questions like, “Which program challenges you the most, and how do you stay motivated to work on it?” “Which of your programs do you find the most focus in and why?” and “Will you share your proudest Work Cycle moment from this Session?” to better understand the work they do during Work Cycles and the mindset that helps them succeed.

The Explorers were poets in Writers’ Workshop this Session and wrote Acrostic poems, Haikus, Nursery Rhymes, and Odes. They voted on three poems from each category to be read at their Exhibition based on the level of excellence of each poem and gave a reading of those poems for their guests to enjoy.

Over the last two weeks, the learners in Explore took time to reflect on their work and the culture they’ve been building in Session 1. They presented their reflections to their guests in their Showcase Presentations. The Explorers bravely shared about the challenges they faced this Session and how they overcame them, as well as their biggest wins and what they were proudest of in their goal setting.

The Explorers landed the Session by writing Thank You notes to community members who supported them in Session 1. In Closing Group, they read the letters they wrote to themselves in the first week of Session 1, and celebrated their hard work in their learning programs this week.

For more from Session 1 Week 5, click here: Explore Session 1, Week 5 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 1. Week 4.

September 27, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

The Explorers set long term goals and reflected on their progress in Session 1. They practiced holding each other accountable and helping each other when they felt resistance or experienced distraction.

WORK CYCLE

The learners in Explore were in deep flow during their Work Cycles this week. They set SMART Goals together challenged each other to set tough goals that pushed them out of their comfort zone. The Explore learners shared that they felt motivated to work hard in their learning programs to see how far they could go and make progress toward earning badges. They supported one another when they felt stuck on a problem, and took breaks to fuel their minds and bodies, such as having a snack or going for a peace walk in the orchard.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The Explorers continued down their path of becoming poets in Writers’ Workshop this week. Before they got to work writing their own nursery rhymes, they shared their favorites, filling the studio with laughter and song. On Thursday, they wrote odes to someone or something that is important to them and engaged in peer reviews to make their work more excellent.

This week, the Explore learners deepened their bonds through lunch conversations that revealed more things they have in common, setting long-term goals together, and connecting with the nature on campus.

For more from Session 1 Week 4, click here: Explore Session 1, Week 4 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 1. Week 3.

September 20, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

The Explore learners kicked off week 3 of Session 1 with high energy. They worked together in team-building challenges, reflected on the culture they are creating, and held spirited debates while defining their Studio Contract.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The Explorers dove into poetry writing in Writers’ Workshop this week. They wrote Acrostic poems and Haikus, then offered warm and cool feedback to their fellow travelers with comments about what they enjoyed and suggestions for what could be improved. The learners in Explore created final drafts of their poems and included illustrations, then shared them with one another.

TEAM BUILDING

The Explore learners paired up for a Trust Walk on Monday morning. They bravely chose to trust one another as they were blindfolded and guided around campus. The Explorers practiced giving feedback to, and receiving feedback from, their fellow travelers, then reflected on how they can continue to offer and receive feedback to support them on their Hero’s Journeys. Later in the week, The learners in Explore were challenged to cross a chocolate river using marshmallows. If someone was not standing on a marshmallow, the hungry crocodile ate it and they had on less tool with which to cross the river! Together, the Explorers rose to the challenge with creative strategies and challenged themselves to see if they could do it faster each time!

EGG DROP CHALLENGE

This week, the Explorers joined the learners in Discovery and Spark to construct a capsule that would protect and egg when dropped from a second story building! They led their teams with warm-hearted and tough-minded guidance and enthusiastically supported each other in the final competition on Friday.

For more from Session 1 Week 3, click here: Explore Session 1, Week 3 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 1. Week 2.

September 13, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

The Explorers dove into the second week of Session 1 with a shared excitement to get back to work!

WORK CYCLE

The learners in Explore completed a Tech Challenge this week. They discussed how to be safe while accessing the Internet, best practices in caring for their tech, and how they plan to hold each other accountable. After they finished the Tech Challenge, they signed their Tech Contract and began using their tech during Work Cycles. The Explore learners reviewed their Badge Plan in Journey Tracker and set long-term goals to reach higher heights in their learning. During Work Cycles, Explorers got into flow and offered solutions to fellow travelers who expressed frustration with what they were working on, such as taking a peace walk to move their bodies before returning to their work.

ART

The learners in Explore practiced contour drawings in Art this week. They drew blind contour portraits of each other on Tuesday, and continuous contour drawings of objects in the Explore Studio on Thursday. They took time to observe the drawings in a “gallery walk” and offered warm and cool feedback to their studio mates.

TEAM BUILDING

The Explorer learners participated in team building games and reflected on how the challenges are opportunities to create the culture they want to have in their Studio. Explorers practiced kindness and leadership during challenges and supported one another with growth mindset language. The learners in Explore discussed how the team building challenges are valuable for building trust in one another and learning from failures.

For more from Session 1 Week 2, click here: Explore Session 1, Week 2 photos & videos

Explore Year 6. Session 1. Week 1.

September 6, 2024/in Explore Studio/by ascentanactonacademy

WELCOME TO YEAR 6, EXPLORERS!

The learners in Explore spent their first week of school getting to know fellow travelers and their spaces.

BUILD THE TRIBE

Laughter could be heard coming from the Explore Studio as the Explore learners played team-building games this week. They worked together to choreograph, practice, and film a Lip Dub for which they outlined their own rubric to support themselves to create an excellent video. The learners in Explore discussed how to earn freedoms, and the responsibilities that come with those freedoms. They voted on and agreed to a Provisional Contract that includes their founding principles: “I will keep the studio sacred. I will pass my words through 3 gates: is it kind, necessary, or true. I will not distract myself or others. I will respect others and myself.” The Explorers landed their week by reflecting on these promises; which ones they were most challenged by, which ones they were able to practice with ease, and expressed a shared commitment to building a culture they are proud of.

For more from Session 1 Week 1, click here: Explore Session 1, Week 1 photos & videos