Explore Year 5. Session 6. Week 1.

/in /by

The learners in Explore started Session 6 with shared excitement for Quest, Writers’ Workshop, PD, and more. They dove into hard questions together and reflected on their growth, as well as what respect means to them.

 

QUEST

Explorers are becoming astronomers in Session 6! They kicked off the Astronomy Quest by asking big questions about our universe. The learners in Explore worked together to recreate the Southern Hemisphere night sky, modeled eclipses in three different ways, and put themselves in the shoes of ancient peoples who looked to the stars and made meaning by writing their own creation myths.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

In Session 6, Writers’ Workshop is all about creative writing. Explorers got into flow as they filled out their Character Maps and other pre-writing challenges.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore are revisiting circuit training in PD. In Session 2, they set benchmarks for the number of sit-ups they can do in 1 minute, the number of push-ups they can do in 1 minute, and the time it takes them to run the length of the field and back, twice. This week they worked hard to beat those benchmarks, while cheering each other on.

 

Explorers embodied their studio name on their Friday outing to Bull Creek! They walked and swam in the water, then worked together to dry the seats of the van when they arrived back on campus.

 

 

For more from Session 6 Week 1, click here: Explore Session 6, Week 1 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 6.

/in /by

The learners in Explore leaned into their role as leaders on campus and supported Discovery learners with their Quest work this week. They guided and encouraged their fellow travelers, and celebrated their success at the Geology Quest outing at the end of the week!

 

SESSION 5 EXHIBITION + SHOWCASE

Explorers welcomed guests to their studio for their Session 5 Exhibition and Showcase where they shared their work in Quest and Writer’s Workshop, and presented their self-reflections from Session 5.

 

EXHIBITION OF GEOLOGY QUEST

The learners in explore guided their guests through some of the challenges they completed during Geology Quest. They worked together as geologists to build earthquake resistant structures and test them at different levels of magnitude, create an aquifer, study fossils, simulate volcanic eruptions, and take field notes in a cave constructed by the Explorers.

 

EXHIBITION OF WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

This session in Writers’ Workshop, Explorers wrote essays about big important questions. The learners in Explore shared the essays they wrote in Writers’ Workshop in Session 5 and answered questions about their writing process.

 

EXPLORE SHOWCASE

Explorers presented their Session 5 reflections in their Showcase powerpoint presentations and heroically responded to questions from their guests about how they hold themselves accountable, push through resistance, and set SMART Goals. 

 

CONCLUSION

Discovery and Explore Studios concluded their session in Geology Quest with a trip to Inner Space Cavern on Friday. The learners made connections between what they learned in Geology Quest and what they observed in the cave and excitedly pointed out stalactites and stalagmites, and other geological features along the tour!

For more from Session 5 Week 6, click here: Explore Session 5, Week 6 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 5.

/in /by

The learners in Explore spent time in discussions this week reflecting on their role as leaders on campus and brainstormed ways that they can offer support to their fellow travelers at Ascent.

 

QUEST

Explorers conducted MOHs hardness tests on various rocks and minerals and recorded their results in Geology Quest this week. They researched how caves are created and what special geological features and ecosystems can be found in caves and applied their findings to build their own cave in the studio!

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The learners in Explore worked hard to complete the their essays this week and heroically pushed through resistance to write and revise their first and second drafts. They supported one another by providing peer reviews and feedback.

 

PD

Explorers worked together to strategize in the games they played this week.  They leaned into collaboration to successfully complete physical challenges and gave call-outs for good sportsmanship and perseverance.

 

The learners in Explore welcomed a community member into their studio to share their Hero’s Journey with them. Explorers concluded week 5 of Session 5 with high energy and motivation to be ready for their Exhibition next week!

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

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 4.

/in /by

The Explorers went exploring this week! They dug deeper into Geology Quest, supported one another during Writers’ Workshop, and heroically reflected on resistance and what a goal means to them.

 

QUEST

This week, the Explore learners became volcanologists in Geology Quest! They worked together to simulate volcanic eruptions, investigated one another’s volcanoes, and mapped the layers.

Explorers collaborated to construct a model of Earth, conducted an experiment by simulating geothermal energy, and recorded their findings. Afterward, the Explore learners reflected on how they had worked well together. They provided examples of sharing materials, practicing patience, and communicating kindly.

On Friday, the Explore and Discovery learners welcomed a Hero from the community who shared their journey with geology with them. The learners asked questions about the most amazing part about being a geologist and what inspired their guest to become a geologist. They examined many fossils, minerals, and other geological artifacts with curiosity!

Explore and Discovery learners earned a Geology Quest Outing on Friday morning by completing all their challenges in Geology Quest, being on their studio’s highest Freedom Level, and completing a bonus challenge. The learners spent the morning in Leander as geologists working in the field. They searched for and found 110 million-year-old dinosaur footprints along the South San Gabriel River! The learners soaked in their surroundings and shared excitement over insects, animals, the flowing stream, and all the other life they observed around them.

For more from Session 5 Week 4, click here: Explore Session 5, Week 4 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 3.

/in /by

The learners in Explore experimented in Geology Quest, delved into varied viewpoints on some of the world’s biggest questions, worked together to complete challenges, and reflected on what concepts like failure and skill-building mean to them.

 

QUEST

In Geology Quest this week, Explorers created a timeline of Earth, built a model of an oil well, then conducted experiments to simulate drilling oil, and researched dinosaur fossils before they molded fossils in salt dough. A Hero in Geology visited Ascent on Wednesday to share his Hero’s Journey with the Explore and Discovery studios. The learners in both studios shared connections to what they’ve been learning in the Geology Quest with lots of enthusiasm!

   

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

Explorers researched opposing viewpoints about the Big Questions they chose and found evidence to support each view. They reflected on whether the evidence they found changed their original position and then began writing what they believe the answer to their Big Question is and why.

 

ART

The learners in Explore are creating sculptures during Art in Session 5. Each learner chose an everyday object that holds meaning for them and then wrote a story about it. This week, explorers drafted and sculpted their objects using clay, cardboard, and paints.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore worked together on team challenges and played games that required trust and communication, like Maneuver the Minefield. Explorers gave call-outs to their fellow travelers for good sportsmanship and perseverance.

 

On Friday, Explorers who had completed all of their Writers’ Workshop work and were on the Soaring Freedom Level earned a Friday outing to Bull Creek, along with Discovery learners on their Blue Slope Freedom Level. They conducted Streamflow measurements, experimented with changing to the stream by moving rocks, and joyfully explored the creek together.

   

For more from Session 5 Week 3, click here: Explore Session 5, Week 3 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 2.

/in /by

The learners in Explore spent the week conducting experiments in Geology Quest, diving into big questions in Writers’ Workshop, practicing good sportsmanship in Physical Development, and more!

QUEST

This week in Geology Quest, Explorers became Hydrologists! They measured the Streamflow of a stream they created in the Spark Play area, simulated different hydrology scenarios with a model of an aquifer the Explorers worked with their squads to build, and shared that they felt like scientists! The learners in Explore chose an Austin creek with a unique geological feature to write a pitch about, then voted on the best pitch. The winning pitch determined where they went for their first Geology Quest outing on Friday! Explorers who completed all their quest work in weeks 1 and 2, are in the Soaring Freedom Level, and completed the bonus challenge, went to Bull Creek, and measured the Streamflow there!

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The learners in Explore researched and chose the big question they plan to write their essays on in this session. Explorers then pitched to the studio why they should be the ones to write about that question because every learner will be writing about a different question. Some of the questions that the learners in Explore will attempt to answer are, “Why do we dream?”, “What is consciousness?”, “What is time?” and “What if AI did all the work for us?”

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore played many games that encouraged good sportsmanship this week. At the end of each PD, Explorers reflected on how it felt to give and receive encouraging words and end each game with a handshake.

 

The learners in Explore had a special guest visit their studio to share their Hero’s Journey. Explorers asked questions about their guest’s inspiration for starting a business and expressed curiosity about the most challenging aspects of owning a business.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 5. Week 1.

/in /by

The learners in Explore started Session 5 this week by jumping into the Geology Quest, essay writing in Writers’ Workshop, and more!

QUEST

Explorers became geologists this week, diving in to plate tectonics and discussing the impacts of earthquakes in the Geology Quest. They worked together to make models of the Great Rift Valley and conducted tests on models they built to determine their structural integrity at different earthquake magnitudes.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

This session in Writers’ Workshop, the learners will write essays answering a big question. This week, they each explored possible big questions like, why do we dream, are we alone in the universe, and do we really have free will.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Explorers played games and worked as a team to complete challenges in PD this week. Session 6 PD is focused on good sportsmanship, so the learners in Explore discussed what that means to them. They then practiced encouraging one another and giving call-outs.

The learners in Explore had lunch outside in the sunshine all week and concluded the first week of Session 6 by celebrating learners who earned badges!

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

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 6.

/in /by

Explorers kicked off the last week of Session 4 with an eagerness to achieve their goals in Quest, Writers’ Workshop, Math Power Hour, and Destination Imagination! The learners persevered as they approached the finish line with encouragement from their fellow Explorers.

 

QUEST EXHIBITION

At Explore’s Session 4 Exhibition, the learners displayed the games they had designed at the Game Expo. They pitched the concept of their games to their guests and competed for votes in categories like “most aesthetically pleasing board game” and “board game most likely to succeed in the marketplace.” The Explorers expressed pride in the games that they worked together to design over the course of 6 weeks and excitement to share their work as game designers with their guests.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP EXHIBITION

This session in Writer’s Workshop, Explorers practiced technical writing. They selected a topic they are experts in, and wrote creative instructions for readers to follow. At their Exhibition, their guests followed the instructions created in Writer’s Workshop and filled out critique forms. 

 

SHOWCASE PRESENTATIONS

The learners gave showcase presentations on their reflections from Session 4. They presented their proudest moments and their best failures, how they overcame challenges, and more. After heroically practicing their pubic speaking skills and sharing their powerful reflections, they answered questions from their guests.

 

For more from Session 4 Week 6, click here: Explore Session 4, Week 6 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 5.

/in /by

The learners in Explore expressed their motivation to work hard and make progress in Quest, Writers’ Workshop, and Destination Imagination because Session 4 is nearing its end.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

Explorers finished drafting their creative instructions and supported each other when fellow travelers felt resistance with achieving the word count requirements associated with their challenges by encouraging studio-mates to dig into their “why” and offering suggestions. They began testing each others’ instructions and practiced giving and receiving feedback. The learners in Explore concluded Writers’ Workshop this week by sharing with the group their plans to revise their instructions to incorporate the feedback they received.

 

QUEST

Explorers continued developing the games they’re designing and began Play Testing each others’ games, filling the studio with laughter and friendly competition. They gave and received feedback using a rubric and eagerly got to work adding the finishing touches to their games in anticipation for the Game Expo next week.

 

MATH POWER HOUR

The learners in Explore reflected on their Session 4 math goals; where they started, how far they’ve come and how much further they need to go. Some Explorers who reached their goal before the session ended amended their goal to a higher degree and considered how they can set more challenging goals in the future. They pushed themselves to continue striving to achieve their goals by staying focused while working in Khan Academy and seeking support when they needed it. Explorers managed their time and took breaks to work together to solve math riddles that stretched their math skills.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore played games like Knock Out to practice their shooting skills, then played basketball scrimmages of 4 on 4 and 5 on 5 to put what they’ve learned into practice. They focused on the themes of teamwork good sportsmanship, and gave each other call-outs for not giving up.

 

On Thursday, Explorers joined Discovery for a Hero’s Journey presentation from a Hero in the Ascent community. They modeled following their Rules of Engagement to show respect to their guest and asked thoughtful questions. The learners in Explore concluded their week with a Friday outing to Zilker Park. They walked along the trail and showed excitement when spotting wildlife on the lake.

 

For more from Session 4 Week 5, click here: Explore Session 4, Week 5 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 4.

/in /by

This week Explorers deepened their process of accountability by setting daily SMART Goals as a studio and reflecting on their accomplishments after every work cycle when they rejoined group.

 

MATH POWER HOUR

On Tuesday and Thursday the learners in Explore dedicated an hour to work towards their Session 4 math goals in Math Power Hour. They took breaks to solve the day’s math riddle and reflected on their progress in Khan Academy.

 

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

The learners in Explore continued working hard on their Destination Imagination challenges this week. They practiced their skits, refined their scripts, and used their skills in sewing and teamwork to get closer to their goal.

 

QUEST

During Game Design Quest, Explorers played games from the Play Lab and evaluated the games by filling out critique forms with warm and cool feedback. Then, they used that experience to create a rubric that they’ll use to evaluate the games they are currently designing.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore showed up to PD with lots of energy and shared their desire to continue improving their basketball skills. They worked as a team while they practiced passing drills and shooting drills. On Thursday, Explorers played their first scrimmage game of 4 on 4. They reflected afterwards about their communication on the court, and concluded with call outs for good defense, sportsmanship, and perseverance.

 

Explorers ended their week with a hike at Spyglass Trail and were excited to see the rushing water! They were undaunted by the quick stream and boldly climbed rocks to venture as far out as they could.

 

 

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