Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 5.

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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.

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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

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 3.

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The learners in Explore started the week reflecting on their long term goals and embraced challenges with flexibility and playfulness.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

In Writers’ Workshop the Explorers reflected on the importance of the prewriting process and supported each other when they encountered creative blocks. They continued drafting their creative instructions for an activity of their choice and chose which method of instruction would be best for that activity; video, visual, or written.

 

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

The learners in Explore strategized with their teams and made progress on their Destination Imagination challenges. They put in extra time by staying after school on Tuesday and Thursday to continue working together so that they will be prepared for the competition in February!

 

QUEST

Explorers put themselves in the shoes of game designers this week and discussed which elements make an excellent game. They questioned whether a game must include conflict, challenges, and participants that interact with one another. Then, they were challenged to create their own games and decide how challenging their games should be; whether they should include luck or skill, if the game should be communal or independent, and if their game will address a need in the world. They reflected together on these dilemmas and began constructing and playing games with creativity and excitement.

 

 

On Friday, the learners in Explore adventured through Onion Creek and went above and beyond to support the campus by preparing the chicken coop for the next freeze.

For more from Session 4 Week 3, click here: Explore Session 4, Week 3 photos & videos

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 2.

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Despite the cold weather, Explorers excitedly kicked off Week 2 of Session 4 ready to continue their work in Quest, Writers’ Workshop, and Destination Imagination.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

This week the learners brainstormed and researched ideas to decide how they will communicate their technical instructions. They created outlines to organize their thoughts and started drafting!

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore focused on basketball offense and defense drills as well as passing drills. They played 1 on 1 games with lots of energy and cheered each other on from the sidelines.

QUEST

Explorers continued growing their knowledge of probability through playing games of chance and skill. On Friday, they had Casino Day and got to put their new knowledge of probability to the test. The learners in Explore played games such as Black Jack, Roulette, and the Lucky Wheel. Afterward, Explorers reflected on what they have learned about risk and reward.

The learners in Explore concluded their week by reflecting on the culture they are creating in their studio and shared that they are proud of the improvements they’ve made.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 4. Week 1.

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The learners in Explore returned from the break excited to greet their fellow Explorers and jumped into Quest and Writers’s Workshop with curiosity and high energy.

 

QUEST

The learners in Explore made their first moves in the Game Design Quest. They played the odds in games of probability and chance and worked together to complete challenges related to luck, strategy, and skill. Explorers reflected on when they use logic vs. intuition in their own decision making.

 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

To kick off Session 4’s Writers’ Workshop on Technical Writing: Creative Instructions, the learners in Explore engaged with different methods of instructions, such as audio, video, illustrated, and written. They followed the instructions for different activities with determination, such as origami and cooking. Explorers began the prewriting process by choosing an activity for which they will create their own instructions, and mapped out the main steps that will be required.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The learners in Explore jumped into basketball drills in PD this week. They practiced passing and shooting, and played games like H.O.R.S.E and Around the World. Explorers enthusiastically gave each other call-outs for good sportsmanship and positive attitudes.

 

On Friday, the learners in Explore each chose a long-term goal that they want to achieve by the end of Session 7 (end of the year) and broke down the steps it will take them to get there by using the Magic Stairway framework.

They returned to Shoal Creek for their Friday outing, this time exploring Pease Park, and created their own fun on the many structures available to them.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 3. Week 3.

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Explorers entered the last week of Session 3 focused on their math goals and eager to complete the Cartography Quest and reach their final destination!

DEEP DIVE: QUEST

The learners in Explore embarked on a Cartography Quest and traveled to all 7 continents using maps. They researched a country from each continent to complete World FactBook packets with information about a country. Explore’s Exhibition for this quest was in the form of a trip. To celebrate their hard work on this quest, they took a trip off campus. The location of their trip was a mystery for them to solve! For each entry into their World FactBooks, they earned a clue. At the end of the quest, they put their clues together and mapped their way to the destination: Bartholomew Park. 

 

 

 

 

 

Explorers became cartographers and created their own map of a continent of their choice which included each country’s capital, other important cities, major landmarks, bodies of water, a key and compass rose and any other details that are important to the history of the continent, or that are particularly interesting to them.

Learners in Explore solved puzzles by reading coordinates.

 

Explorers uncovered the globalized world they live in through investigating their own global footprints. They looked at the tags on their clothes to see where the things they were wearing were made and how far things had to travel to get to them!

The learners in Explore shared whether they would have joined Magellan or Lewis and Clark on their daring expeditions and participated in many enriching discussions. They considered current events from places around the world and what they would do if they lived in those places. Explorers compared and questioned the differences between different world maps and imagined what they would do if they were cartographers. They considered the nature of artificial borders and their meanings. Explorers reflected on their own identities within borders; as Austinites, Texans, Americans, and whether other things, like their character traits, are part of their identities.

 

The learners in Explorer concluded their trip around the world through cartography on Friday, mapped their way to their final destination, and enjoyed their time at Bartholomew Park!

TRADITIONS: NEW & OLD

The learners in Explore joined Discovery and Spark in an end-of-session talent show! They shared their talents and supported other performers as an engaged audience. Explorers ended the last day of Session 3 with the cherished Ascent tradition of a secret book exchange. They joyfully unwrapped the books and guessed who had given it to them, then enjoyed quiet reading time with their new books.

    

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

Explore Year 5. Session 3. Week 2.

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The learners in Explore started the week with powerful reflections about the culture of Explore; what they are proud of and what they want to improve upon.

QUEST

This week Explorers traveled to Europe, Africa and Antarctica through Cartography Quest! They thoughtfully discussed the meaning of borders and current events from the countries within Europe and Africa. They conducted research on these continents and shared their findings with one another. On Friday, Explorers collaborated with learners in Discovery to create maps of their own!

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

The learners in Explore continued their gratitude practice in Writers’ Workshop this week. They thought about a skill they’ve worked hard to master. They wrote about why they chose to work so hard, and why they are thankful that they took on such a hard challenge. Explorers also journaled about their gratitude for places that feel like home and what it is about those places that make them feel that way.

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

Explorers worked together to make headway on their Destination Imagination projects. They practiced communication and stretched their creativity with an Instant Challenge performance.

The learners in Explore concluded the week with their Friday Outing at the Greenbelt Trail. They helped each other to climb rocks, followed their curiosity, and expressed joy and wonder at the bright colors of Fall on the trail.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 3. Week 1.

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Explorers began Session 3 with discussions about the kind of culture they want in their studio and how they plan to create and pass down that culture for future Explore learners.

QUEST

The learners in Explore took on the role of map-makers in their Cartography Quest this week. They contemplated whether they would have joined Magellan on his trip around the world and Lewis & Clark on daring their westward adventure. Explorers used coordinates to solve problems and researched countries from North America and South America for their World FactBooks. On Friday, the learners in Explore joined the learners in Discovery and collaborated to create their own world maps with an emphasis on places that are important to them.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

Explorers focused on gratitude this week. They imagined what it would feel like to lose their sight, hearing, taste, touch or ability to experience nature and wrote about what they would miss. They considered friends and family who have made their lives richer. Explorers then made a list of everyone they care about and wrote a thank you note to one person from their list.

MATH POWER HOUR

The learners in Explore started Math Power Hour this week. They set Session 3 math goals in their challenge zone and planned out what they will need to do for the next three weeks to achieve those goals. Explorers described being in flow while working in Khan and celebrated their progress.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Explorers put their best foot forward as they practiced drills for Track & Field events. They used communication and cooperation in relay races and rose to the challenge of javelin throwing!

Explorers wrapped up week 1 of Session 3 with their Friday outing to Shoal Creek. They playfully splashed around, bravely climbed trees, and supported each other with curiosity and kindness.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 2. Week 5.

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Explorers stepped into the last week of Session 2 reflecting on their Hero’s Journey and discussing the obstacles they faced, the accomplishments they felt proud of, and the failures they learned from in this session.

 

QUEST

The learners in Explore discussed the Key Success Factors of starting a business such as customers, cost competition, and context. They considered if their customers would buy their product, if they could make and deliver their product cheaply, if they could defend against copycats, and if they were offering a product that made sense for them to make. The learners in Explore worked hard to prepare for their Exhibition Stand-Off all week. On Thursday they presented their pitches for their businesses to their guests and served lemonade and snacks to their customers. On Friday, Explorers calculated whether they lost money, broke even, or made a profit and celebrated their successes as well as reflected on how they could have improved.

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

Explorers dug deep into the art of persuasion this week. They listened to pitches, critiqued and analyzed them, wrote their own, and drafted pitches for their own businesses. They discussed which was more important in a pitch: what they say or how they say it, as well as what is most valuable in a pitch: knowing and speaking directly to their audience or highlighting their product thoroughly.

ART

The learners in Explore painted a place that feels like home to them on canvases this week. They creatively mixed their own color palette using primary colors and black and white. Explorers proudly shared what they were working on with their fellow learners as they painted alongside one another.

CIVILIZATION

The learners in Explore wrapped up their travels back in time to Medieval Europe with a discussion in the yurt. They debated whether they felt it was more impactful to learn about history and values through song, like the the Celtic bards did during the Middle Ages in England, or through reading books and articles. They considered what they would do if they were emperors of the Byzantine Empire, and what they would do if they were citizens trying to make their voices heard.

Explorers adventured in Shoal Creek, playing in the water and befriending turtles. They supported Discovery with their Quest preparation and closed their week with call outs for fellow Explorers who were kind and helpful during Session 2.

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

Explore Year 5. Session 2. Week 4.

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Explorers began the week with revisiting themes of Excellent SMART Goal setting and boldly sharing their SMART Goals with each other.

QUEST

The learners in Explore acted out a skit about unit economics as part of their E-Ship Building A Business Quest. They discussed the importance of sunk costs, variable costs, and fixed-period costs when considering revenue and profit, and explored the concept of breaking even. Explorers watched examples of commercials and dissected each commercial’s pitch before they wrote a pitch for their own lemonade and snack stands. The week ended in a Snack Mix Stand Stand-Off.

PD

Explorers set personal benchmarks for number of sit-ups and push-ups in one minute as well how fast they can run the length of the field four times. They expressed enthusiasm for PD and pride in how they worked hard to prepare for the benchmarks they set. The learners in Explore took time after each PD to give fellow Explorers call-outs for great teamwork, growth mindset, and good attitudes.

ART

Explorers were introduced to paintings by van Gogh, Monet, and Kandinsky in which the artists chose to paint places that felt like “home” to them. The learners in Explore reflected on how the colors in the paintings made them feel before thinking of places that feel like home to them. They wrote stories about a place that feels like home and began sketching. On Friday, Explorers conducted portfolio reviews where they presented their stories, sketches, and canvases to the group and received warm and cool feedback.

CIV

The learners in Explore traveled to the Byzantine Empire this week! They took turns reading aloud from a passage about daily life in Constantinople and about Emperor Justinian. Explorers discussed their favorite parts of the Byzantine Empire and all agreed that the fact that all children, regardless of money, got an education, was their favorite part.

Explorers hiked and played at Onion Creek Trail for their Friday outing. The location of their Friday outing was selected because the learners in Explore wrote pitches in Writer’s Workshop for where they wanted to go and voted on the most persuasive pitch!

 

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