Year 1. Session 2. Week 4

Week 4 started with a launch to honor Veteran’s Day. Eagles first watched this video and reflected on which freedoms guaranteed by our constitution they value most: the right to vote, freedom of religion, or free speech? After sharing, they watched this video about a veteran who continued to represent the United States and they debated the following questions:

What inspires you more about Bradley’s life?

• His Service and Sacrifice in the Navy
• His resilience to not let his injuries and disability limit his life
• His desire to “keep fighting, keep serving, keep representing the US”

If you were a Veteran, how would you want others to celebrate/remember this day?

• A personal phone call or letter
• A parade/larger celebration of this day (NY’s is the biggest and Austin has one, too)
• Something else?

Their call to action was to write a thank you note to a veteran they know, or to write a letter to all veterans that Ms. Samantha will deliver to the local VA Clinic.

On Tuesday the Eagles were supported again by Writing Buddies during Writers’ Workshop. These meetings gave the young authors the time and space they needed to think deeply about their stories, to identify gaps in their narratives, and to have real interactions with an audience. Thank you, Writing Buddies! During the last week of the session, Eagles will submit their stories to be published and placed in the Ascent library.

This week in E-Ship, Eagles dug into learning about the costs and risks of running a business. First, they acted out a play called “Sally the Seller” where they got to experience unit economics, then they learned how to calculate unit economics (sunk costs, variable costs, fixed-period costs, revenue and profit) for their businesses.  They practiced this important math with their snack mix recipes and held their second Real-Time Stand Off to practice for their upcoming Exhibition. Eagles practiced setting up their booths, selling their products, and tracking their sales. They calculated revenue and profit at the end of the stand-off and reflected on the experience!

This “stand-off ” was particularly exciting for the Eagles because Mr. Phil’s family visited the studio! His wedding was on Saturday and as part of the wedding festivities, his family visited Ascent and served as customers for their Costs and Risks Snack Stand-Off! Congratulations, Mr. Phil and Ms. Haley!

In Civilization this week, the Eagles traveled to the Indus Valley to learn about how these ancient civilizations used rivers as roads and all about the citadels. They also learned about the mystery of Mohenjo-daro and imagined what might have happened to the people who lived there. Using their Discussion Rules of Engagement, they debated the following questions:

What type of transportation helped its society more: boats on rivers in the time of ancient Mesopotamia and India, or cars in our modern society? Why?

To be great, does a civilization need a great individual to unite cities like Sargon did for Upper and Lower Egypt, or does it just need a great collection of individual citizens within it?

Once it warmed up on Friday, Eagles working towards their Hiking Badges participated in a neighborhood walk where they practiced making keen observations and practicing safety!

 

This week also marked many new freedoms for the Eagles that come with great responsibility! The first Eagle-led Town Hall was this week and these heroes demonstrated, yet again, that they are determined to build the best learner-driven environment.

It often goes without saying, but Core Skills time in the Discovery Studio is such a focused and intentional time that adults who visit Ascent, often remark about how surprised they are to see so many young people completely engrossed in their work all at once. These young people have created something amazing. Their culture is strong because of their hard work and because of the care they put into their environment.

Looking forward to a powerful end to a wonderful session next week!