March 22-26

We came back to the studio on Monday to 13 butterflies gleefully flying around their habitats.  We even had the chance to watch one butterfly emerge from his chrysallis! Next week, Eagles will have the opportunity to test and observe the various types of flowers and fruit their butterflies are attracted to. 

During this Quest, Eagles are working towards planting their own group garden.  They first must decide what herbs, vegetables, or flowers they will plant.  To do so, the Eagles were able to taste, smell and observe the various plants available to them.  They ranked radishes, kale, mint, lavender, snapdragons, pansies, and various other plants to determine what will be a part of their garden. 

 

We started our week with a deep discussion about heroes.  We read Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille, pausing halfway through and discussing rather the young boy was a hero.  Many Eagles strongly defended their stance against, saying "he never did anything to help others, he's not a hero simply because he is blind."  While others argued that his courage through tough times made him a heroic person.  The studio however, unanimously agreed Louis was on a Hero's Journey (even if he was not yet a hero) traveling into an unknown world and finding mentors to help him along the way. 

This week, the Eagles have been challenged to hold the Guides accountable to one of the promises they made; to never answer questions.  We were inspired by a short clip from our founders Jeff and Laura Sandefer explaining why Guides do not answer questions.  They inspired the Eagles that "we trust you to seek your answers, to learn how to think clearly, and make decisions."  The Eagles have loved the challenge of tallying every time Mrs. Ashley answers a question. 

In Writer's Workshop, Eagles began peer-critiquing their Science-Based Fiction writing.  They met with 3 peers to recieve warm-cool-warm feedback on the idea development within their story.  Idea Development calls for writers to use a balance of showing and telling sentences, specific details, describe things in unique ways, stay on topic, and clearly show you enjoy the topic.  

  

 In art and drama, Eagles are busy preparing short skits for their Exhibition.  They created props and backgrounds, determined their stage set-up, and practiced lines.  They will have one last chance to practice, then showcase the skills they have learned in drama to their audience on Thursday. 

  

Many Eagles celebrated a week of hard, focused Core Skills work by working outside on Friday.  We love getting to enjoy the beautiful Spring weather! 

 

March 8-12

Eagles have been busy preparing their butterfly habitats for their transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.  Many caterpillars formed their chrysalises this week and anticipation is building as we watch the life cycle happen before our eyes!  

  

In Writer's Workshop, the Eagles are using their Pixar Story Spine to create a first draft.  We took a look at Joanna Cole's Magic School Bus: Under the Ocean Floor to see another example of Science-Based Fiction.  We learned many ocean facts and were inspired to incorporate research into our own fiction stories in unique ways.

  

One of our favorite times of the week continues to be DEAR and Listen to Reading.  We deeply believe in the power of reading for enjoyment! Therefore, the Eagles have 20-40 minutes each day to simply read.  They have a vast library of chapter, picture and audio books to choose from.  

 

In last week's Town Hall, the Eagles brought up the issue of the Mess Monster and talked Mr. Michael into sending them a video clip of the Mess Monster at work.  As we anxiously wait to discover his identity, the Mess Monster has made his presence known! He has taken away the boys' bathroom freedom, locked the library, taken away the Excellence Committee's freedom to check work during Studio Maintenance and rewarded some hard-working cleaners.  On Wednesday and Friday, the Mess Monster gave four different friends the opportunity to play outside instead of clean! 

Every day we are taking steps to remove the need for an adult in the studio. During Core Skills, the Eagles have chosen to take a 5 minute Brain Break by moving to GoNoodle videos.  This week, the Eagles took this over by choosing to have Level 3 and 4 learners utilize their computers for the break, instead of Mrs. Ashley's.  The Bell Ringer then chooses the 5 minutes of videos for the day. 

 

Layla and Jack led PE this week! They chose to work on push-ups and play soccer.  A tough lesson was learned when they realized they forgot their soccer ball inside for their game.  So, freeze tag was played as a backup. 

 

This week in Drama, the Eagles were challenged to become the characters in the Lion King.  Each group was given a questionnaire to complete about their character; Simba, Timon, or Pumba.  We then ended with a fun Talk Show interviewing their given characters.  They were challenged to answer questions like "How do you feel about Scar?" or "What is your favorite place?"

 

Enjoy your Spring Break Acton Eagles! 

March 1-5

Can you believe it's already March? We are loving and taking full advantage of the warmer weather!

The Eagles arrived Monday morning to a letter left by the Mess Monster.  The Eagles were faced with a challenge: clean the studio to the Mess Monster's expectations and get to spend all day Friday outside!  They rose to the challenge and had the freedom to spend all parts of their day outside. Sadly, it started raining during our Core Skills and we had to go in for a bit.  Even with the cold temperatures, wind and slight drizzle they enjoyed their hard-earned time outside. 

 

In Quest, the Eagles are diving into plant science by investigating the makeup of soil and testing how scarification works.  They found that some soil is full of sand, while other soil is mostly clay. 

Friday we had a honey taste-test and found that honey from various areas and pollinated flowers tastes different.  Our favorite was the Texas Raw Honey.  The Eagles were then challenged to create their very own species of flower that would attract a specific pollinator. Next week, the groups will set up their butterfly habitat to observe the pollinators' changes from caterpillar to butterfly. 

 

  

This session, Eagles are challenged to use science to write a fictional story.  The book Diary of a Worm gave us great examples of how an author can incorporate facts, while also creating an entertaining fictional story. The creators of Pixar provided us with a simple story spine they use to create some of the best animated movies! This story spine (or script) is helping Eagles to include the 5 elements of a fictional story; characters, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. 

 

 In drama, the Eagles were split into Prides and given a scene from the Lion King to reenact.  They chose their characters, practiced their lines, and set up a scene.  We saw Mufasa and Simba chatting at Pride Rock, Scar push Mufasa down into the gorge, and Simba confront Scar about his rightful place as King.  The Eagles have greatly improved in their ability to use expression, act like a given character, and follow along with their lines. 

 

This tied directly to Wednesday's Morning Launch where the Eagles spent time identifying the steps in Simba's Hero's Journey.  We realized the movie follows the Hero's Journey perfectly!  We had a great discussion about how Simba worked to atone for choosing to leave the Pride lands and if the animals should have forgiven him for leaving them under Scar's power. 

The Eagles are continuing to take over more in the studio.  This week PE was led by Blakely and Paul! They chose to split the Eagles into 2 groups, one to play tag football and the other group to practice gymnastics moves.  We love seeing the Eagles take responsibility and ownership in the studio.