September 20-24

Eagles are wrapping up their Fantasy stories and have begun the process of editing and revising.  Tuesday, Eagles were introduced to the process we use here at Acton Amarillo called Peer Critiques.  Writers ask a friend to give warm and cool feedback on their writing that will help improve the finished piece.  This is one step of the writing process that Eagles must complete to earn their Fantasy Badge. 

This week Eagles added Collaborative time to their Core Skills block.  Together, they decided to sign up on a whiteboard when you need help and a fellow traveler has the opportunity to sign up to assist.  This includes getting help with computer problems, assistance on math or language arts programs, and asking a friend to critique their writing.  

 

At Acton we don't have grades or tests, instead we have badges! Each Eagle has their own Badge Plan that displays where they came in and their progress so far.  This week, Eagles spent time looking at the requirements for any Badges they have left to earn.  All of this is easily tracked and organized by Eagles in their online Journey Tracker. 

To check Badges for excellence, our Excellence Committee was established on Thursday.  These 3 friends have the tough task of checking Eagles' submitted work.  They then assess excellence by 4 standards; is it my best work, is it better than before, how does it compare to world-class examples, and is it ready for Exhibition?  If all components submitted are to excellence, the committee awards the Eagle their badge. 

Art Portfolios are finally complete and ready to store artwork for the year.  Eagles were given the chance to share 3 things they liked about their art and the part they are most proud of.  Such a great opporunity to get to know one another. 

 

Next week is our last week of the session and our Exhibition! Eagles are excited to showcase their new learning programs, implemented processes, and the Lip Dub they created.  Hope to see you Friday at 9am!