Session 5 Week 3 in Review

Elementary Studio

"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far." -Daniel GolemanElementary learners began week 3 by honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During their asynchronous learning day, they had the opportunity to catch up on their Badge Plans and create a 3-5 presentation to share their knowledge about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  In their presentations, they shared who he was, how he's celebrated in their hometown, the greatest lesson they learned from his story, and how they'd like to be remembered in the world.In Quest, we practiced empathy! On Wednesday, we learned what foster care is and listened to a few stories from people who grew up in foster care. During our Socratic discussion, we discuss the difference between empathy and sympathy. After our discussion, learners were challenged to hand write an encouraging letter for someone in foster care. On Friday, learners were enlightened on child hunger statistics in America. In our Socratic discussion, they learned that one out of every five kids is a victim of child hunger. Following our discussion, some learners took it upon themselves to conduct their own research regarding child hunger. Their challenge involved each learner creating a solution to help the problem of child hunger in their country.During Civilization, learners take a look at art from a cultural perspective. Our Socratic discussion included conversations surrounding each learners’ definition of art, the impact art has on the world, and if the world would be the same or different if art didn’t exist. They were challenged to find a piece of artwork from their culture and research it to learn more about it. They also had to create eight there of artwork that represents to they are as an individual.During Story Arts, Jeffrey invited the learners into the writers’ room! They were "hired" for a writers’ room that is creating a new episodic TV show. They were challenged to create a character description of the protagonist for the new show that will be pitched in their writers’ room. Jeffrey provided a bone structure tool as a brainstorming guide to help each learner create their own original character. Following this activity, they created a one page visual representation of their character to share with the writers’ room.

Middle School Studio

It was so nice to come back together as a Studio for Circles after a long weekend! Having four days together this week definitely made the week fly by even faster than usual! We had a great learner-led launch by Riley this week on Performance Arts, a packed full agenda of proposals in Town Hall, and a Fascinating Friday celebration of Chinese New Year!Quest this week looked at the intersection between art and Psychology. Learners researched the effects that art has on the brain, and the many benefits it provides for many areas of health and wellness. We discussed how art can be used as a tool in the Psychology field of art therapy. Learners went through an art therapy exercise where they named emotions and feelings they were having, assigned a color to each feeling, and then visually added the colors onto the outline of a person’s body (representing them). Some learners added their color to their body in a very literal way, while others chose a more symbolic representation. Several learners expressed that putting their feelings onto paper in this way was very beneficial for them, and that they may not have otherwise expressed those feelings. Lastly, we wrapped up our week in Quest with a fascinating art critique of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch!Civ this week was a transition away from our study of Martin Luther and The Reformation, into the period of European exploration & colonization. There’s lots to unpack from this era, both historically and ethically! Learners had a socratic discussion about how European colonization impacted other parts of the world both positively and negatively. We watched a video about The British Commonwealth and learners did some research on modern day colonization and which “nations” are still considered colonies or territories of western countries.This week’s Story Arts challenge was focused around Plot. We looked at how the decisions and actions of characters drive and change the plot. We saw a very unique example of plot using a retelling of The Three Little Pigs, and learned the common language of plot, like exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Learners put their newfound understanding of plot into practice by completing a plot diagram that outlined the events that will take place in their upcoming short story, which we will begin writing next week!

High School Studio

After a three day weekend, High School learners jumped right back into our studio with Circles. Going off of our recent discussions in Quest, this Circle focused on what we would like to change in our community. We revisited the Deep Books Badge during our Morning Launch on Wednesday, brainstorming tips and tricks for getting back into reading and creating a consistent reading habit. High School Town Hall included reminders and discussion about how to customize badges in the coming sessions, and on Friday we learned from Marcos about different types of classical music.Our Civ lesson centered around art and culture; how does culture influence the visual arts, and vice versa? How do artists get inspired by different cultures, and when is inspiration acceptable and encouraged and when does it become appropriation? These questions were explored, and then learners were challenged to take on the role of a curator and create a virtual gallery displaying various art pieces from a particular culture. We had enough time as a group to do a virtual “gallery walk” through a handful of the galleries.During Story Arts, we continued our work on essay writing, this time focusing on expository writing, and hearing from expert Meredith Alton, a high school English teacher, about how to find and cite credible evidence and sources. Learners discovered MLA, APA, and Chicago Style citation guides, and received tips and tricks for how to seamlessly work citations into their writing. Then, learners had more time to fill out their essay maps and search for their evidence.In our Youth Rights Quest, this week focused on two separate issues that affect young people: aging out of foster care, and child hunger. On Wednesday, learners discussed foster care and kinship care, then researched facts and data about young adults who age out of foster care. Lastly, they gave their suggestions about what sort of services and supports young adults should receive when they “age out”. On Friday, we discussed child hunger, and compared and contrasted how various countries address the issue. Learners had a lively discussion about how food should be a human right, and finished the session by researching local food access groups in their areas and giving suggestions for how said groups could amplify their impacts. It was another great week in the High School Studio that flew right on by.