Session 5: Year 5 - Week 19 In Review
Session 5 is on a roll
Check out this week’s updates below…
spark studio
This week our Heroes explored the world of dinosaurs. It has been an exciting week in the Spark Studio!
elementary studio
Elementary heroes are continuing to “Flip the Script” and make key system improvements to their studios.
Our new guides, Gage, Anita, and Caprial, are all forging great relationships with heroes. Make sure to get a chance to say “hi” in carpool. We are knee-deep in the Jurassic World Quest, with heroes learning the techniques of paleontologists, stepping into the shoes of Museum curators as we explored Fernbank Museum, and having the chance to speak with experts about exhibit design!
Of course, we believe that education is essential, so heroes grappled with the idea of the printing press and its importance of bringing books to the masses. Heroes are in the process of designing their very own unique presses in Civilization. While in StoryArts, our focus has been TV episode writing. It’s been exciting to see our heroes learn about plot elements and begin the develop their characters. I’m excited to see where these shows lead us!
Finally, a huge shoutout to the parents that have led launches this week on responsibility, our session character trait. It’s been wonderful to see heroes make connections between this character trait and the studio systems! If you’d like to sign up for a launch, email amber@theforest.school.
Enjoy the King holiday, and see you Tuesday!
middle school studio
In week two, we started off with a great welcome to a full week of school!
We continued our Story Arts challenges on a TV Writers Room. This week learners learned about the importance of time management, how to draw out a protagonist character, and the aspects of a great Writer’s Room. As a studio, they had an actual Writers’ Room where they put their brainstorms for their main character. Each hero went around and gave “I like, I wish, I wonder’’ feedback.
Session 5 is one of the longest sessions, so as guides, we are working on incorporating a balance of fun and deep learning. We want them to “Flip the Script” and still want to enjoy working better at school than at home. The studio has been cultivating a better view of learner accountability. They are taking more control of the studio, especially in regard to Launches, Systems such as Points and Bucks, and the schedule.
As we continue Quest, learners have learned more about what it takes to grow different veggies and herbs. Some heroes had the opportunity to go to Trilith and talk to Jake about how a garden would benefit the community. They went to different vendors and residents to see how they can benefit from this garden.
In Civilization, they discussed the importance of the Great Wall of China. This week has been full of rewards and consequences, but we want to build a place for fun and learning.
high school studio
Our "Seedify" Quest this session is well underway.
Learners are truly learning the fundamentals of gardening and harvesting. After they completed a ton of research to get started, we had our first expert come in and explain the germination process. Since then, many groups' seeds have sprouted in just a few days! Shortly after, we had our 2nd expert come in. This expert was here to examine their sprouted seeds and their process and provide feedback. Some of the groups have provided their seeds with excellent homes for continued growth, and some groups had some work to do in creating better-growing environments. As of today, 1/12, all groups are on the right track!
Next week we will have an expert come in and help them transfer their sprouted seeds into larger gardens. After that, it is all about care, lighting, and watering. Soon we will all taste their hard work!
This week and next week, we also have two field trips to the PTC greenhouse in Fayetteville, MS went first today, and HS will go on Tuesday, January 17.
There's also upcoming excitement for StoryArts! In 2 weeks, we will have a guest speaker to provide expertise on screenwriting and television production.
Lastly, fun! That element has been missing for a while now simply because the focus on flow has been so high. Thus, we will be adding that ingredient back into the recipe of awesomeness that has become the High School studio.