One More Round of Science Quests!
We are excited to announce our Quests and other focus areas for each of our four mixed-age studios for the upcoming session. This is our third of three science themed sessions, where learners have the opportunity to explore various scientific topics in a very hands on way. You can read more about our learning design here.
Sparks | Backyard Farmer ??
Backyard Farmer Theme: Heroes will learn about the basics of how plants grow and pollinate, along with different forms of gardening. They will plant their own individual seeds, start a hydroponics garden in the studio, learn about the farm to table process, and then finish the session by helping plant and tend to a community garden here on campus! There are a few other surprises in store for them this session that we will unveil as we go!
Discovery | urban gardening Quest ?
Imagine tomorrow you and your family decided to move to a farm in Idaho. This farm is over 6 hours from the nearest grocery store. Would you be able survive the winter and grow enough fresh food to stay healthy?
Imagine you and your family live in a large city where the cost of produce is too expensive to purchase large amounts of organic food regularly. All you have is a small patio in which to grow the organic food you desire. Would you be able to build a functional garden to meet your family's needs?
Welcome to the Community Garden, a place where together we will experiment and explore the mysteries of growth in gardening and in ourselves!
In this quest, heroes not only become gardeners, but also take on the title of “scientist” as they explore many aspects of plant science. As gardeners, they take on the responsibilities of planning and raising a garden, then observing it and maintaining it with diligence. Odyssey | Coding & Robitics Quest ?? ?
In this quest, Heroes will embark on a journey to learn the basics of coding, a journey that will culminate in a real-life exploration of the world of robotics. During the first half of the session heroes will be learning to code through a course on Code.org.
For the last two weeks, teams will get their own mBot Robot to build, program, and use to compete in different challenges! Throughout the Quest heroes will gain a basic understanding of programming concepts, hone and develop problem-solving skills through “debugging”, develop an awareness and curiosity about the role technology currently plays and will play in their lives, and learn about innovators and disruptors throughout history in various technology-related fields. Due to the nature of this quest, this will be a more screen-intensive session. Because of this, we are inviting families to challenge themselves to limit screen time at home or even accept the challenge to have an at-home screen-free session! We will also focus on incorporating as much outdoor time this session- we have two Wilderness Wednesdays, brain breaks and free times throughout the day, and we’ll go outside for core skills, DEAR, and Writers Workshop whenever the weather is nice! 
Writers Workshop - Random Word Writing
At various points in the week, heroes will have 30 minutes to write freely and creatively about whatever they want- they can continue their Hero’s Journey story from their comic book, create a new science-fiction novel, write a biography filled with their own stories, or whatever else comes to mind- but it comes with a twist! Before they begin writing each day, the studio will get 5 randomly generated words that they’ll need to incorporate into their writing! Adventure | Plant Genetics??
Quest this session will be part three of the Biology cycle for the year and will feature a dive into gardening from a few different angles. The first week of the session the studio will take a crash course in plant reproduction and genetics and the will begin an attempt to cross breed two different plants. They will then transition into the very practical side of gardening as they plan, construct, and plan an Acton community garden (for the Adventure, Discovery, and Spark studios). They will close out the session by continuing to care for their plants and garden and exploring gardening and agriculture from the biosphere angle as well as the role that plants play in human health.
Communication:
Communication will feature a few different options for projects this session, but most of the heroes will be diving into the Apprenticeship search process. Every Adventure hero is challenged to complete at least three apprenticeships before moving on to Launch Pad, starting with at least 40 hours un-paid, and culminating with 120 hours, part of which is paid. Heroes will use a tried and true recipe for things like identifying great opportunities, sending an email that gets noticed, and making a compelling in person pitch. In addition to applying communication to the real world in an important and meaningful way, this badge (and those that follow) is great preparation for the real world job search process and for making connections with mentors and business leaders. Civilization: Civilization work will be focused on US and world history at the turn of the century. Heroes will be experimenting with a bit of a twist on the process this session - Instead of the typical Socratic discussion each week, heroes will break into teams and takes sides and hold mini debates over that day's "big question."
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Session 5 Learning DesignWe are excited to announce our Quests and other focus areas for each of our four mixed-age studios for the upcoming session. This is our second of three science themed sessions, where learners have the opportunity to explore various scientific topics in a very hands on way. You can read more about our learning design here.  Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. Sparks | Transportation ThemeRather than complete traditional Quests, that are reserved for our Elementary and Middle/ High School studios, our Spark Studio explores a different theme each session. This session is all about transportation!
Hero of the Week: The Sparks will also continue learning about their hero of the week through the Ordinary People Change the World book series. Last session's favorite hero was by far Rosa Parks. The learners really latched onto her story, her courage, and simply couldn't fathom the idea of treating someone so poorly based on the color of their skin.
DISCOVERY + ODYSSEY Zoo keeper QUESTThe Discovery + Odyssey Studios will be teaming up once more this year for another exciting quest. This Quest places learners in the shoes of a zoo keeper here at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, where they will need to assess the enrichment needs of animals at the zoo. After creating a proposal that they submit to Zoo staff for approval, learners will build enrichment tools or activities for the zoo inhabitants that will actually be featured in each habitat.
This Quest is loosely based on Toys for Elephants created by MA University art students and was the winner of the network wide learning design challenge a few years ago!
Adventure Studio | Medical Biology Quest
 Communication: This session's Communication challenge is based on the book 'The Audacious Ask' - In some cases a high likelihood of failure can lead to fear and paralysis. In other cases it can be incredibly freeing - If failure is essentially guaranteed, what do you have to lose, but also, what do you stand to gain?
This session Heroes in the Adventure studio will be identifying and attempting to contact a number of their own real life heroes. They'll be challenged with making an audacious ask - something bold, something daring, but something they can make a persuasive case for. Will any succeed? Only time will tell, but regardless, all heroes will have a great opportunity to hone important skills and attributes like clear communication, grit, perseverance, and, of course, audacity! Onward! Projects for the Real WorldQuests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.  Ingredients of a Successful Quest
When do Quests Happen?
How is progress measured?
The Final Session of the Year is here!And just like that we have arrived at the final session of our first full year!  Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. If you'd like to look back at previous sessions quests you can do so here, but this year our learners have explored the following areas through their Quest time: Spark Studio
~Session 7 Quests~Spark StudioGrowing Curiosity - This will be a learner-led quest in which the heroes voted on various topics they were interested in and will get the chance to dive deeper into them each week of this session. The heroes will be provided with 2-3 options of challenges each week that they will be able to complete independently with the materials provided to them.
Biomes: "Create your own ecosystem"
Writer's Workshop: For the Love of Writing Around the World! This Writer's Workshop is all about growth in writing - both growth in skills and in the love of writing. Each hero will complete multiple pieces of writing, but they get to choose a plan in their challenge zone to reach that goal! They have a variety of prompts all based on the continents and world traveling - with the emphasis on exploration, creativity, and fostering still the love of writing. Adventure Studio Quest - Art and Creativity Are artists discovered or created? What is art? Is art valuable? Your job in this quest is to answer these questions through deliberate practice of art, and careful studying of artistic heroes and their works. Goals: Study the foundations of drawing and technique, make an educated decision about a specialty or niche to study further and make a deliberate practice of as you work towards a public showcase and gallery art sale of your works. Exhibition: Public Art Showcase (with visitors looking to purchase art under a randomly assigned persona and budget). Genre - Short Essay and Creative Writing
The Acton approach to building great writers is to write a lot and to utilize a powerful system of peer review, critique, and revision. This session's genre is designed to both inspire and equip the heroes as writers by offering them the opportunity to write a number of short pieces on topics they choose and then to select their best work to take through a process of critique, revision, and publishing. Survivor Quest is here!Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.  This session our entire school will be diving into the "Survivor" Quest which, as the name suggests, is focused on a variety of survival based skills and challenges. Heroes will dive into basic human needs like food, water, shelter, and warmth and will learn skills to take care of those needs in a wilderness setting. They'll get to try their hand at a variety of awesome hands on activities like starting fires with magnifying glasses and flint & steel, setting up tents, purifying water, and practicing first aid skills (Adventure Heroes will get first aid certified!). This Quest is built to offer the right level of challenge to heroes no matter their previous experience or initial comfort level with the outdoors. While all three studios will be completing this quest, the specific challenges will vary across studios. This Quest also culminates in a camping trip for our Adventure and Discovery Studios, where they will have the chance to put their newfound skills to the test! And while they will walk away with some practical skills they can take with them, the more important skills of critical thinking, problem solving and overall confidence are far more valuable take aways! Spark StudioBiomes | Desert Each session hero's in the Spark Studio spend time exploring a different Biome from around the world using our Waseka Biome Readers, with the goal of sparking curiosity & a love for reading. This session they will be exploring the Desert Biome! Discovery studioWriter's Workshop | For the Love of Writing - Let's Grow! This Writer's Workshop is all about growth in writing - both growth in skills and in the love of writing. Each hero will write 6 or more pieces of writing, but they get to choose a plan in their challenge zone to reach that goal! They have a variety of prompts to spark their writing - from "What would you like to invent?" to "Finish the story" scenarios. Adventure Studio Genre Writing | Apprenticeship Prep
Heroes will dip their feet into one of the most important and unique aspects of the learning design at Acton - real world apprenticeships. Heroes will begin with research on industries, companies, and professionals that interest them, then narrow their list to their top three possibilities, and then spend most of their time on the process of actually securing an apprenticeship. It might sound a little intimidating, but the daily challenges will walk heroes through a tried and true step by step process for finding and securing an apprenticeship. Announcing |
| Quest: Healthy Living It's pretty remarkable if you stop to consider, the only world our youngest heroes have ever known is a world fixated on the pandemic. We are coming up on two years since the world shut down. This world altering event marked the beginning of their school experience and in many ways the outside world of masks and hand sanitizer is the only world they've known. |  |
But what does it truly look like to live a healthy life?
Our Spark studio will explore how factors like food, exercise, sleep/ screen time, and mental health all contribute to the strength of their immune systems and ultimately their ability to live a long healthy life!
Our Spark studio will explore how factors like food, exercise, sleep/ screen time, and mental health all contribute to the strength of their immune systems and ultimately their ability to live a long healthy life!
Biome of the Session: The Rainforest
The Sparks will dive into the world of rainforests, exploring the ins and outs of this diverse and important ecosystem!
Discovery Studio
| Quest: Build an Arcade - Mechanical Engineering The Challenge: Use the Engineering Design Process, along with completing a series of challenges, as a team of mechanical engineers to develop and build a new arcade game to be showcased at the exhibition! |  |
Imagine this… you are a mechanical engineer who works for one of the biggest arcade companies in the world. Your challenge is to create a new arcade game that will win the prize for generating the most income at your company’s exhibition on March 31st. Not only will the winning team be promoted within the company with the honor of having designed the company's most popular new game, but each team member will receive a Chick-fil-A gift card as well! Buckle your seatbelts, here we go!
Writer's Workshop: Pitch a Pet
Narrative: The learners have a big responsibility: to better the community by choosing whether or not to purchase a studio pet, and if so, which pet to choose. They come up with proposals, conduct the appropriate research, learn the art of persuasion, ask others to join them, and then vote on a final decision.
Adventure StudioQuest: Building an Electric City Do great cities come from central planning or citizens choosing? |  |
The Challenge: You are placed in the shoes of a mayor/ city planner and must balance the wants and needs of different residents, and ultimately build a great city!
In this Quest, Lions will have the chance to deeply explore electricity and quantum mechanics, and put theory to concrete use by constructing functioning 21st-century cities. Throughout, they’ll be challenged to function as effective teams - setting goals, dividing work, and managing projects in the face of uncertainty and aggressive deadlines.
In this Quest, Lions will have the chance to deeply explore electricity and quantum mechanics, and put theory to concrete use by constructing functioning 21st-century cities. Throughout, they’ll be challenged to function as effective teams - setting goals, dividing work, and managing projects in the face of uncertainty and aggressive deadlines.
Genre: "I Have a Dream For My Community" Speeches
The learner's genre challenge this session is to write a persuasive speech to designed to help improve something in their community. They have six weeks to work their way through a series of writing challenges, culminating with a speech where they "stand on the box" and give their 5-8 minute persuasive speech.
The learner's genre challenge this session is to write a persuasive speech to designed to help improve something in their community. They have six weeks to work their way through a series of writing challenges, culminating with a speech where they "stand on the box" and give their 5-8 minute persuasive speech.
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
New Year, New Session + Quests!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
 | Spark StudioFrom the depths of the oceans to the far reaches of outer space our Spark heroes will be exploring the solar system for their quest this session and 'the ocean' for the new Biomes portion of their week. |
| Space Explorers Quest Week #1: The Solar System Week #2: Rocky Planets Week #3: Gas Planets Week #4: The Stars + Constellations Week #5: Rockets + Space Travel Week #6: Exhibition Prep Biome of the Session: The Ocean |  |
Discovery StudioAs our heroes continue to define their question of the year, "How do we build a heroic culture?" This session they will explore the role that art plays in culture? |  |
As heroes explore the world of art, they will also uncover the artist within them! They're going to dive into questions such as: What is art? Why is art important? What skills do artists need? Can we all be artists? As they discover different mediums of art they will complete challenges which eventually unlock their ability to work on their own art projects! Along the way they will meet fellow local artists to help inspire them as they build towards their very own Art Gallery for public exhibition!
Writer's Workshop | Memoirs
Heroes will write a collection of short stories from their lives that, when put together, create their very own memoir.
They will be required to go through the stages of the Acton writing process including; Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and eventually Publication in order to earn their writing badge for this session!
Heroes will write a collection of short stories from their lives that, when put together, create their very own memoir.
They will be required to go through the stages of the Acton writing process including; Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and eventually Publication in order to earn their writing badge for this session!
Adventure Studio
For our middle & high schoolers each year they will complete a series of 3 science based quests in a row. Last session our heroes were introduced to how we explore science at Acton with Edison's Lab Quest. This year's series of science quests will explore physics, followed by Biology and Chemistry in future years.
| Physics One Quest | The challenge that will be presented to our Adventure Studio learners is: Explore and model basic physical systems in order to make predictions in simple hands-on systems. They will be challenged to constantly examine the “why” behind studying physics and extrapolate our understanding to everyday real-world areas, including sports, transportation, energy (in the industrial sense), design and engineering. |  |
All of this hard work will be completed with their exhibition in mind: The Physics Olympics, a series of competition physics events where studio members compete in showcasing their skills and knowledge by calculating and predicting the outcome of real-world physics challenges.
| Genre A Hero’s Progress is an allegory tale about a young would-be-hero who ventures out on a great adventure, only to encounter three villains named Victim, Distraction and Resistance bent on thwarting the quest, killing the would-be-hero and throwing her into a fiery hell of eternal suffering. |  |
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Real World Learning at Acton Lincoln
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Spark StudioIn their quest to 'build their own heroic culture', the Spark studio will set out to examine cultures from around the world this session. |  |
Around the World | This session our quest in the Spark Studio will be titled “Around the World.” The learners in our Montessori Studio will be “traveling” to different countries around the world and learning about their culture, how they celebrate the holidays, and what day to day life looks like. Along the way, they will earn stamps for their passports, which they will then present at exhibition!
Discovery StudioDoes Freedom come freely or is this a price to pay? Is there a freedom you have now, that you wouldn't give up for anything, not even your safety? |  |
Colonial Acton | Lions in our Elementary Studio will imagine that Acton Academy is a British colony. They must pay taxes to King George and are subject to royal proclamations and taxes imposed by the King (via his Royal Governor played by a guide). To end Colonial Acton, Lions must draft a Declaration of Independence and roll a die to determine the consequences.
Putting themselves in the shoes of frustrated British colonists being ruled by King George gives Lions an opportunity to:
--- A note to parents: Heroes may feel a lot of emotions when this is introduced, as freedoms they normally have at Acton are temporarily taken away by the tyrant King George. Thanks in advance for your support and encouragement through this journey!
Putting themselves in the shoes of frustrated British colonists being ruled by King George gives Lions an opportunity to:
- Feel the resentment and frustration of having to obey a distant and seemingly unfair ruler who knows little about their way of life;
- Understand the need to compromise and join together as one in order to have any hope for winning a war against a larger power; and
- Weigh the possible outcomes of two choices and make a decision with real-life consequences.
--- A note to parents: Heroes may feel a lot of emotions when this is introduced, as freedoms they normally have at Acton are temporarily taken away by the tyrant King George. Thanks in advance for your support and encouragement through this journey!
 | Writer's Workshop: Creating a Podcast! Heroes will discover the world of Podcasts, pick a topic they would like to talk about, decide what kind of podcast they want to create, write down the script for the podcast, record it and add personal touches to their final product. The goal is to practice communicating their voice, working within time constraints, and giving and receiving specific and helpful feedback to peers. |
Adventure StudioHow do you teach science in the 21st century? If you want to inspire young heroes to change the world through discoveries, inventions and innovations, our belief is that you don’t “teach” science at all. |  |
Edison's Lab | This session the Adventure Studio heroes will get their first glimpse at how we tackle subjects like Science at Acton Academy. This will be the first in a three part physics-focused cycle of Quests for this year.
For this quest Heroes will take on the role of innovators in the footsteps of Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park lab. They will be working in teams to solve challenges dealing with energy and electricity by devising simple machines and systems and creating patents. This Quest will challenge them to be curious and innovative, to work effectively as a team, and to master the basic principles of energy, work and electricity through hands on experimentation.
For this quest Heroes will take on the role of innovators in the footsteps of Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park lab. They will be working in teams to solve challenges dealing with energy and electricity by devising simple machines and systems and creating patents. This Quest will challenge them to be curious and innovative, to work effectively as a team, and to master the basic principles of energy, work and electricity through hands on experimentation.
 | Genre: Gratitude For this project Heroes will begin by reflecting on the various things in life they have to be grateful for - from big important things, to the little daily things we take for granted. They will first be invited to observe, consider, and notice these things and then simply journal. They will take these initial reflections to create a short essay or other creative writing piece on a topic relating to gratitude. |
New Session Means
New Quests!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Spark studioHow do leaders build culture? Is it be demanding things or through modeling actions? |  |
Servant Leadership | The first half of the year will see the Spark Studio spending an entire session on a focus area as they step into the flow of Acton and prepare to launch into more complicated Quests later in the year. Last session the studio focused on "building the tribe" and "defining emotions".
Each week this session the Spark heroes will explore a different aspect of servant leadership through their launches and projects.
Each week this session the Spark heroes will explore a different aspect of servant leadership through their launches and projects.
Week 1: Random Acts of Kindness
Week 2: Paying it Forward
Week 3: Volunteering
Week 4: Thankfulness/Gratitude
Week 5: Thanksgiving/Exhibition Prep
Week 2: Paying it Forward
Week 3: Volunteering
Week 4: Thankfulness/Gratitude
Week 5: Thanksgiving/Exhibition Prep
Discovery StudioWhat role does architecture & community design play in building culture? Could my calling be in architecture? |  |
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Quest | This quest is completed in pairs, with challenges taking Lions through the process of designing their own Acton School building: research, design (drafting/sketching), and construction (model building). The goals of this quest include: to introduce the Lions to architecture as a calling and the heroes who chose it, to inspire a love of design and creation, and to instill a deeper understanding of process and the importance of knowing when to follow instructions and when to take your own path. The challenges require deep focus, attention to detail, and an understanding of applied mathematics. The creative element of this quest, along with strict deadlines, requires Lions to self-manage and stop creating when time is up.
Writer's Workshop: Poetry
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
Adventure StudioDo We Look to the Past, Present, Future, or Distant Lands for Direction? How does travel shape our view of culture? |  |
World Traveler Quest | During this session Lions explore the world through travel. Asking hard questions like: Do we look to the past, present, future, or distant lands for direction? Why travel? With who? Should it be a tight or loose schedule? Cheap or luxurious?
Along the way Lions will be planning a life changing trip to a city they would love to visit, complete with travel itineraries, budgets, trip preparations and useful travel tools. Lions will also create a Bucket List of places they want to see in the world (and in Nebraska), as well as learning to create a complete itinerary; a trip budget and a Google Earth Tour for a relative who can’t make the trip they planned!
Along the way Lions will be planning a life changing trip to a city they would love to visit, complete with travel itineraries, budgets, trip preparations and useful travel tools. Lions will also create a Bucket List of places they want to see in the world (and in Nebraska), as well as learning to create a complete itinerary; a trip budget and a Google Earth Tour for a relative who can’t make the trip they planned!
Writer's Workshop: A Speech in the Shoes of a Historical Figure
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
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