Ready or Not, Session 3 is here!

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.

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Spark Studio

In 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 Studio

Does 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:

• 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.​
  
  

(This is the same experiment that Laura wrote about in Courage to Grow!)

--- 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!
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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 Studio

How 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.
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​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.