Session 5 Quest Preview

Session 5 Learning Design​

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 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.

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Sparks | Transportation Theme

Rather 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!

Heroes will use loose parts to create their own cars, trains, planes, and boats, then spend the final week developing and presenting their own "transportation vehicle" based on all they have learned through the course of the session.

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.

Session 5 Heroes:
Lucille Ball
Anne Frank
Amelia Earhart
Harriet Tubman

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DISCOVERY + ODYSSEY   Zoo keeper QUEST

The 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! 

Discovery Communication Challenge: Communication challenges in the Discovery Studio are built into Core Skills time, meaning heroes have the choice of completing these challenges. This session they will have two choices to pick from: ​Create an info card (with words and pictures) of a zoo animal of their choosing OR create and write a fun, creative story with zoo animals as main characters.

Odyssey Communication Challenge: This session's communication challenge stays on theme with the Zoo Keep Quest. Heroes will be creating an Info Card to go along with their animal and enrichment activity, in hopes of it being displayed at the zoo!

They’ll be doing research about their animal, write out an info card, and then design a poster on Canva to display at the exhibit.

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Adventure Studio | Medical Biology Quest

Quest: "Paging Doctor House" - Heroes will spend 5 weeks learning about human body systems, common diseases and conditions, and the tools and tests used to diagnose them - from medical histories, to MRI's, to simple blood tests.

They'll use all this to ultimately step into the shoes of the diagnostician, Dr. House - the Sherlock Holmes of the medical field - to apply their knowledge to piece together symptoms and ask the right questions in order to diagnose patients at their exhibition.

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!

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