Entrepreneurship Quest *Session 2- week 2

This week, your Eagles are beginning a four week quest to equip the Eagles with skills, tools, and frameworks relevant to entrepreneurship (e-ship). Students have been placed on a "company" team to work with for the remainder of this quest. Each week, the teams will engage in a series of mini challenges to apply the principles of e-ship.  The focus of mini challenges  this week will be company formation, including, assigning jobs, holding Socratic discussions about their decision making process, naming the company, and starting to build up funding.  At the end of the session, the Eagles will show proof of what they have learned in a final "standoff" during which each of the six companies will set up a beverage stand and compete for profits.  We can't wait to see what these budding entrepreneurs come up with!

Catherine & Sara ~ Acton Academy West Guides

COMPANY MEETING

MAKING THEIR DUCT TAPE WALLETS TO COLLET PROFITS!

Science projects & iFLY field trip *Session 2-week 1

On Friday, we will take a trip to iFLY. During project time this week, the students will participate in labs and simulations to provide them with the background knowledge needed to get the most out of their iFLY experience.

At school this week, we will be exploring the differences between solids and fluids and the effects that gravity, air drag, and frontal area have on objects. At iFLY students will be led in a physics demonstration in the wind tunnel as well as an interactive investigation about how parachute parameters affect fight performance. 

Catherine & Sara ~ Acton West Guides

The British Colony of Acton *week 6

This week, your heroes have traveled back in time to the year 1776. Acton Academy West has become the British colony of Acton. All week, students will immerse themselves in colonial times. Each student will be assigned the role of a well known patriot or loyalist to play this week. The guides will act as royal governors in this simulation, imposing taxes and other royal "proclamations" that the heroes will have to follow. 

Talk to your students about which side of the debate they are on and the struggles involved with each one. This simulation will culminate with the students debating their position (in character) whether to revolt against King George or not. They will explore the pros and cons of rebellion and use the persuasive powers they have been working on this session to sway their fellow colonists. 

We are looking forward to a lot of colonial style fun this week with your kids followed by a much deserved fall break! Have a great one!

Catherine & Sara ~ Acton West Guides

Power of Persuasion *Week 3-5

Last week we started our first official quest, "Power and Persuasion". The objective of this three week quest is for students to discover that they have the power to change the world. Last week, students focused on discovering some of their own physical, mental, and emotional powers through a series of group challenges. This week, they will take a look at what gives others their powers through watching famous speeches, exchanging hero "trading cards with their classmates", and interviewing one of their personal heroes. The culminating mission in week three will be for them use the powers they have discovered to write their own persuasive speech on a topic they care about.

Catherine & Sara ~ Acton West Guides

Team Building Challenge - Lip Dub ~Session one * week 1-2

The lip dub video is a beginning of the year challenge to get all of the students involved and working together. The students planned out the video entirely themselves from start to finish. Besides getting to know their new school mates while working to accomplish a common goal, some of the concepts covered through this project include:

• working on a team (each team planned a section of the video)

• working across teams (each team had to communicate with each other to ensure the video would flow from one part to the next)

• critiquing exemplar work (students watched examples from other Acton locations and other schools to identify strengths and weaknesses) 

• creating a rubric (students created criteria for their own rubric based on the strengths they identified in model videos)

• self-evaluation/reflection (students will evaluate and reflect on their final product using the rubric they created)

• Building self confidence: (First hand experience building something from the ground up that is completely student led. This helps them understand their potential here at Acton and what they can accomplish on their own, without teachers, this is an important lesson when adapting to this new learning environment.)

Watching the joy on these kids faces as they review their takes has been a privilege -we've seen character traits come out that we didn't anticipated during this challenge, some of the more reserved kids taking leadership roles and blossoming with pride and confidence, others over coming their fears to be there for their teams- all expressing their unique creativity-we know you all will be so proud, impressed and inspired, as much as we have been after seeing the final cut!

Catherine & Sara ~ Acton West Guides