Middle School Session Three - The Art of Negotiation 2020
“I want to go to Restaurant A.”, “I want to go to Restaurant B.”
“Will you give me a raise?”
“How should we share these Legos?”
“You should pay $100 for this.”, “I am going to only pay $50.”
“Should I get out of bed this morning?”
We negotiate all day: In business, with fellow Eagles, with family, with ourselves, etc.
In this session, the Middle School Eagles will be participating in simulations from the Acton MBA program and Chris Voss (former FBI negotiator) to learn the art of negotiation. They will learn to understand their counterpart’s perspective, how to mirror their counterpart to make them feel at ease, use their words and observations of feeling to neutralize negative emotion, and much more. They will become familiar with terms such as Tactical Empathy, Mirroring, Anchoring, Labeling, Bargaining, Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), and Worst Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (WATNA).
The exhibition will have Management (Santa Clause & Company) negotiating with the Union (The Elves). Parents will observe the negotiation and rate how much they learned during the quest.
The Middle School Eagles are also going to be exploring the art of storytelling. Eagles are going to write-up a family story (with your approval) and share it with a group of parents and Eagles during the exhibition. We believe that storytelling is one of the most important skills that someone can learn. You can have the best idea and amazing experiences, but knowing how to tell the story is what lives on. We are also hoping that each of the MS families will be able to get to know each other a little better before the Holiday break.
Joey & Jake
Elementary Session Three - Storytelling Quest 2020
Greetings, Acton West families & friends!
We always have a great time during this short 3-week session as we spend time in creative, hands-on quests. To wrap up 2020, we're spending the session exploring storytelling! We'll explore the history of storytelling, the importance of stories passed down from generation to generation, as well as newer, more modern ways to do so. If anything, this last year has given us all plenty to share. The ups & downs, laughter & tears will all be shared for years to come. But what about looking back? How can we share the stories that are told and re-told among our families? We'll be exploring just that!
Very soon, the Eagles will spend time interviewing a member of their family and will work through the quest re-creating this story in their own creative way. Will the Eagles choose to tell their stories with a poem? A written narrative? Sculpture? Maybe a podcast? The sky's the limit for the Acton West ES this session, and we can't wait to present our stories in small group virtual meet-ups for our exhibition on Thursday, December 17th at 5pm. We'll be reaching out to families individually with specific links to join your small group.
Please let us know if you or your Eagle(s) will not be available to join this virtual exhibition so that we may better plan the virtual groups. All Eagle presentations will be recorded as well.
Thank you to all for your love and support this year, we're honored to do this job every single day.
In gratitude,
Ashley & Kelsey
ES-HS Session Two -United Studios of Acton Quest 2020
In this session, we will be transforming all three studios in the United Studios Of Acton!
Yep, we are going to try and navigate the minefield of government and politics! We have worked hard to make it a fun interactive experience, a “grand experiment”, for our whole campus to put the Eagles in the shoes of political roles.
The Eagles will be assigned to a political party (A, B, or Independent).
Each party will be given a platform (see the attached as the example of the platform). Independents will have a combination of each platform.
Each platform topic will be given specific points (points correspond to voter importance).
The party that passes the most bills (line items) that support their platform will win!!!
Each studio is going to elect congresspeople and senators that will represent them in the United Studios Of Acton Government.
Each studio will have two senators and one congressperson per 4 Eagles.
Here is a general session schedule (very much subject to change):
Week 1 - Government Basics (What are the responsibilities of each branch.)
Week 2 - Preparing Campaigns & Stump Speeches
Week 3 - Primaries, Voting (November 3rd), Creating Bills, & “Horse Trading”
Week 4 - Voting On Bills, Creating Re-election Campaign Materials For Candidates
Week 5 - Campaign Candidates, Re-Election, Exhibition
Our goals for this quest are for ES, MS, & HS Eagles to understand:
The responsibility of each branch of government.
The checks and balances of each branch.
The process of getting a bill passed.
The motivation of political figures and why they make the decisions.
In addition to the goals above the HS and MS will be exploring:
The role of committees.
The role of the media.
A separate experience to take a deep dive into the Supreme Court.
OUR COMMITMENTS TO YOU:
We will not bring up any political topics in the studio that are being discussed by any of the political candidates.
We will only focus on the process and procedures of how the government currently functions and the logic of why those were put into place.
We have asked that all Eagles only discuss United Studios Of Acton politics in the studio. All external politics to be discussed outside of school with their parents.
We encourage you to have conversations with your Eagles and talk about your experience and knowledge about government. Hopefully, you can start to have deep conversations about politics outside of The United Studios Of Acton.
Our roles as owners and guides (as always), are to stay Socratic. We understand that we do not have all the “right” answers. We understand and are committed to making sure that we are giving Eagles tools to think for themselves, and to NEVER tell them what to think.
GENERAL GOVERNMENT GAME RULES
Each studio, ES MS and HS, will act as a state in the United Studios Of Acton.
Each “state” will get two senators.
There will be one congressperson per four students in each studio.
Each Eagle will be assigned to one of three parties (Party Apples, Party Oranges, or Independents).
Each party will be GIVEN a platform (see platforms below). Independents are given, randomly, a mixture of each platform.
Each platform issue is given a set number of points (importance to the voters).
There will be an election on November 3rd to elect the representatives from each studio.
The ES studio will not be able to run for president or vice president because they are not of the minimum age.
Eagles can run for the House or Senate and the presidency/vice presidency at the same time.
If they are elected president /vice president, the second place person in the Senate Race
EXAMPLE PLATFORMS
Party Platform A
Party Platform B
Sand
Snow
Ocean
Mountains
Building w/ Wood
Building w/ Metal
Legos
Furbies
Marine Life
Land Animals
Sunset
Sunrise
Fairies
Unicorns
Beans
Corn
Tile
Carpet
Super Glue
Duct Tape
Push-Ups
Sit-Ups
Mild Cheddar
Sharp Cheddar
Love Seats
Recliners
Pronounce Gif as "gif"
Pronounce Gif as "jif"
Mechanical Pencil
Standard Pencil
Stratus Clouds
Cumulus Clouds
Hardcover
Paperback
Saturn
Jupiter
Topo Chico
San Pellegrino
Curtains
Blinds
LAUNCHES
WHEN DO YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO YOUR IDEALS OVERRIDE YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY?
Watch this clip of Paul Harvey talking about the founders of this country.
The founders of the United States were wealthy people and had little to gain financially or personally to go against England. They knew they were putting their lives and their families lives on the line for an ideal they had.
Question:
Would you be willing to put your life on the line for one your ideals?
Would you be willing to put your family’s lives on the line for one of your ideals?
High School Session One - Decision Making Quest 2020
HIGH SCHOOL DECISION-MAKING QUEST
We make decisions, conscious or unconscious, almost every moment of our life. But, are we being intentional when we make decisions? Do we really know how to make hard decisions? What if there were processes, recipes, and algorithms to make better, more rational decisions? What if we could make life more fun, like a game?
Throughout the Decision Making Quest the High School Eagles will:
Play a series of games to help them categorize different types of decisions;
Discover powerful processes, recipes, and algorithms to help them make better “bets” at each stage of life; and
They will learn there are some types of decisions where considering a simple bet isn’t a good idea, for example:
Small investments in virtuous/good or evil/bad acts that compound over time or through habits, especially with regard to relationships, character, deliberate practice, or decisions you repeat over time.
Moral and cognitive blind spots that could cripple and destroy them;
High stakes decisions that are highly emotional or must be made in an instant;
Decisions to invest in story, celebration, ritual or a special place; or
Decisions that require buy-in or large scale mobilization over extended periods.
They will learn the following tools and explore when and when not to use them:
Basic Probability
Normal Distributions
Power Laws
System Dynamics
80/20
Ethical Frameworks
Monte Carlo Simulations
Utility Theory
And much much much more...
Community Building & Contracts Building
Building the community through team building activities is one of the most fun and enriching experiences of the year. These activities will create the bond that carries these Eagles through their high school years with a genuine appreciation and respect for one another.
Throughout this session, the HS Eagles will also be creating one of the most important fundamental annual documents, the Student Contract and the Rules of Engagement Contract. These are the contracts that they will abide by throughout the rest of the year. Through this process, an elected committee will gather data from the community about the rules they want to set into place, lead the votes and put together their final product. This process will end with a sacred ceremony in which everyone in the community signs the contract, thus taking the plunge into their 2020 High School journey!
AAWest High School Guides
Joey & Jake
Middle School Session One - Passion Projects & Community Building 2020
Every year we like to start off our first quest with a passion project. We love learning more about our Eagles as we see what gets their creative juices flowing!
We were inspired by Google's Genius Hour idea, in which employees are empowered to explore their own passions for 20% of their day. Here at Acton West, our Eagles are exploring their own passions during project time for the rest of this session. In the beginning stages of Genius Hour, the Eagles will spend time thinking of the things that drive them, excite them and inspire them to gather more information. Some projects are made to solve a problem or satisfy a need. Projects will be planned through idea mapping, gathering supplies and sometimes, collaborating with others. While working alone or on teams, the Eagles will be spending their Genius Hour time researching their subjects, asking detailed questions and working on their end product. We encourage the Eagles to think deeply about the process of researching, editing, revising and creating. We look forward to sharing these passion projects with you through our virtual exhibition, details TBA!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFQUtHsWhc#
Community Building & Contracts
Building the community through team building activities is one of the most fun and enriching experiences of the year. These activities will create the bond that carries these Eagles through their middle school years with a genuine appreciation and respect for one another.
Throughout this session the MS Eagles will also be creating one of the most important fundamental annual documents, the Student Contract and the Rules of Engagement Contract. These are the contracts that they will abide by throughout the rest of the year. Through this process, an elected committee will gather data from the community about the rules they want to set into place, lead the votes and put together their final product. This process will end with a sacred ceremony in which everyone in the community signs the contract, thus taking the plunge into their Hero's Journey of 2020!
AAWest Middle School Guides
Joey & Jake
Elementary Session One - The Call to Adventure Quest 2020
The first session of every year is one that is wondrous! As we navigate the beginning of a new year we have opportunities to strengthen new and old habits, relationships, and answer a brand new call to adventure.
On the Hero's Journey, the Call to Adventure is the moment when a hero is called to a life challenge. When the Hero answers that call, the journey begins. This year specifically, the Call to Adventure looks a little different than in years past, both for Eagles working from home and in-studio. Our first quest, The Call to Adventure, will focus on the allies and helpers along the way, the mentors who help support, and the ways we can build helpful habits and skills to last a lifetime.
For our virtual exhibition in October, we will be presenting an online gallery of "A Hero's Handbook" that will exhibit our work and self-reflection from this session. We are so honored you've trusted and chosen Acton Academy West for your young heroes. We know this will be our best year yet!
Here's to a healthy and wonderful new school year!
AAWest Elementary Guides
Ashley & Kelsey
Elementary Session Seven - Playwrights Quest 2020
During our last session of the year, the Elementary Eagles will use their creativity and skills built in the community during the last six sessions to create a live play. Yes, even in the global pandemic, the show must go on! During our Playwrights Quest, friends will work in groups to write a play based on published children's books, and then, create a play from scratch, from their own making. These plays will be shown visually in puppet-show fashion, in variations that vary from group-to-group. During our last session, Eagles were challenged to work within "ambiguous instruction." We can't wait to see how this comes to fruition this session as they reach within for intrinsic motivation to finish the year strong.
To supplement our creativity this session, we'll be working with local artists, Rebecca & Ben with Artful Kids Club. Two days per week, we'll have focused art instruction with these fantastic artists.
We can't wait to share their final product with the community at our exhibition, on June 26th.
With gratitude,
Ashley & Kelsey
Acton Academy West Elementary Guides
Middle & High School Session Seven- Documentary Quest & Poetry Writer's Workshop 2020
This session the middle and high school are going to be exploring different forms of art and storytelling.
Both of the studios are going to be working to make a five minute documentary. There are so many times that the Eagles have practiced the process of creating, editing, proofing, and crafting a compelling story. They will use the same process while this time doing it behind the lens. They will be using WeVideo to piece together a compelling short video while also learning about how to ask interview questions, b-rolls, background music, etc.
The high school and middle school will also get to try their hand in poetry. Poetry is considered a unique language that combines and uses carefully chosen words to convey meaning and communicate ideas, feelings, sounds, gestures, signs, and symbols. For centuries, Poetry has been a tool for some of the most gifted minds because it relates the experiences and observations of human life and the universe around us. As the school year comes to an end, it only seems fitting that the Eagles reflect upon, and communicate, their successes and failures in a creative way.
In addition to the above, the high school Eagles will continue their journey of mastering Spanish. This session, they will have more dedicated time toward learning more nouns, verbs, grammar, etc. Each week they will be working with our fellow Acton Network affiliates from El Salvador to practice what they learn.
Be sure to read about the art addition for MS/HS, they will also be doing virtual art lessons this session, with Rebecca. We look forward to seeing you at their art exhibit and exhibition on June 26th.
Joey & Jake
Acton Academy West Middle and High School Guides
Virtual Art Lessons with Rebecca Faubion (Elementary-High school)
Over the next five weeks, the Eagles will be diving into Sketching, Painting and a culminating project of a large scale, realistic drawing of an eagle!
Master artists Leonardo Da Vinci, Wayne Thiebauld, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse are the inspiration for our projects!
Video-driven lessons provide hands-on examples of how to create the projects. Eagles are encouraged to create alongside the videos and make their own artistic choices and variations throughout!
This curriculum has been designed exclusively for Acton Academy West!
Ben and Rebecca Faubion (Rebecca was our art guide last year) are co-founders of artfulkidsclub.com. Rebecca guides all the lessons on camera, while Ben handles the tech/film and design aspects of the curriculum. Rebecca has been teaching art for over 20 years and holds a BA in Renaissance Literature, and an EdM in Arts in Education from Harvard. Ben holds a dual graphic design/illustration BFA and has served high profile tech clients, start-ups and design firms around the country.
Middle and High School Session Six 2020- Physics: Classical Mechanics (with Writer’s Workshop lab report)
This session the Middle and High School Eagles will be exploring the world of physics through classical mechanics. We have picked a simple machine, a mouse trap car, to help them explore this world. At the start of the session, they will establish and document a baseline of velocity, acceleration, and momentum of their cars. Each week they will modify their car to see how much faster they can make their cars by using the principles of physics:
Acceleration
Velocity
Mechanical Advantage
Hooke’s Law
Torque
Friction
Inertia
Potential, Kinetic, & Conservation Of Energy
Introduction to Free Body Diagrams
Newton’s Second Law Of Motion
At the start of the session, they will establish a baseline of velocity and acceleration of their cars. Each week they will modify their car and use the scientific method to help them document the changes and put it all together in a full lab report for this session’s writer’s workshop.
In addition to the above topics, the High School will be diving into the following topicsMoment Of Inertia
Static Vs Dynamic
Free Body Diagrams
Projectile Motion Work Vs Power
Calculating Center Of Gravity
There will also be an opportunity for High School Eagles to get an Honors Physics credit by doing additional assignments. In addition to the above, the Middle School and High School Eagles will be doing some experiments with golf balls, boards, bricks, clamps, etc to further explore the topics above.
MS & HS GUIDES - Joey & Jake
Elementary Session Six 2020-Edison's Lab Quest
During this virtual quest, Eagles are placed in the role of scientists as they turn their homes into Edison’s Menlo Park lab. As innovators, they conduct experiments, write patents, and must consider the materials needed to complete their experiments. Eagles are presented each week with new, open-ended challenges that take them through the process of self-education and research, experimentation, and documentation.
The goals of this quest include:
Discovering the joy of experimentation
Developing a tolerance for ambiguity and problem-solving skills
Understanding the difference between invention and innovation, and understanding what traits are necessary to be an innovator
Inspiring an appreciation for scientific breakthroughs and how we got to "now"
Developing organizational and documentation skills
Facing and overcoming failure
The Eagles will explore hydropower, electricity, battery power, voltage, wind power, amps and more! Each week the Eagles are given a bag of supplies to boost their inspiration and complete their inventions using everyday items and upcycled materials from around the house. The Acton West Eagles are already equipped with the biggest skill needed to complete this quest; a growth mindset.
Elementary Guides - Ashley & Kelsey
MS/HS Session Five/2020 Physics Electricity & Magnetism + Historical Speech
This session the Middle School and High School Eagles will be working in their own studios and not in conjunction on this quest. They will be building model neighborhoods that will have a fully functioning power grid. In the process of their build they will explore:
AC & DC Voltage
Current
Resistance
Circuits
In Series & Parallel
Electrical Fields
Electrical Motors
Power Generation
Ohm’s Law
In the process of learning these topics, the Eagles will get hands-on experience with wire-strippers, multimeters, jumper wires, resistors, capacitors, switches, etc. They will also be building actual generators from scratch and get hands-on with magnetic fields. While they are building their neighborhood, they will need to stand in the shoes of a mayor or city planner, balance the wants and needs of different residents, and ultimately build a great city. As usual, throughout the quest, they’ll be challenged to function as effective teams - setting goals, dividing work, and managing projects in the face of uncertainty and aggressive deadlines.
For the High School, they will do all of the above, plus learn about...
Kirchhoff's Law (Voltage)
Advanced Circuit Calculations
Coulomb's Law
Also, there will also be an opportunity for High School Eagles to get an Honors Physics credit by doing additional assignments and projects.
For Writer’s Workshop, the HS & MS Eagles will also have an opportunity to find their voice and overcome the second biggest fear of human nature, public speaking. Throughout the process of writing a speech from the perspective of a "historical hero", the Eagles will learn the importance of meticulous preparation, capturing their target audience and thorough repetition. Prepare to be moved as they take the stage, costume and all, to give a speech that will surely go down in history!
Exhibition will be next door at the Shepherd of the Hills Church community center on Wednesday, March 25th.
MS exhibition 1:15-2:15pm
HS exhibition 2:30-3:30pm
MS/HS GUIDES ~ Joey & Jake
Elementary Session Five/2020 ~ Environmental Design
In this session, the Elementary Eagles will explore the concepts of environmental design. Over the next six weeks, we will learn how humans plan, design and execute environmental design in the world around them. Through hands-on experiences, the Eagles will further their understanding of landscape architecture, gardening, ecology, native plants and species, climate & weather, the human impact on the environment and how to contribute to the world around us. Through field trips in and around Austin, we'll learn how to better contribute to our community.
Here on our campus, we'll cultivate large garden beds with herbs, flowers, and veggies, we'll maintain our very own Lettuce Grow Farmstand. The Eagles also have the unique opportunity to work with and present landscape plans and solutions to Austin's Community First! Village, where we’ll supply planter boxes, arbor plans, and botanicals for the 3-D printed homes and community. By consulting on-site and with representatives from the Community First project, we'll learn how to propose a design in hopes of approval from their advisors.
Finally, for our off-site exhibition at Community First! Village, we will deliver our final landscape products to the newly built homes in the village, plant on-site and leave our mark for years to come.
For those who can make it, we can’t wait for the Eagles to show their parents all of their hard work and community contributions at the village on Thursday, March 26th.
We're excited about this highly experiential quest as we become stronger citizens within our local environment!
Check out the following links to learn more about our partnerships so far for this quest.
https://mlf.org/community-first/
https://www.lettucegrow.com/
Elementary Guides ~ Ashley & Kelsey
MS & HS Session Four ~ Entrepreneurship Quest - 2020
This session the Middle School and High School are doing an Entrepreneurship Quest with an introduction to operations. The overall objective of this quest is for the Eagles to understand how businesses become more efficient in creating products and how that has a direct impact on the revenue and waste of a company.
They will optimize an assembly line by performing kaizen workshops and use root cause analysis and spaghetti diagrams to help optimize the cleaning of the studio. After they have found the cleaning best practices, they will create standard operating procedures for each cleaning task. They will learn about basic terms such as bottlenecks, capacity, cycle time, throughput, batching vs continuous flow manufacturing, work in process and scrap.
They will also have an introduction to agile development by creating "to-do cards" and having a daily standup meeting each morning to discuss what they are working on and have completed each day. The exhibition will have the Eagles creating products and presenting how they became more efficient over the session.
Joey & Jake, MS/HS Guides
Elementary Session Four ~ Entrepreneurship Quest -2020
Welcome to Session Four, the annual Entrepreneurship Quest!
For the (elementary) Entrepreneurship quest, the Eagles are split into nine "companies," and are in beginning stages of creating profitable businesses. Together they will assign roles (CEO, Lawyer, Accountant, VP of Marketing, Finance, etc.), conduct market research, study ethics, marketing, and advertising tactics. They will create their brand, a solid business plan, and strong budgets to make their business a success.
But, just like in the real world, they must first look within themselves to discover their gifts, talents, strengths, and weaknesses they have to offer. They will use these discoveries to bring their best selves to a group of others, in hopes of discovering new strengths and gifts to offer the world.
Once a company forms, business ideas will emerge in the form of a subscription box product, filled with their hand-picked and curated ideas. The culmination of this Quest will be that of a "trade show" where guests will watch as our young Entrepreneurs present their ideas!
Additionally, they will watch in real-time as a chosen public company ebbs and flows through a stock exchange simulation. As we watch the market together each day, we will be able to collect the data about what it takes to make it in the real world; our favorite thing to explore at Acton Academy West!
As always this annual quest helps promote business ideas and inspiration leading into the spring Business Fair in March!
Happy New Year!
Ashley & Kelsey, ES Guides
Elementary Colonial Acton & Geography Mini Quest ~ Session Three 2019
Beginning this week, your heroes have traveled back in time to the year 1776. Acton Academy West has become the British colony of Acton. All session long, students will immerse themselves in colonial times. Each Eagle will be assigned the role of a well-known patriot or loyalist, and they'll (sometimes reluctantly) play the part. 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 Eagle 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.
While this simulation runs, the Elementary Eagles will be exploring US Geography! Through a series of gameshow-type experiences and challenges, the Eagles will learn about each state, the capitals, important landmarks, National Parks and other geographical features with a focus on completing a large research-based presentation at the end of the session. During our exhibition, parents will go head-to-head with groups of Eagles to see who can beat the best time with the most right answers involving these topics. Get your flashcards ready, we hope you're up for the challenge!
We are looking forward to a lot of colonial style fun this session followed by a much-deserved holiday break! Have a great one!
Ashley & Kelsey ~ Elementary Guides