Joyful Learning
Our young heroes find joy in every aspect of their learning experiences. They celebrate every little achievement each day when they meet their goals, understanding that they are on their way to achieving greater overall goals.There is a great joy to be found when the heroes feel that they are trusted to make their own choices, to come up with creative ideas, and to be a leader. They joyfully take on challenges courageously because they believe they are more than capable of succeeding in their tasks through hard work and determination.Their experiences of success give them joy in moving forward and working harder. Joy abounds because the heroes are actively engaged in their learning and realize that their very own efforts and hard work, especially amidst struggles and challenges, resulting in their achievements.
Their joy also overflows because of the freedom they experience each day. Within a democracy, the heroes enjoy their freedom in setting their own goals, working at their own pace, using strategies that work for them, and participating in the decision-making of their own learning. Joy stems from the work that heroes choose for themselves, making a true commitment to engaging in tasks that are meaningful to them. Freedom paves the way to achieving success in their learning.
The heroes also find joy in evaluating and monitoring their own learning and uncovering the progress they have attained from their perseverance. The heroes love a good challenge. Their Challenge Donuts help them reflect on their learning and think about ways to feed their brains with challenging work. Before doing their core skills, they make it a goal to color a sprinkle on their Challenge Donuts in their badge book to remember to engage in work that is in their challenge zone. Then after core skills, they take the time to reflect on their learning, then get a sticker to sprinkle on their donuts for feeding their brains. The heroes enjoyed feeding their tummies too with Dunkin Donuts for fun Friday. They proposed that when every hero has filled every sprinkle in their Challenge donuts in their badge books, which meant that they have been feeding their brains with challenging work, then it would time for another donut party to feed their bellies too!
Being part of a tight-knit community with a genuine compassion and interest for one another is a key premise for experiencing the joy of learning. They joyfully help one another, encourage those who are struggling, comfort those who are hurting, and celebrate each other’s successes. Joy multiplies exponentially as each hero shares their joys with one another.
Our Week At A Glance
Week 2: April 16-20, 2018
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Launch Colossians |
Colossians 1:10 Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way How do you please the Lord? When you make a mistake, does that mean the Lord is not pleased with you? |
Colossians 1:11 Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience Think of a time you were learning something new, how did you have patience and endurance? |
Colossians 1:12 Giving joyful thanks for the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance What is something you have learned at Journey Academy that you are most thankful for? |
Colossians 1:13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of Jesus Think of a time Jesus rescued you. |
Colossians 1:14 In Jesus we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins When did you need to ask Jesus to forgive you? What did you think about to keep moving forward? |
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Growth mindset |
Think of a time you failed at something. How did it make you feel? What happened after you failed? |
Think of something you have learned. What did you need to know first? What steps did you take to learn it? |
What did you learn by building one skill on top of another? |
What do you do to overcome challenges in learning new things? |
Think of a time you had to struggle to learn something. What helped you the most: Problem-solving efforts Help from others |
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Writer’s workshop |
Typing club |
paleontologist journals |
Spelling city |
My pet dinosaur book |
Storybird |
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PE MF Play-based TWTh |
Dodgeball Hula hoop Rope Hockey Pool noodles |
Sailboat play Shaving cream |
Dinosaur dramatic play |
Dinosaur habitat |
Jump ropes Hula hoop Jazz dance |
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Relaunch Read Aloud Boy, were we wrong about dinosaurs! Prehistoric mammals |
What if dinosaurs had not gone extinct, how would the world be different? Should the dinosaurs be allowed to roam wild or should we keep them in enclosed areas? |
If you could have a living dinosaur or prehistoric creature for a pet, which one would you choose? How would you take care of it? |
What should you feed your prehistoric creature? Where will it sleep? What materials can the creature use to build a nest? Where can the creature lay eggs or keep its babies safe and warm? What can the creature do for exercise? How can you keep the creature from getting bored? |
Paleontologist Steve Brusatte What would you do if you discover a dinosaur? |
Is it more important for the dinosaurs to live free on an island away from humans, or for humans to live on the island to learn about dinosaurs? Would you join a group of paleontologist going to the island to study dinosaurs? What if the dinosaurs need help to survive? Would you put the dinosaurs in enclosures to keep humans safe? Dinosaur Quiz Whiz |
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Project time |
Make footprints for each toy, then ask kids to examine the prints and the toys. Can they guess (predict) which toys made each set of prints? Have kids check their predictions by making their own prints. |
Roll out some clay and have kids make impressions. Have children examine the toys’ feet, and ask these questions: What do the feet look like? What shape are they?Do the dinosaur’s feet remind you of the feet of any other animals? Which ones? Kids keep track of their observations in journals |
Andy’s dino adventures Trex facts Nature walk. Collect materials to help your pet dinosaur build its nest. |
What dinosaur are you? Weigh and measure your dinosaur. Lie the dinosaur down on a piece of graph paper and trace the creature’s length. How long is it in inches? Use a weighing scale to measure the weight of the dinosaur. |
Mystery fossil Compare the size of your dinosaur with the size of other, living animals. Understand size differences by comparing dinosaurs to animals and objects they are familiar with. Would the creature be the size of a chicken? An adult human? A school bus? |
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Elective |
Art Dinosaur footprints |
Geography Fossils in US National Parks |
Music Dinosaur songs |
Art Dinosaur painting |
Chapel Bibleman |
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Close Hero led discussions Studio maintenance |
What mistake would you like to celebrate? How did you learn from your mistake? |
Evi Think of a time you helped a friend feel better. |
Annabelle How did you encourage a friend? |
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome it? |
What problem did you solve? Did you need others to help you? |
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Amelia |
Pterodactyl |
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Annabelle |
Spinosaurus |
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Cole |
Stegosaurus |
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David |
Brachiosaurus |
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Evi |
Tyrannosaur |
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Lulu |
Seismosaurus |
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Maddy |
Ankylosaur |
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Reaghan |
Brontosaurus |
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Simon |
Apatosaurus |
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