Explore: Y7, S6, W1
Energy in Motion
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Session 6 opened with a focus on energy and a guiding question: Where does energy come from, and how does it shape the world we live in?
Quest: Energy and the Early Universe
Learners began exploring the origins of energy through the Big Bang and the early universe. As the week progressed, they worked to make sense of complex ideas by building models, sketching their thinking, and discussing their ideas with one another.
On Wednesday, learners conducted an Albedo Lab to explore how different surfaces absorb and reflect energy. Using light and dark materials, thermometers, and a heat source, they tested how color impacts how quickly something heats up and cools down. Learners made predictions, tracked temperature changes over time, and compared results to their hypotheses.
This gave them a clear, hands-on way to observe how energy behaves and how scientists gather and interpret data.
By the end of the week, learners were distinguishing between scientific theories and laws and applying their understanding by creating comic strips that explained these ideas in their own words.
Writers’ Workshop: Beginning Memoir Writing
Learners began their memoir unit by creating Mind Maps of meaningful life events. They identified moments that have shaped them and began considering why those moments matter.
This work lays the foundation for structured personal writing and encourages learners to reflect more intentionally on their own experiences.
Personal Development: Freedom, Curiosity, and Choice
This week’s conversations explored freedom, responsibility, and curiosity.
Through Harriet Tubman’s story, learners discussed what it means to make difficult choices and how responsibility can shape a person’s sense of freedom. Later in the week, they considered curiosity, why it can fade, and what it takes to keep it active.
Learners also had the opportunity to engage with guest visitor Stefany Bolaños, who invited them into her Hero’s Journey through a game she designed. At each turning point, learners were asked to make choices while facing “monsters” like resistance, victimhood, and distraction.
As Stefany shared her own path, from aspiring detective to professional volleyball player, to studying economics, writing children’s books, and becoming a Learning Experience Designer, learners saw a clear message: journeys are not linear, they are chosen.
Learners were engaged throughout, asking questions, thinking critically, and fully present in the experience.
Physical Development: Basketball and Consistency
In Physical Development, learners worked with Coaches Harpreet Singh and Rebecca Rodriguez on basketball fundamentals.
They practiced dribbling drills, worked on control and coordination, and applied these skills during gameplay. The focus was on consistency, effort, and supporting teammates through repetition and practice.
Growing Curiosity: Designing Their Own Quests
Learners began preparing to design their own Quests for the Discovery studio. They started researching topics and thinking about what makes a challenge engaging and meaningful.
This marks a shift toward ownership, as learners begin creating work that serves others rather than just completing it.
Weekly Outing at Austin’s Central Library
Learners who reached the milestone attended an outing to the Central Library.
They made independent choices about how to spend their time. Some worked or read, others played chess, and some participated in a scavenger hunt. Many explored the children’s area, moving through the space and following their interests.
This outing provided an opportunity to practice independence, time management, and decision-making in a real-world setting.
Studio Life
We also made space for community. We celebrated Brindley’s birthday and held a memorial for Mocha Latte. Daily work cycles, reading buddies, and Town Hall continue to build routines that support both independence and collaboration.
