Learners in the Acton Elementary studio jumped right back into flow following spring break this week. There is a lot of work to be done before the end of the session! This week learners worked hard to prepare their proposals for the Acton Children’s Business Fair, write their folktales, and, for some, prepare for the Middle School launch. 

After doing a pricing activity with their studiomates, learners completed a business proposal. The proposal includes details about their business, such as a materials list and a working budget. Every day the studio hums with excitement (and some nervousness!) about the business fair. Some learners have been sharing their business ideas—selling dog treats or lotion—with others. Other learners want to surprise their friends and so have been keeping the details about their business to themselves.

While excitement about the business fair builds, learners balance their work on their businesses with Core Skills and Writer’s Workshop. The learners who are participating in the Middle School pilot program have set Core Skills goals that they want to complete before moving to the trial middle school campus. The Middle School trial program is extra motivation for these learners to complete these goals and will make crossing that threshold even more meaningful for them.In Writer’s Workshop this week, learners critiqued an example of a folktale, The Princess Mouse, and noted where they observed the 6 Elements of an Excellent Folktale. In order to receive a badge for this Writer’s Workshop, learners must check in with their running partners and confirm their story has each element of an excellent folktale. As they finish drafting and move on to revising next week, they will take a critical lens to their own folktale and try to identify the 6 Elements of an Excellent Folktale in their own stories.