Synthesis Week – 心想树成

准备好迎接愉快的一周了吗？我们有新的激动人心的挑战和概念等着你！

讨论 Discussion：请提前5分钟准备。
游戏 Play：可以在任何的时间开始，并尽情地参与。

前方有精彩的时光等待着！我们每周都为你的孩子准备了一堆酷炫的东西——想想令人惊叹的挑战、精彩的冒险和结交新朋友。有很多他们可以投身并享受的内容。课程充满了引人入胜的问题、有趣的冒险和新朋友——你的孩子有多次机会深入学习和参与。

亮点 | HIGHLIGHTS

激动人心的时刻即将到来！我们每周为您的孩子安排了一系列酷炫的活动——想想令人兴奋的挑战，伟大的冒险，以及结交新朋友。他们有很多可以投入并享受的东西。这些活动充满了吸引人的问题，有趣的冒险和新朋友——您的孩子有多次深入学习的机会。
Exciting times ahead! We’ve lined up a bunch of cool stuff for your child every week—think awesome challenges, great adventures, and making new buddies. There’s loads for them to jump into and enjoy. They’re jam-packed with captivating problems, fun adventures, and new friends–and your child has multiple opportunities to dive in and learn.

2024

窗口显示打开新页第19周（5/6-5/12）

窗口显示打开新页第18周（4/29-5/5）

窗口显示打开新页第17周（4/22-28）

窗口显示打开新页第16周（4/15-21）

窗口显示打开新页第15周（4/8-14）

窗口显示打开新页第14周（4/1-7）

窗口显示打开新页第13周（3/25-31）

窗口显示打开新页第12周（3/18-24）

窗口显示打开新页第11周（3/11-17）

窗口显示打开新页第10周（3/4-10）

窗口显示打开新页第9周（2/26-3/3）

窗口显示打开新页第8周（2/19-2/25）

窗口显示打开新页第7周（2/12-2/18）

窗口显示打开新页第6周（2/5-2/11）

窗口显示打开新页第5周（1/29-2/4）

窗口显示打开新页第4周（1/22-1/28）

窗口显示打开新页第3周（1/15-1/21）

窗口显示打开新页第2周（1/8-1/14）

窗口显示打开新页第1周（1/1-1/7）

12/25 – 12/31

导师 | Tutor
新课 | New Lessons

分数实践
在这个游戏中，学生将在学习正式数学之前培养对分数乘法基础的直觉。作为一道配菜，他们将练习基本的乘法事实，并在甚至没有注意到的情况下接触到更高级的素数分解主题。

加法远征
对于年轻学生来说，大数字的加法可能很具挑战性，但詹姆斯·坦顿的《爆炸点》提供了一种有趣、实践的方式，以建立对重新组织数字基础的理解，从而可以相加和相减任意大小的数字。

古代数学
穿越数学的历史，直到我们达到今天使用的数字。从史前时代到古埃及再到罗马帝国——学习古代世界的数学，发现我们的数字是如何形成的。

太和计数
通过按5计数来提高你的流利度。尽快计算标记。你能打破最高分吗？

Fractus Practice
In this game, students will build intuition for the basics of fraction multiplication before they even learn the formal math. As a side-dish, they will get practice with their basic multiplication facts, and brush up against the more advanced topic of prime factorization without even noticing.

Addition Expedition
Addition of large numbers can be challenging for young students to grasp, but James Tanton’s “Exploding Dots” provides a fun, hands-on way to build an understanding of the fundamentals of regrouping digits for adding and subtracting numbers of any size.

Ancient Math
Journey through the history of math until we reach the numbers we use today. From prehistoric times to Ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire — learn the math of the ancient world and discover how our numbers came to be.

Tally Ho
Build up your fluency in counting by 5s. Count tallies as fast as you can. Can you crack the top score?

Enjoy!

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12/18 – 12/24

Play
Natural Election

Details

Ready for the next big December surprise? We have a second new game to introduce this week: Natural Election.

In Natural Election, a group of animals are electing a new mayor. Teams must strategize and carry out their candidate’s campaign. Good politicians should work for the people, and Natural Election is no different. Teams must pay attention to how different groups want to allocate the budget and take a stand for or against each project.

While playing, kids will discover how electoral systems work without having to think about real-world issues. In this low-stakes fictional universe, a typical decision involves whether to spend the budget on a wave pool or a 3D movie theater.

We hope your kids enjoy this second December surprise, and stay tuned, because it’s not the last!

Post-play

Here are some follow-up reflection questions, in case you’d like to discuss the experience with your child.

What was it like running an election in Natural Election?
What was most important to think about in order to win the election?

Discussions
Play it Safe?

Imagine this: your friend was given $100 and asked to offer some portion of that to you. Once they make the offer, you can choose to accept the money, or reject it and cause them to lose their portion as well. If your friend offers you an unfair split – $80 for them, $20 for you – would you accept or reject?

The purely economic, purely logical answer is you should accept any offer; $20 is more than zero, which is what you get if you reject. In real-world studies, though, most people in this scenario choose illogically. In this week’s discussion session, students are presented with 6 different scenarios, each of which expose a real world cognitive bias or logical fallacy. Being aware of these biases and how they play out is the first step in behind able to adjust our decision-making to account for them.

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

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12/11 – 12/17

Play
Constellation

Details

Students new and old were excited to see Constellation debut in Play last week. And what a debut it was! We watched teams fail, regroup, retry, and eventually succeed, finding their way through our difficult collaborative challenges.

This week, however, there won’t be any do-overs. Students will be playing competitive matches, so they’ll need to make split-second analyses of the field and the other teams’ moves to form a winning strategy.

Once again, keep tuned for some more huge surprises in December. We’ve spent months preparing some exceptional experiences for our students that we can’t wait to share in the next couple of weeks.

Post-play

Here are some follow-up reflection questions, in case you’d like to discuss the experience with your child.

How do teams come into conflict on the field of Constellation?
Did your team come up with a way to one-up your opponents?
What was your best strategy?

Discussions
Apples to Oranges

In last week’s session, students compared the costs and benefits of various options for a set of scenarios, but all of these options were of the same general type – an “apples to apples” comparison. How can we train students to make smart, risk-informed decisions when the options available to them aren’t homogenous? This week, students contrast and compare diverse options to practice identifying and evaluating the underlying commonalities between them.

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

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12/4 – 12/10

Play
Constellation

Details

It wouldn’t be December without presents, and we have two big ones in store for this month. 🎁

The first one is coming this week, when the classic Synthesis game Constellation will debut in Play! This week, students will have to solve collaborative challenges with a brand new twist: the ambassador room. Representatives from each team can meet in the ambassador room to make sure they are aligned toward a common goal.

What’s the second present? Keep tuned in to these emails and we’ll let you know soon.

Post-play

Here are some follow-up reflection questions, in case you’d like to discuss the experience with your child.

What is the new ambassador room and how does it work?
Did having an ambassador room change the way your team played? How so?

Discussions
Weighing the Risks

In our Discussion sessions this month students will explore a particular facet of impactful decision-making: weighing costs and benefits. This week introduces each category distinctly, first asking students to rank various options based on one specific cost. Which transportation method has the greatest risk to physical safety? Which business investment has the greatest risk of failure? In the second half of the session, students consider the relative benefits of each option to practice making holistic decisions based on an analysis of costs and benefits.

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

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11/27 – 12/3

Play
Proxima

Details

Students will apply last week’s learning with a second, more difficult set of competitive challenges. In these scenarios, teams must quickly check the win conditions, define a strategy, and race to beat the other teams to the finish.

The theme this week is “mirrors,” and the students who discover what has been mirrored from one map to the next will have an advantage over their rivals.

Post-play

Here are some follow-up reflection questions in case you’d like to discuss the experience with your child.

Did your teams communicate well today? Did you participate in teams that communicated better than others? Did it make a difference in winning or losing?
Did you know that today’s theme was “mirrors”? Did you notice anything about that theme in today’s games? If so, did it affect your strategies?

Discussions
Case Study: CEO Solutions

Which policy is most effective?

This week’s Discussion session exposes students to the actual challenges that companies such as Best Buy and Goldman Sachs have encountered. Just like these CEOs, students will be asked to make thoughtful decisions on policies regarding employee satisfaction and remote work policies. They will not only engage in dynamic discussions but also have an opportunity to compare their solutions to the ones implemented by these real-world companies.

We design our Discussion sessions to offer students a platform for practicing impactful decision-making. As you know by now, there’s no predetermined correct answer; instead, students have the unique chance to navigate through intricate issues alongside peers who share their enthusiasm for critical thinking.

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

Continue the Conversation

If you’d like to further discuss this month’s topics with your child at home, we’ve curated some related external resources here to dive into.

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11/20 – 11/26

Play
Proxima

Details

This week, the Play theme is division of labor. For the first time ever, Proxima scenarios will require attaining multiple conditions in order to win. Teams must give equal attention to several areas, including defense, or else they will lose to more balanced groups. Planning ahead, reacting rapidly, and separating roles will be this week’s keys to success.

Post-play
Here are some reflection questions you can ask your child to help them internalize what they learned this week:

How did your team deal with having multiple win conditions?
Did you take on a specific role? Did you choose it yourself, was it given to you, or were roles negotiated?
(If your child has played Proxima before) What did you do differently than just going for the best score? Was this week more or less challenging than trying to keep the best score?

Discussions
Hierd or Fired?

Which team members are essential? And who can your business live without?

Our student-led Discussion sessions this week ask the students to assemble a team from a pool of talented candidates. Each scenario presents a unique set of roles crucial to the company’s success, but there’s a catch – students can only hire a limited number.

Each decision comes with consequences, prompting students to reconsider their choices. This session tests strategic planning and critical thinking as students navigate through these scenarios and reflect on the values and priorities that guide their decisions. Can your student hire the right people to make their business a success?

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

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11/13 – 11/19

Play
Polis

Details

Previously in Polis, students collaborated to achieve a common goal. This gave students a chance to work together and further master the skills of creating complex supply chains.

This week, we’re turning things on their head. Students will apply what they’ve learned in competitive matches. Students must race against other teams to achieve their goals first. They will need to call upon everything they’ve learned these past weeks to win. Also, we’ll mix up the teams between each match, so students will need to practice adapting their strategies and communication tactics.

Post-play
Here are some reflection questions you can ask your child to help them internalize what they learned this week:

How differently did it feel to play competitively this week?
What adjustments did you make to play competitively?
What do they think set apart the winning teams this week?

Discussions
Money Can’t Buy Me Love

Which team members are essential? And who can your business live without?

Is your child ready to be a CEO? This week, students will wrestle with the complexity of employee compensation in our student-led Discussion sessions.

This is continuing our theme for the month: business and labor. Last week, students discussed who should hold the power to make decisions at work. Later this month, they’ll explore how to hire employees and tangle with real-world case studies from companies like Netflix, Google, IBM, and Goldman Sachs.

No right answers. No teachers. Just kids from around the world discussing problems that matter.

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Weekly Schedule

以下是以北京时间为基准的日程——可以在 Teams 页面中查看自己时区的时间。

Times are in US Pacific Time. You can see the times in your own timezone in your Teams page.

For Discussions, please arrive 5 minutes early.
For Play, you can arrive whenever you like and stay for as long as you want.

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圣诞新年特别活动

1月1日 – 7日

🕹️游戏 + 💭讨论：一周日程

英文版日程及课后问题

📆 1月1日星期一 0:00–0:30

💭讨论

保险还是冒险？Decision-making Speed Run

加入来自世界各地的学生，听取不同的意见（并分享你自己的观点）！请准备好参与对话，倾听并互相学习，讨论从机器人教育到埋藏的宝藏等各种话题。
Join students from around the world to hear different opinions (and share your own)! Come prepared to speak, listen, and learn from each other as you discuss everything from robot educators to buried treasure.

📆 1月3日星期三 1:00–1:30

📆 1月4日星期三 8:00–8:30

💭讨论

人工智能解决方案？AI Solutions

人工智能（AI）承诺带来改变世界的好处……但代价是什么？从体育到教育再到交通，本次活动探讨了使用AI解决问题的不同风险和回报。与来自世界各地的综合学生一起参与对话。
Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises world-changing benefits … but at what costs? From sports to education to transportation, this session explores the varying risks and rewards of using AI to solve problems. Join in conversation with Synthesis students from around the world.

📆 1月4日星期四 7:00–10:00