Essays, Escape Rooms, and Revolutionary Thinking (Session 3, Week 2)

Greetings from the Journey Studio!

This is the Journey Newsletter for Session 3, Week 2, and it was a week full of creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Genre

This week in Genre, learners selected a second historical event or innovation to write about. For example, a learner who chose personal computers last week selected airplanes as their topic this week.

Learners enjoyed drafting their essays, and on Wednesday they participated in peer feedback, focusing specifically on the voice used in each piece. As part of this process, learners also rated each essay. On Friday, they used the feedback they received to revise and complete their final drafts.

Quest

In Quest, learners combined creativity with history. They began by creating a rap about the American Revolution and selecting a major battle to research.

On Wednesday, learners played an escape room game called Exit, where each room could only be unlocked by solving a riddle. Using what they learned from the game, learners then worked in groups to design their own escape rooms, all themed around the American Revolution. Once completed, groups exchanged escape rooms and challenged one another to solve them.

Civ

In Civ, learners researched the Declaration of Independence and explored difficult historical decisions through a role-play scenario:

You are the brother of a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Though he strongly supports the revolution, you remain loyal to the King of England. Do you:

• Move to Canada to keep your family safe, but give up your land and most of your possessions?

• Stay in Pennsylvania, risking your family’s safety but protecting your property and standing up for your beliefs?

This activity encouraged learners to think deeply about loyalty, risk, and personal values during the Revolutionary period.

Learner Launches

This week, many learners created their own launches. One standout launch was presented by Omer, who explored the idea that traditional schooling can limit creative intelligence.

Omer asked learners to imagine a character named Abraham, who was assigned to build a bridge using popsicle sticks. Instead of building it himself, Abraham used a 3D printer. Although the bridge worked, Abraham failed the assignment. Learners then debated whether it was better to fail while innovating or succeed by following the rules exactly.

The discussion sparked thoughtful conversation about creativity, effort, and the purpose of learning.

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