Food Reviews, Science Experiments, Civics Debates & Thanksgiving Feast (Session 2, Week 4)

Welcome to the fourth week of the Second Session’s Launchpad Newsletter! This was one of the shortest weeks in Acton history—only two school days, with the third day reserved for our big Thanksgiving celebration. But before we get to the feast, let’s recap the learning highlights from this short but exciting week.

Genre – Food Review Writing

This week, we crafted our raison d’être—our reason for being food reviewers. Each learner chose the type of review they will write and identified their target audience. We drafted engaging hooks, thesis statements, and conclusions—key elements that shape whether a reader continues reading a review. Some learners even visited their chosen restaurants, which added a fun real-world twist to the project.

Quest – Hands-On Science and Culinary Chemistry

In Quest, we explored concepts such as diffusion, osmosis, and spherification. After researching real-life examples, we had the chance to experiment with these principles firsthand.

• Some learners used lemon juice to “cook” raw shrimp, learning how acids transform proteins—the result: a delicious ceviche!

• Others experimented with eggs and soy sauce, observing how liquids move through solids.

These labs were both exciting and tasty.

Civics – Manifest Destiny & The Mexican-American War

In Civics, we studied Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War—topics many learners had not encountered before. We discussed whether U.S. expansion was inevitable and considered questions such as:“If you were President, would you have encouraged Texas to revolt against Mexico? Why or why not?”The discussions were thoughtful and full of curiosity.

Thanksgiving Feast

On Wednesday, we held our annual Thanksgiving Feast! Learners enjoyed arts and crafts, games like Pin the Tail on the Turkey, and of course, a wonderful meal shared together.

A huge thank you to all the families who contributed food—you helped make the day special. We are truly grateful for the AABC community.

Though short, this week was full of learning, fun, and celebration. Thank you for reading, and we wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving!

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