TED Talks, Electricity Quest, and Spirit Week (Session 2, Week 1)

Hello from the Journey Studio, and welcome to our first newsletter of Session 2!

This session, several new learners have joined the Journey Studio and have quickly become an integral part of our community. We’re excited to have them with us!

Genre: Preparing for TED Talks

This week in Genre, we researched some outstanding TED Talks to use as models for the talks we’ll be presenting at this session’s Exhibition. After familiarizing ourselves with the TED Talk format, we began thinking about topics we are both passionate about and knowledgeable in. Once we settled on our topics, we started researching them so that our talks could rival those of the experts!

Quest: Exploring Electricity

Before diving into our new Quest, we split into groups to discuss how we could hold ourselves accountable for putting in our best effort and staying focused.

Then we got started on our Electricity Quest! Throughout the week, we researched and explored topics such as Ohm’s Law and how to calculate current, voltage, and resistance.

Of course, the week wasn't all research. We also took on hands-on challenges, including building makeshift circuits to power LED lights.

But the most exciting part of this Quest is still ahead: in a few weeks, we'll begin building our own cities! These won't be ordinary model cities. Each one will have its own power grid, with hundreds of lights designed to dazzle our guests at the Exhibition.

Civ: The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

This week in Civ, we researched and reflected on the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. These were undoubtedly two of the most fascinating periods in American history.

During our group discussions, many learners were struck by how a period of great prosperity and excitement could be followed by one of immense suffering and poverty.

Our discussions also sparked some passionate debates. Some learners argued that government intervention was necessary during the economic crisis, while others believed that the Great Depression would have ended sooner if the government had taken a hands-off approach.

We also explored the possible causes of the Great Depression. Some learners pointed to greed and a lack of regulation, while others believed that a combination of unfortunate circumstances and widespread panic played a greater role.

Spirit Week: AABC Style!

This week, everyone at AABC took part in Spirit Week!

• Monday – Pajama Day: Learners showed up in their comfiest pajamas.

• Tuesday – Meme Day: We saw some memorable costumes, including special appearances by John Pork and other well-known memes!

• Wednesday – Wacky Wednesday: Everyone had the chance to dress as wacky as they wanted.

• Thursday – Group Costume Day: Learners teamed up to create some great group costumes.

• Friday – Halloween Celebration: We wrapped up the week with creative costumes and fun Halloween activities, AABC style!

  
  

Overall, it was a fantastic week, but perhaps the coolest part was that, as always, the entire week was planned by us!

Thank you for reading this week's newsletter! Be sure to check back next week to keep up with all the exciting things happening in the Journey Studio.

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