Brainstormed Study Groups

These are the study groups from the list we had at the meeting on Thursday, with a few additions that have come in via email. The numbers are the approximate # of kids at the meeting who were interested. Not all of these study groups have leaders, and leaders may not be able to offer all of the groups that they offered. The descriptions come from me, or from the Voyagers web site. Please provide more descriptions, and I will add them.

Strategy Games 10

Join us for a combination of cooperative and competitive strategy games such as Pandemic, Hanabi, 7 Wonders, and Coups Rebellion. I'll provide games, although study group members are always welcome to bring in a favorite. Participants select which game they wish to play each week.

World Religions 2

Book discussion: homework or read in class 7

History of American Women from 1960 On 7

This study group is based on a book of the same title by Gail Collins. The book is highly engaging, using the stories of individual women to tell the modern history of American women.

"When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when most American women had to get their husbands' permission to apply for a credit card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton's historic presidential campaign. This was a time of cataclysmic change, when, after four hundred years, expectations about the lives of American women were smashed in just a generation. The enormous strides made since 1960 include the advent of the birth control pill, the end of "Help Wanted--Male" and "Help Wanted--Female" ads, and the lifting of quotas for women in admission to medical and law schools. Gail Collins describes what has happened in every realm of women's lives, partly through the testimonies of both those who made history and those who simply made their way."

I'm open to reading the material in class, but we will get deeper into the topic if we can read some at home between study group sessions. We can watch some short videos and also discuss the material during our time together. I have read this book and highly recommend it! It's available on Kindle and as an audiobook.

Politics/current events 10

In this weekly discussion group, we’ll explore the news of MA, the U.S., and the world—focusing on the interests of the attendees.

In a combination of multi-media, participant contribution and discussion, we’ll delve into the issues of the day, adding in historical perspectives and implications for the future.

We'll use a variety of news sources ranging from the usual to the less well known, including the BBC, the Christian Science Monitor, LiveScience, Medical News Today, Asia Times, Financial Times, and Al-Jazeera.

Comparison of different sources' treatment of a single story will be featured.

Improv 8

Act out improvisational scenes and learn more about how to work spontaneously in an improv group.

Acapella 2

Let's get together and sing! Together we'll select and learn a few songs, starting with something easy!

Crash Course us govt 5

A flipped class where you watch Crash Course US Government videos at home (<1hr/week) and come to class to discuss them. Understanding how the US Government works helps you understand the issues our country faces, how policies are made that affect them, and what you can do to get involved.

Anatomy: A User's Guide 3

Learn about anatomy through a variety of fun activities.

Money, Money, Money checks, taxes, apartments 4

Learn more about adulting!

Writing: academic essays and other things (poetry, fiction, letter writing) 4

Learn more about the forms of papers that you will need to write for classes at colleges.

Music : improv jamming, , other 3

Art 3

We need more information about what we can successfully offer and what kids are interested in.

Field Ecology 4

Weekly field trips with an ecology expert to learn more about the plants and animals in local ecologies.

Physics 6

We need more information about what we can successfully offer and what kids are interested in.

Physics Option A: A Foray into Feynman's Physics

A series of problem-solving discussion sessions based on excerpts from  "Exercises for the Feynman Lectures on Physics. This study group will have required homework: in advance of each session, the participants will be expected to have read (or listened to an audio recording of) an assigned section of "The Feynman Lectures on Physics." The text is available on-line for free. The audio recording will be at a link provided by the instructor. Before the first meeting, the instructor will provide a list of the sections to be attempted during the semester. We will have to work together for a bit to figure out whether we'll actually get to all the listed sections. 

While participants will need to know a fair amount of algebra, and it will be helpful to know what a sine, cosine, and tangent are, and not to be freaked out by the word calculus, we will work hard to develop math knowledge and skill as we work our way through the material. This is an introductory course -- those who are already knowledgeable about physics will probably find this to move slower than they'd like. 

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Physics Option B: Mirror, mirror -- or, Lenses and Lasers and Jell-O! Oh My!

Exploring light and its weirdness, we'll combine calculation with observation and measurement. We'll shine, bounce, reflect, refract, polarize, and guide light in lots of ways. We'll delve into the physics and chemistry behind light emission and absorption, the math behind reflection, refraction, and polarization, and we'll touch on the history behind getting all the way from the taming of fire to the ability to carry a laser pointer in your pocket. 

Spanish 6

Latin 1

Japanese 2

Volleyball

Other hands on:

Knitting 3,

Crochet 1,

leatherwork 5

sculpting 7

embroidery1

weaving 1

Service project 10

Work together to find and work on a service project. This group had a good amount of interest and needs a team to lead it.

Social justice 5

Subject test material 3

Poetry -- no outside work 5

Come to class to read and discuss poems together!

Frisbee 10

Come play ultimate Frisbee! Ultimate is a soccer-like sport using a frisbee. No experience is necessary, although being willing to learn how to throw and catch a frisbee is a plus! We play casually, no experience is necessary.

Ballroom Dance 2

Self Defense -- no mats 5

Yoga 3

Yoga time is time to move your body around. Practice yoga poses, which are precise shapes and forms some of which date back to the Middle Ages. We'll move in time with our breathing and with the intention to both stretch and strengthen our bodies and minds. Included in the practice will be brief meditation, conscious breathing, and a time for resting at the end of each class.

Meditation 5

Newspaper 4

Engineering challenges 6

Working in groups with Google to answer challenge questions 6

Based on the work of Sugata Mitra, kids will work in groups with an internet connected computer to come up with answers to complex questions. All work will be done during class time. These are some of Mr. Mitra's TED Talks, for context https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education : https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves

Mock Trial 7

Role Playing Game 10 (see also Savage Worlds)

Dungeons and Dragons

Genetics 5

Ornithology

Learn about birds! We will go out to see what we can see, and discuss different types of birds, their adaptations and habitats. We may color and do some hands on activities as well.

Savage Worlds RPG

A very simple, highly accessible role playing game perfect for people who may not be the most hardcore geeks or just want to try it out for the first time. The rule system is very simple, tailor made to keep bookkeeping and number crunching to a minimum. Minimum 4 people, 13+. I will run one of 3 genres of game.

Necessary Evil: In a world where superheros have been blown to kingdom come by an invading alien fleet, the only people powerful enough to take on the aliens are the villains! Design your own custom villain or map one directly from your favorite comic, movie, tv show or video game and join the Omega Resistance to beat back the V'Sori occupation of earth.

Rippers: Stalk the creatures of the night, or become one! The Rippers are a world spanning organization dedicated to fighting the forces of darkness in the year 1893, harness the power of steam, electricity, magic, and even the Ripped organs of the monsters you hunt to become a defender of humanity.

(My personal favorite) Last Parsec: Faster-than-light travel has finally allowed humanity to spread beyond its lonely corner of the Milky Way. In the depths of space these explorers found millions of star systems, strange planets, and exotic alien races. Centuries later, they form the Known Worlds, a vital region of trade and technology where empires grow and business thrives.

It is an unparalleled age. Cutting edge science has opened limitless frontiers of space and consciousness, and has even begun to hint at the mysteries of the universe itself. But to find them, one must travel beyond the familiar, to the last parsecs of reality.

Featuring:

Custom alien races

Custom starships

Custom vehicles

Custom power armor

Custom Cybertech implants

Custom mechs and walkers.

Documentaries

Come to class to watch a <1hr documentary each week

TED Talks

Come to class to watch TED Talks together and discuss them.

Starship Artemis

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month! With company and support, set a writing goal for yourself and work toward it in the month of November. Prior to November we'll talk about novels, and read one. During November we'll use study group time to talk through any issues we're having, continue to learn about noveling, and to write, write, write!