The students at our school come from every corner of the globe, and from every corner of the country. We have the children of Coast Guard servicemen and women, nurses, teachers, longshoremen and librarians. Our students come to us speaking 38 different languages. Yet. the thing that all these students share is an insatiable curiosity about how the world works.
I try to further this curiosity by teaching an elective class that exposes the students to skills and interests that they might never encounter otherwise; a course that combines practical use of math and art with a hands-on experience of designing and building models of structures.
My elective is one focused on engineering and architecture.
My Project
Students will design, engineer and build model bridges out of wood, and then progressively add loads to the bridges to test weakness in their designs. The bridge kits provide the raw materials, wood and glue, to construct the bridges. Students will use the Exacto knives and cutting mats to cut the wood samples to match their designs and then use the glue to assemble the pieces. After the bridge models are constructed, we will attach a container that allows us to add weight incrementally until the bridge fails (collapses). Students will then analyze what feature of their bridge gave out, and whether the failure was due to excess compression or tension on any one part. Students will then revise their models to improve the structural integrity of their designs. This project will provide them with the physical materials they need to construct their various designs.
Students will develop practical skills at designing, measuring, cutting and constructing architectural models of bridges, and gain experience in the engineering cycle.
Many of these students have never had real-world experience at measuring and cutting materials other than paper and paste in elementary school. These skills will prove useful in the students' science classes, in any subsequent engineering classes or coursework, and may be applicable in any art electives.
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