Design & Build Your Own City

One of the big projects I do each year with my 8th grade engineering students is to have them design and create their own city.  We start out this unit by talking about city planning, using the city they live in as an example.  We look at some of the design and planning maps and I have some of the city planners come and talk with students to explain what goes in to designing a city.

Our next step it to have the kids choose their team (3-4) and start researching information about city design to build on the knowledge they gained from our speakers.  Each group chooses a city zone to build and designs their city to scale using SketchUp (a free, online CAD program).  They plan with their group regarding what buildings should go in the zone and then determine how they will divide the work to accomplish their goal.  We work with Engneering notebooks for planning along with guide sheets to help them and work logs to keep them all on track.

Once the designs are completed, each team actually builds their zone, utilizing chipboard and a variety of other materials to create their city zone to scale.  I provide materials in the classroom, but sometimes students want something specific that i don't have and I allow them to bring that (if they clear it with me first of course!).

This portion of the project takes us several weeks.  Once all the buildings and decorations have been completed, we work together as a class to combine the buildings to create the end result of a city.  We leave it set up for a few days so that other teachers and students can "visit" the city and admire the hard work!

If you'd like the entire lesson, planning sheets, work logs and student handouts, it is available to download here.

Designing Skyscrapers

Tall buildings and modern designs are fascinating aspects of architecture and engineering, so it is no surprise that students love the idea of learning more about these as they take the role of a designer.  Studying existing buildings, learning about how they are designed to withstand natural disasters while still being aesthetically pleasing, is our starting point for the unit.  As a part of this, students choose a skyscraper of interest to research and then replicate its design using Sketchup (CAD), a free download, to create a scale model.

Empire State Building

Our next lesson lets them use what they've learned to design their own skyscraper, again to scale in Sketchup.  I love seeing the creative ideas they have!

Finally, using a budget and a limited amount of time (just like real engineers!), teams construct a skyscraper together.  The finished product needed to be to scale, and able to withstand both wind and earthquake!

If you'd like to use this lesson with your class, you can obtain the full lesson plan here.

Helping Students Set Goals for the New Semester

For most schools, when students return in January they are not only starting a new year - they are starting a new semester.  This is a chance for them to make some changes in their approach to learning and studying and a great time to talk about goal setting as a part of the first lessons.

"New Year's Resolutions" usually aren't really goals - they are more like "wishes".  Real goals need to be SMART - an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.  Students may have heard of this concept before, or it may be brand new.  

This lesson is great for all ages.  In my 8th grade classroom, I use a combination of small group and individual work with this lesson.  Since my students are at an age where they love to share with their peers, this gives them a chance to discuss what is important to them and get feedback from those they value most (each other!).  

First, we go through the SMART goals as a class:  what they are and why they are different than "hopeful wishes".  Then, they choose a group to work with, grab a piece of chart paper and some colored markers for the group, and start brainstorming.  For this age, letting them choose who they feel comfortable sharing with has worked best for me, but you can use other methods for choosing groups (or partners) too.  I never let them work in a group larger than 4.  In their group, they will brainstorm on goals they might have for things they want to improve, new things they want to try, and things that would help others and enter those on the chart paper.  I time this activity (5-7 minutes) using a free online timer on my SMARTBoard and then have them tape their charts to the wall and we all do a "gallery walk" to see the ideas.

Now it's time for them to work individually on the next part - creating their own personal list of possible goals for the upcoming semester.  I use two different worksheets to guide them through this, to help make their ultimate goal truly SMART!

We revisit this periodically throughout the semester to make sure they are on track to attaining their goal, or revising it if necessary.  If you'd like the full lesson with all the worksheets, printables, and resources, it is available here.

Winter Holiday Cards & Animations

With Winter Holiday break just a few weeks away, it can be tough to keep students engaged in their work.  It doesn't matter whether they celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just being off school for two weeks, they need something fun as we head toward break that still benefits their learning.

This year, I expanded the lesson I usually do to offer a few more choices for students to create a holiday greeting.  Their choices include creating a standard, printable greeting card in Microsoft Word or creating an animated greeting using PowerPoint or Kizoa, a cool new FREE (no need for download!) Web 2.0 tool.  

I have the benefit of each student having their own computer in my room, but all these options could also be completed in partners or on iPads.  

Animation has my 8th graders fascinated this year after an earlier unit where they wrote and animated a Choose Your Own Adventure in PowerPoint.  Lots of them wanted to do more with that and have chosen PowerPoint for this project, but I also have a sizeable percentage that want to try something new in animation and have opted for Kizoa.

If you'd like to do use this with your own students, you can get the full lesson here.

Building a Musical Instrument

One of my students' favorite units is our unit on the Physics of Sound.  Middle schoolers LOVE music, whether they are in the Fine Arts program or just active listeners to their MP3's.  So, when I tell them they are going to have a chance to learn more about those sounds and then design an instrument of their own, they're pretty excited!

We start with learning the physics of sound by doing several online simulations along with some research.  Then, with that knowledge, we learn about sound waves using a Slinky toy.  Be prepared to address potential silliness with this BEFORE the lab.  We always review the difference between having fun and being immature :)  

Designing the instruments, requires some research, but most students jump right in to figuring out how their instrument can be the best.  The instrument needs to be able to play three different notes and repeat those notes three times.  YouTube videos are great for this if your school has access to that.

We used a variety of recycled materials - some that I provided in the classroom and others that students chose to bring themselves.  During the planning and design phase, students draw their project and create a materials list before construction begins.

One of our more interesting final products was this carrot recorder:

If you'd like the full lesson, it is available here to download.

Choose Your Own Adventure Stories with Technology!

Do your students groan when you mention writing?  Even my reluctant writers LOVED this activity!  Choose Your Own Adventure books have always been popular with kids.  The aspect of having control over how the story goes and how it ends has appeal to everyone.  Giving students the chance to write their own AND incorporate technology with it to animate the story got everyone interested!

We started by having students write a draft of their story in Microsoft Word (any word processor will work though).  I teach 8th grade, so I had them write 12 scenes - each scene ends with 2 choices which then branch the story.  After discussing several methods for organizing that on paper (numbering paragraphs, using color, using a chart, etc.) I turned them loose to create.

This wasn't a quiet, writing environment though.  Instead, students were actively engaged not only in writing their story, but sharing as they went with their classmates.  They refined their ideas, tried different ones, and came up with some great stories!

Next, it was time to animate them.  We used Microsoft PowerPoint, but you could also use Google Slides.  After a quick demonstration of changing backgrounds, inserting transitions between slides, including animations on the pictures on each slide, and adding in hyperlinks to take them to the next point in the story, they were off and running.  Again, lots of interaction between students, showing off their ideas to each other and helping each other make it better!

Prior to this project, I have my students do some short tutorial/projects in PowerPoint to learn the basics.  My Information Technology classes are large (32 students) so students know they can't always have my undivided attention and have to help each other too.  We call this 3B4ME - they need to do three things to help themselves BEFORE asking for my help.  I use this poster to remind them (click here for your own free copy!)

If you'd like the full lesson for creating a Choose Your Own Adventure Story, click here to download.

Microsoft Excel Vacation Project

Where would you go on vacation if you were an 8th grader and told you had $5,000 to spend for your week's vacation?  There were some amazing (and creative) destinations in my Information Technology classroom!  Of course there were the kids who wanted to go to Disney World, but many had other plans:  China, Spain, Thailand, and even Switzerland were some of the destinations that showed up in a fun Microsoft Excel project we just finished.

Students researched their destination and determined costs for travel, hotel, meals, and sightseeing.  Then they created their budget in Microsoft Excel to see how they were spending their money.

This was a great culminating activity after we did some short tutorial/projects in Excel to learn the basics.  Students loved comparing destinations and prices and shopping on line for the best airline prices was a great "real life" lesson.  Many spent a lot of time looking for the most luxurious hotel for their money, but a few chose to spend their money elsewhere and opt for cheaper accommodations.

This was a fun, project-based, real-life simulation that showed students the benefit of budgeting and planning, along with learning great skills in Microsoft Excel!  If you'd like the entire lesson for your class, it is available here.

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