Now that the fall session of Creator's Studio has come to an end, and the spring session won't begin until March, I move into a flexible time which allows for more classroom support as teachers and students begin to make more use of PIRL. It is exciting to see History, Science and English classes use the PIRL spaces to work on specific curricular projects.
The 7th grade history students study Ancient Chinese inventions and are then given the opportunity to build a replica of said invention. Projects this year included bridges, a cross-bow, an axe, a sword, shields, helments, and body armor. Some projects were laser cut, while others were 3D designed and printed. Some students used a combination of these tools, while others built catapults using low-tech tools such as saws, drills and duct tape.
The 7th grade history students study Ancient Chinese inventions and are then given the opportunity to build a replica of said invention. Projects this year included bridges, a cross-bow, an axe, a sword, shields, helments, and body armor. Some projects were laser cut, while others were 3D designed and printed. Some students used a combination of these tools, while others built catapults using low-tech tools such as saws, drills and duct tape.
The 8th grade science class utilized the resources in PIRL and PIRL Terrace to work on their their annual physics project, a Rube Goldberg-esque design that looks to demonstrate a number of physics concepts such as acceleration, velocity, momentum, and more. During Physics Build Day we have forty 8th graders, a half-dozen faculty, and numerous parent volunteers working together to complete these group projects. Once projects are finalized, later in the week, each group puts their work on display during a showcase for students in other grade levels to enjoy and learn from.
In 6th and 7th grade English students were asked to create an object to visually represent an important part of a book they were reading. Many students chose to work in TinkerCAD to create a model for 3D printing. Others designed in Illustrator for output on the laser cutter.
Students in 5th grade science are currently building seismometers to measure different intensity levels on a shake table as they study the science behind earthquakes.
Students in 5th grade science are currently building seismometers to measure different intensity levels on a shake table as they study the science behind earthquakes.
While much of this work could be completed without PIRL and PIRL Terrace, the quality and variety of projects benefit from the tools, the materials and the work environment available through these two innovation spaces.
