Eight-Week Design Journal:
Levering Middle School
7th and 8th Grade
I. The Dome: A structure in Nature
II. Collage Project: Building Types and Materials Based on Climate
III. Sculpting an Animal From Clay
IV. Design an Architectural Plan for Habitat
V. Building Archetype Model for Habitat
VI. Finish Building Archetype Model for Habitat
VII. Making a Site Plan: Presentation of the Grouped Habitats
VIII. Zoo Field Trip
Objective: Introduce basic structural elements in architecture.
Establish a working vocabulary of architectural terms.
Students will know a famous architect (Buck Minster Fuller) who uses dome structure.
Students will plan for a 3D form and establish an assembly line process that is appropriate to
fastest construction as a cooperative group.
Students will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their material.
Act out structures with volunteers from the class.
Motivation: Act out structures with volunteers from the class.
Write the name of the structures on the board and have students brainstorm for
the human counterpart. (Can play this out like the game Pictionary)
Show slides of Fuller's dome, or any built dome structure as an exemplar.
Tell students that they are going to build a life-size dome, call on 4 to sit on
the floor together and mark a perimeter for the dome with tape.
Procedure: Divide students (28) into seven groups of four. The person whose middle initial is closest to the letter Z gets a stack of paper and two roles of tape. Students will roll newspaper sections (lengthwise) into "logs" and tape tightly around the middle. After each group has made at least twenty; the more the better. (Have group names on the board and make this rolling event into a race). The first group with twenty logs moves over to where the tape out line of a triangle is and start jointing the logs together to form the dome. After the dome has been completed and everyone has had an opportunity to sit inside, start to point out the structural elements within the dome form.
Closure: See if students can point out the principles of: Beam, Columns, Frames,
Trusses, and Triangulation in the dome constructed.
Ask students where they might find this structure in nature? :
Is the vaulting structure a comforting space? What culture uses the dome for shelter
and what climate is there? (Have books on Igloos and other vernacular architecture.)
Does this dome relate to math, geometry and why? Why do you think they build domes
for sports arenas, etc.? Why did we roll the paper?
Have the students who finished last in the race carefully fold the dome up to store it.
Materials: Slide projector and Buckminster Fuller slides.
2 grocery bags of newspaper
1 roll of making tape for every 2 students if possible
Duck tape for emergency structural problems
Standards:
Students will make a collage that express a certain climate through material, color and composition.
Students will become familiar with multicultural or vernacular architecture.
To explain how the material choice can be an aesthetically appropriate to a particular landscape.
Students will learn how structural problems are solved according to geography, temperature,
participation and material resources.
Add words to the working vocabulary list that consists of architectural terms.
Students will learn a new architect (Frank Lloyd Wright who designs based on the natural
characteristics of a particular site.
Motivation
Show a few slides of Wright's Falling Water and examples of vernacular architecture.
Review structural terms when showing slides, and start making a list on the board of
materials being used in slide examples.
Procedure
Write four general climates on the board: Arctic rain forest, desert, and deciduous forests.
Assign one of these climates to each student.
Have a large variety of materials for collage process, so students can pick and choose freely.
Pass out precut card board pieces for applying collage bits and pieces.
Suggest that students think about all the elements in their assigned climate to design collage.
Once material choices and composition arrangement has thoughtfully been designed then students
can glue down pieces on cardboard.
Closure:
Put the collages in groups according to their climate theme and evaluate as a group.
Discuss how the materials and design express climate, or not? Are there common ties within the
groups choices? What collages work best and why?
Homework - Find an animal that is found in climate assigned and write down some facts
about this animal and bring in a good image of it next class (Internet or
library services encouraged for research)
Materials
slide projector
card board, tape, glue, and scissors.
Activities: Have kids create store fronts on Bristol board of buildings where stores occupy the first floor and residences occupy the second floor.
Objective: Today the class was asked to name 30 different businesses that would normally exist in a neighborhood. After coming up with 30, the kids were assigned businesses, and each created on Bristol board an elevation that depicts a store on the first floor and an apartment on the second floor. Sam put together a colorful example where he made a restaurant with a front window, a simple arched door and a cut out figure of a person enjoying food in the window. Above this was an entablature with the name of the restaurant, and then above that element was a simple constructed bay window made of creased construction paper to designate the second floor living quarters. They were not necessarily to copy this example, but to use it as a guided of a form of inspiration for their own personal elevations.
Materials Needed: Bristol board, construction paper, glue scissors,
colored pencils and crayons, old magazines.
Standards:
To represent an animal out of clay that lives in student's assigned climate.
To understand the idea of scale and proportion.
Students will relate the armature of an animal as the structure for the animal, as a
structure relating to architecture.
Students will learn the skills of working with clay and wire
Students will shape an animal in the round
Students will learn the eating, sleeping, personality and gesture of an animal
through library and internet research.
Students will learn the new architect of the week, Bruce Goff, who designs
organic architecture in the dessert climate of New Mexico.
Motivation:
Show some slides of real animals and sculpted animals in zoos and works by Bruce Goff
Have students present their researched animals in climate groups.
Procedure:
Have students huddle around to watch teacher demonstrate the building of an armature.
Show how one can make stick drawing of the animal to help create a plan for the armature.
Tell students that the armature is like the skeleton in the animal that holds it up.
If their animal is very small they may not need an armature.
Once the structure is built show students how they can now pose their animal into
a character gesture and some ideas about how they want the final pose.
If the animal is going to be placed in the sleeping quarters of the habitat,
then they should think of posing it as if it were sleeping.
Show students how to knead clay, roll it and add to develop the major masses and
shapes of the animal.
After masses are established show how to define animal by cutting away, puling
and pushing clay out with tools to finish animal.
Students can add final touches by adding other materials like beads for the eyes or yarn
for tails (This step can be omitted if animals are intended to be fired)
Closure:
Students will clean areas and wrap their animal so it doesn't dry overnight
Students can huddle around and try to imitate the sound that their animal makes if any.
Try to get students to discuss their animals up close and personal, see if they can discuss
its character as if it were human.
Extension: This lesson could relate to a history lesson on studying the sculpture of animals through out time and cultures. One could do a lesson on the animal as a symbol, or as an architectural element that protects like a gargoyle. This is the start of creating a habitat for this new object/animal that they have created. It could extend into a lesson on gesture.
Materials:
tape player for background nature of animal tapes while students are working
appropriate armature wire, wood or cardboard for bases, clay or sculpy, stapler or
nails to steady posed animal.
Standards:
To understand the process of beginning the design process and sketching out some plans
or ideas for the animals habitat
Students must include and use materials that relate to their assigned climate.
Students will understand the purpose of a habitat and will include these elements in their design.
Students will be solving the problem of building a three dimensional model
Students will learn how to draw a floor plan
Students will learn about the history and design of the Phila. Zoo
Motivation:
Show slides of animals in man-made habitats at zoos.
Demonstrate how Mr. John (the team architect) might go about planning his design
for a habitat or any building of that matter.
Procedure:
Pass out a large piece of paper that is folded into four sections and pencils to each student.
Have students write the elements of their assignment onto the divided paper
Now that they all the info they can start drawing out a plan on paper after John's demonstration.
Students will be continuing to sketch ideas on paper or tracing paper. They can move onto what
the main elevation will look at, stress that their has to be a place where the people can view
the animals.
Students will go home with a sketch book that will file their ideas concerning the project.
Students will work with teacher about getting the materials. There should be a limit to three
dominant materials.
Closure:
Students will come together at the end in their climate groups and discuss their ideas one by
one together.
Extension:
This lesson is to teach the students how to get their thoughts and procedures organized
before they start building the habitats. It is a lesson on brainstorming and finding not
one but many solutions to solving a problem. It is a prep period for the following
construction periods that will take place in the next two classes.
Materials:
slide projector and tape player for background nature of animal sound tapes while
students are working.
White paper, pencils, pens, markers, rulers, tracing paper.
Example materials for students to get inspired from.
Standards:
Students will understand the drawings that explains how model is built.
Students must include and use materials that relate to their assigned climate.
Students will understand the purpose of a habitat and will include these elements in their design.
Students will be solving the problem of building a three dimensional model.
Students will review the human archetype per climate.
Students will decorate all sides of building.
Motivation:
Show slides of the four archetypes.
Show exemplar of built model.
Procedure:
Pass out index card and have students first write their climate, archetype and animal.
Second have them write their name, age, and date.
Divide into appropriate groups, and pass out model kits.
Have everyone find the floor piece to their model. Tell students to draw plan for their
habitat on board with pencil.
Demonstrate how to make interior walls with scrap board and other materials.
Demonstrate how to use oil pastels, then pass them out to each group. Tell them that
they have to color at least three surfaces in model kit.
Students will go home with a sketch book that will file their ideas concerning the project.
Closure:
Students will come together at the end in their climate groups an discuss their ideas
one by one together. Materials:
Link to sculpting exercise and vocabulary Standards:
Students will make design designs as a collective group. Motivation:
A short lecture on landscape design and urban planner, Benjamin Franklin. Procedure:
Students get into appropriate groups. Closure:
Layout each presentation and discuss. Ask questions like: Was it hard to work
around the sit challenge? Is their one that is organized like Ben Franklin's?
How does the landscaping work with the individual buildings? Extension:
The lay out organizational process is similar to a lesson on newspaper
layout and graphic design lessons. Students could take this project and
transfer the same skill over to a graphic lesson on designing a brossure
for the habitat community. Materials:
Slide projector and tape player for background nature of animal sound tapes
while students are working.
Students will clean any mess and put loose pieces of project in envelope with their name on it.
Students will experience large scale drawing.
Students will learn about concepts of urban planning.
Students will develop presentation skills.
Students will develop organizational and lay out space planning.
Students will learn about their citiesŐ urban planner, Benjamin Franklin.
Each group draws from a hat, picking their site specific challenge!
Pass out the explanation of site challenge, and instruct each group that they
must include this obstacle in their site presentation boards.
Allow ten minutes of group discussion and planning before passing out materials.
Pass out the large sheets of brown paper and pencils. Explain to them that this
paper is similar to their interior floor plans and that they are really making
a kind of map.
Have students number their habitat that correspond with the foot print on the
brown paper.
Students will color plan with tempera paint if possible or other drawing
materials and add scrap materials for dimension.
tempera paint, paper towels, brushes and newspaper paper, pencils, oil
pastels, rulers, scrap materials.
Teacher: Lana Perry
Architects: John Thompson
Student: Jill Arrison (University of the Arts)
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