2014-2015 Focus on Architecture
Part of a five year plan for Beacon Heights Elementary involves integrating the engineering and design processes of Architecture into our Visual Art, Social Studies, Science, Math, Language Arts, and Technology studies. We are collaborating with local architects to develop concepts and projects that will be experienced by all grade levels. Our ultimate goal is to design a sustainable bus shelter that the students will "market" to the community and local government for fabrication.
We will start the year with a faculty focus is on the five filters of Architecture with architect Stephen Smith. The trainings will not only support k-6 moving toward the design process of engineering, but also help Donna Pence (the art teacher) with a project involving the 4-6 grade students. Donna will be working with the fourth graders of last year/newly fifth graders, to continue the design process with their bus shelter project, hopefully with the help of two additional architects, Anne Robinson and Jessica Batty. If we are accepted into the professional architecture organization’s program, we will be able to give fourth graders an opportunity to work with architects who will help them understand what goes into planning a city, culminating is a city design that will be displayed at the city library (Box City). This year, will be a pilot to see if we can get some STEAM going for Engineering/Design process. With these new items, Donna will try to incorporate this work into the art space, integrated with science, literacy, or social studies. Dierdre will try to incorporate in the science space. Fourth graders will still design their bus shelters, but with more intent on finishing the design in their fifth grade year, 2015-16. K-3, this year will allow you to dabble in the design process and if time permits, an architect to help you kick off your lessons, or give you support when you need some help. Part of the work will also require writing in non-fiction areas. We are hoping our older students will become involved in presenting to the mayor’s office and the UTA to petition for some changes that the students want developed (persuasive and informational writing at its finest!). This whole project falls under the “project based learning model.” As technology continues to be a greater part of our teaching work, the trend is to work project-based to incorporate several disciplines so that students are able to see how their learning fits with the real world of work. Power Points accompany the lesson plans that are categorized by age group on the Architecture sub-pages. The attached documents are our proposed five year plan and web resources. |
fACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE FIVE FILTERSOn August 21st, 2014, Principal Rae Louie scheduled a professional development workshop at the Museum of Natural History that featured guest speakers Stephen B. Smith and Valerie Nagasawa from GSBS Architecture (the firm that built our school). The faculty at Beacon Heights learned about Mr. Smith's Five Filters of Design Decision Making and were then given a tour of the Museum as only Ms. Nagasawa, the Architectural project manager of the building, could do. We were shown first hand, how the filters influenced the design process of this beautiful piece of architecture.
It was a wonderful experience and a great opportunity to take what we have learned and apply it in the classroom. Fifth Grade ArchitectureOn September 5th, Anne Robinson and Jessica Batty, the two Architects that will be working with the fifth grade, met with us at Beacon. Along with fifth grade teachers Stevie Woodland and Tina Dinh, Principal Rae Louie, and Art Specialist Donna Pence, We discussed the next steps that we would like to take that would give the students an authentic project-based learning opportunity in the classroom while tying to the academic fifth grade core and the fifth grade art core. We learned a lot from Ms. Robinson and Ms. Batty about the process involved in getting a public structure built, and while building a shelter is still our ultimate goal, we have opted to work on building a bench for the outdoor classroom first.
Preliminary work in the artroom has us focusing on one point perspective and architectural drawing in preparation for the work that we will be doing with the Architects in the classroom. |
architecture_and_cityscapes.pptx | |
File Size: | 3753 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
history_of_architecture.docx | |
File Size: | 413 kb |
File Type: | docx |
revision_c_5_year_plan_beacon_heights_elementary_school_1.docx | |
File Size: | 39 kb |
File Type: | docx |
cb_17h.architecture_web_resources.doc | |
File Size: | 65 kb |
File Type: | doc |