AUTHOR: Leslie Gonzales, WCI, White City, Oregon

Date: 1994

Grade Level(s): 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Subject(s):

• Mathematics/Applied Math

This activity is designed to show students that cost, time, planning, modeling, designs, teamwork, and application are important in learning about "real world" construction projects.

Prior Conditions: It's helpful if students have had some experience with cooperative learning.

New Vocabulary: Define free standing structure

OBJECTIVE(s): Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic construction skills by building a free standing structure, using predetermined materials.
2. Compute cost of structure by using multiplication skills or calculator.
3. Identify problems, successes, revisions, and purpose of lesson by group discussion and answering questions on worksheet.

Approximately 20 plastic drinking straws

Approximately 20 straight pins (caution students about safety!!!!)

10 small paper clips

1 roll of masking tape

1 yard/meter stick

1 Free Standing Structure worksheet (listed at the end of the lesson)

1 pencil or pen

1 calculator (optional)

ACTIVITIES:

1. Divide students into groups of 5-6 depending on class size.
2. Each group will need a cleared floor area, and assigned materials.
3. Each group should assign (or be assigned) a spokesperson, math person, recorder, timekeeper. (jobs may be combined)
4. Teacher explains objective and models materials without actually building a structure.
5. Allow 3-4 minutes for groups to brainstorm on how to begin.
6. During building time, math person keeps a tally of material costs.
7. After building time (approx. 30-45 minutes) math person records final structure height and cost.
8. Allow students 5 minutes to discuss questions. Recorder transcribes student responses to worksheet.
9. Spokesperson for each group discusses structure and worksheet questions to whole group.

Refer to overview items for discussion. Students are provided with the opportunity to use/improve critical thinking, math, and cooperative learning skills. Key questions in the activity are #2 and #4 on worksheet.

Useful Internet Resource:
* Building Homes of Our Own - A Reality Based CD-ROM Game
Building Homes of Our Own is an interactive teaching tool developed for the middle school classroom environment. The game presents a macro view of the entire home building process from site selection to final sale. Players will collect information, solve problems and make choices as they build a 3D home against a budget. When complete, players review credit applications and sell to the buyer of their choice. (Building Homes of Our Own is free to educators and members of the National Association of Home Builders.)
http://www.homesofourown.org/default.asp

I. Students work in groups to build a free standing structure. The trick is to build the tallest structure while spending the least amount of money on materials. Students may use only specified materials.

II. Cost of materials are:

• Straws - $1.00 each
• Paper clips - $ .20 each
• Straight pins - $ .10 each
• Masking tape - $ .20 an inch

______ pins x $ .10 = __________
______ paper clips x $ .20 = __________
______ in./cm. tape x $ .20 = __________
______ straws x $1.00 = __________

Height of structure_______________in./cm.

Total cost of structure__________________

IV. After structure is built, students will discuss and answer questions within their group. Spokesperson from each small group will share structures and worksheet questions with whole group.

V. Questions:

1. What was the most difficult part of building the free standing structure?
2. What problems, if any, did you have to solve?
3. What changes, if any, did you make after beginning construction?
4. If you could do it again, what changes, if any, would you make?

May 1994

These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.