Learning Element

This Learning Element is for one part of the Dream Home project in which students will use smartblueprinter.com to design their dream homes.

Up until now students have completed a unit called Covering and Surrounding in CMP2.  They have will have begun drawing their dream homes by hand using the symbols and tools architects would have used prior to the advances in digital technology.  They will be creating a floor plan of their homes with minimal requirements in terms of design, however, the must include all necessary dimensions, follow a scale of one inch equaling four feet, and determine the quantity and cost of various materials.

The digital blueprints will have the same requirements.  Students will use either netbooks which are available on carts or, if scheduling allows, the school’s computer lab.

 Teacher Resource

1.)          Learning Focus: creating a digital blueprint

•    Knowledge Domain: Basic Geometry

•    Scope of Learning: Area, Perimeter, Scale, and Measurement

•    Learning Level: 6th Grade

•    Prior Knowledge: Basic knowledge of units of measure, basic home design and layout, computation skills in all operations involving decimals, area and perimeter of rectangles

•    Mode of Meaning: floor plans

2.) Knowledge Objectives

▪   Find the area and perimeter of appropriate aspects of a home.

▪   Determine the quantity of materials needed to decorate appropriate aspects of a home based on area or perimeter

▪   Determine the cost of materials

▪   Convert measures front one unit to another.

▪   Write reflections to describe student learning and real-world connections.

▪   Use technology to create floor plans and to publish, share, and comment on reflections

3.) Knowledge Processes

a) Experiencing the known: Using what students know about their own homes and experiences remodeling or redecorating, students will be able to develop a deeper understanding of area and perimeter and their potential uses.

b) Experiencing the new: Students will create a floor plan using common architectural symbols.  They will also need to develop a sense of space by comparing rooms in their own homes to the rooms they have designed in their new home.  Students will complete a packet that details the area and perimeter of each room, the cost and amount of flooring, walling covering, and baseboard trim.  They will be given costs of various materials in whole units and be expected to make the appropriate conversions to report their budgets.

c) Conceptualizing by naming: Students will list what they have learned about area and perimeter in their reflections.  They will be expected to discuss scale and explain how it is used in their designs.  They will also create and label interior and exterior dimensions for their homes 

d) Conceptualizing with theory: Students will create rooms and write about a sense of space.  For example students should come to realize the reasons why rooms are created in the particular sizes.  A extremely large kitchen makes the homeowner waste steps when cooking.  Doors and windows need to be placed in certain areas to allow for movement and light.

e) Analyzing functionally:  Students will create both a digital and hand-drawn floor plan and display chosen design features such as paint color and style of flooring.

f) Analyzing critically: Students will critically analyze their work through a written reflection that will be shared on Edmodo.  Students are expected to respond to their classmates at least two times during the assignment posting.  Responses will be expected to move the conversation forward and will not be simple affirmations or critiques. 

 4.) Knowledge Outcomes

▪   Understanding of area and perimeter will be demonstrated through computations in the dream home packet and as described on student floor plans

▪   Reflections will allow students to display what they have learned through the process and how they may understand area and perimeter differently as well as their uses.

▪   Students will use a variety of new technologies to explore basic geometry concepts and display their learning

▪   Students have access to a website created solely for this project.  Rubrics, extensions, samples of student work are also available on the site.

5.) Learning Pathways

This project is a good lead into basic understanding of three-dimensional geometry.  It also develops practice with decimal operations and ratios & proportions which are topics that follow this unit.

6.) About this Learning Element

By creating hand-drawn and digital floor plands students will develop a deeper understanding of area, perimeter, and scale.  They will experiment with size and shape while getting a taste of some of the skills an architect or designer must possess.  Using various modes of technology students will be able to compare old and new ways of design. At the same time, students will have the opportunity to publish their thoughts on their learning and the process on a teacher-facilitated social networking site.