Does constructing a minature building sound hard?
How about if you have to make it to scale?
How about if you can only use cardboard?
Challenge Accepted!
That's what 6th grade Artovators were challenged with in the "Miniature Building Challenge"!
This is truly Project Based Learning at its best. Want to know more about PBL?
Click Here!
We started off this challenge with a discussion and exploration about neighborhoods. Specifically, 6th graders compared and contrasted a neighborhood or block across three settings; urban, suburban, and rural. After creating sketches of their houses and buildings, Artovators learned about ratio and scale and how they can use these concepts to create a realistic miniature house.
This great PBS video gives a wonderful explanation of scale and ratio in model buildings.
Finally students got to work. They first chose the correct ratio (based on door heights) for the style of their building. For example a single family house might be a 1:3 ratio where as an apartment building might be a 1:9 ratio or higher!
Then these 6th grade artovators set out to create structures, textures,
unique features all in cardboard.
They needed to finish all sides of their buildings before assembling the structure.
Their attention to detail is what really got me!
The two buildings below feature a roof top pool and a
falling apart structure inspired by the Irish countryside.
Here are a few images of finished buildings.
I am so impressed with their work!
Many Artovators assured me that even though this project was a LOOOOONG one,
they would do it again!
Next year I'm thinking of having them research a building or home from a culture totally different than where we live.
What would you like to see in a cardboard building challenge?!
