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toothpicks, 3/4" foam balls or peas, worksheets, vocabulary list, teacher extensions, and rubric

Sharpened pencils, 11" x 17" white paper for drawings and math problem-solving (2 sheets per student)

"¢ teaching artist needs blackboard space (whiteboard or smart board) to draw and write concepts
"¢ teaching artist needs a supply table and separate demonstration table
"¢ classroom desks need to face blackboard (students should not have their backs to teaching artist)

I can design and build a self supporting structure. I can create plan view and elevation drawing of my structure and record its length, width, and height dimensions. I can calculate the structure's perimeter and area (per grade level state standards requirements).

Students make models of 3-dimensional structural frames using toothpicks and foam balls. They learn the purpose of a building's structural frame and identify the structural elements in their school building. Students learn about the materials and methods of building construction. They explore 2-dimensional shapes and 3-dimensional forms. Using this learning they create multi-level 3-dimensional structures. Students execute isometric drawings of their models and create elevation and plan view drawings. They measure the height and width of their structures and record the information on their drawings. Perimeter and area problem-solving is possible.

Students compare the systems of a building (structural, heating/ventilating/air-conditioning) with the systems of the human body (skeletal, circulatory). Working in teams, they explore structural concepts (tension and compression), using their own bodies to act out concepts.
The students' grade level determines the complexity of concepts and drawings as the designed world becomes the thematic foundation for curriculum subjects.

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