Activities
Timeline & Narrative
Week One
- Day 1 - Intro to Triangles
- Warm Up Question, "Where do you see triangles in your everyday lives?"
- Lecture about similar & congruent triangles and equilateral & isosceles triangles
- Paired up students and gave them a category, like sports or fashion, to create a simple 2 minute Microsoft PowerPoint presentation about triangles in that topic
- Students presented their PowerPoint presentations that same day
- Warm Up Question, "Where do you see triangles in your everyday lives?"
- Day 2 - Intro to Right Triangles
- Popsicle Stick Activity
- Teams of 4 students are given 30 popsicle sticks
- Have students use 12 popsicle sticks to create a right triangle with no overlapping sticks
- A 3, 4, 5 triangles should be the outcome
- Discuss Pythagorean Theorem
- Have student use all 30 popsicle sticks to try to come up with the 5, 12, 13 triangle
- Have them use the Pythagorean Theorem to check their formations
- Teams of 4 students are given 30 popsicle sticks
- Hand out assignment that covers Day 1 & 2 lectures
- Hand out Project Sheet to discuss the Urban Tree Project
- Discuss Rubric
- Popsicle Stick Activity
- Day 3 - The Objectivity Within Subjectivity
- Warm up Question, "Does math & science influence artistic expression?"
- Students are paired up and are given the opportunity to discuss the project with their partners
- Set a deadline for the end of the week for the students to turn in a sketch of a tree design with a list of materials needed to complete the model
- Assignment from previous day can be worked on in class to be turned in at the end of the period
- Tutoring during lunch
- Warm up Question, "Does math & science influence artistic expression?"
- Day 4 - Intro to Trigonometry
- Lecture on sine, cosine, & tangent and 30/60/90 and 45/45/90 triangles
- Go over how to use the different types of calculators
- Hand out assignment covering sine, cosine, and tangent
- As teams finalize their designs, hand out provided materials and tools for construction, like the bamboo skewers and glue guns
- Lecture on sine, cosine, & tangent and 30/60/90 and 45/45/90 triangles
- Day 5
- Check each team's Tree Design and Gathered Materials
- Students could finish up assignment and work on project
- Students are told to email the teacher about the project so far and initial thoughts of working with their partner
- Quiz Day
- Check each team's Tree Design and Gathered Materials
Week Two
- Day 1 - Real World Connection
- If possible, take the students on a field trip to public art in the area
- The Port of San Diego gave the students a tour and also showed them submitted Urban Tree Models of 200 artists
- Students see first hand what is expected with the presentation boards
- If possible, take the students on a field trip to public art in the area
- Day 2 - Trigonometry Continued
- Lecture more about Trigonometry & Pythagorean Theorem
- Hand out more complex assignment
- Set the expectation that by the end of the week the tree should be all glued together
- During the build the students should be keep track of the steps in creating the model
- Lecture more about Trigonometry & Pythagorean Theorem
- Day 3 - Windload Calculation
- Discuss the windload calculation
- Segue into Newton's Law concerning statics and dynamics
- Introductory lecture about vectors and components
- Tutoring during lunch
- Discuss the windload calculation
- Day 4-5 - Testing Time Management
- Complete Fabrication of Urban Tree Model
- Create Instructions on Construction
- Complete more complex Trigonometry assignment by end of week
- Quiz Day
- Complete Fabrication of Urban Tree Model
Week Three
- Day 1 - First Out the Gates
- Hopefully a team pulls ahead over the weekend to either paint their model or work on the presentation board like Genuinely Christmas shown in the section on Sample Student Work
- Students are reminded of the deliverable due by the end of the week
- Lecture about surface area and volume
- Students could take estimates of surface area and volume on their models for the presentation board
- Allow for Team time to go over the Week's to do's
- Hopefully a team pulls ahead over the weekend to either paint their model or work on the presentation board like Genuinely Christmas shown in the section on Sample Student Work
- Day 2 - More Physics
- Lecture about balanced weight & normal force for statics
- Show how to draw Free Body Diagrams
- Students should relate this info to their urban trees and use for presentation board
- Lecture about balanced weight & normal force for statics
- Day 3-5 - Home Stretch
- Do a straightforward physics assignment
- Do peer critiques to review Math & Physics principles on presentation board
- Allow time for revision
- Complete Presentation Board with Artist Notes
- Potentially push back deadline for the following week to give another weekend
- Do a straightforward physics assignment
Post-Project Activities
Depending on the participation from outside individuals (outside students and faculty) the following post project options are possible:
- The students could vote for categories (Most Creative, Best Presentation, etc.) and have Student Choice Awards.
- All the models could be put on display with a paper for onlookers to write comments.
- The faculty could vote for the top three (3) or six (6) purely on appeal.
- If the budget permits, then a Full-Scale model could be created with the students. The art sculpture could be located on campus.
- If the opportunity arises, then the Full-Scale model could be placed in a public setting approved by the City for temporary exposure.