Homework & News

Construction & Design

All of the students have now started to plan their project. Some of them have finished this stage already and are currently beginning to work on their projects.

I encourage you to talk to your child about the project they have selected and how they plan on approaching it.

These are the topics / questions we are requiring as part of the planning:

1. Why are you making your project? (is there a problem you are trying to solve or purpose you are trying to resolve)
2. What are you making?
3. Questions (What do you think you need to know to be able to begin working on your project)
   1. Answers to these questions
4. How are you going to build/construct your project (Write out each step for your project)
5. Design
   1. Sketch with all measurements
   2. Tools and materials list

Life Skills

Please make sure to review the high school course registration confirmation sheets and send in any changes that are needed.

We will be starting to explore what we consider the “ideal” and also will begin discussing topics related to human sexuality.

Today you were given the task of creating a presentation on a specific drug that your group selected. You are asked to include the following:

• Name of drug (scientific, common, and street names)
• Where it is made
• How it is made
• Picture of the drug
• Physical effects
  • find pictures if you can
• Psychological effects
• Long term effects
• Cost
• Any other information you think is important

You will have class time on Wednesday, March 4 to work on this and we will be presenting the following Wednesday, March 11

As we move forward in Construction and Design the Grade 7 and 8 students are going to get a small, be that very small, taste of a number of different disciplines so that they can be better informed when selecting their own projects.

They will have an opportunity to work in 3D design, programming, robotics, and wood & metal working. Below are links to the software/applications that we have discussed or are working with.

3D Design (All of this software is free and can either be downloaded or accessed through the student CBE Google Accounts)

• TinkerCad
• 123D Design
• 3D Tin
• Sketchup
• Autodesk Inventor

Programming

• Code.org
• CodeCademy
• Scratch
• Alice

Robotics

• EV3 Software Download (This is the Home version not the Educational version but they are essentially the same)

Woodworking & Metalworking

• You will be selecting a piece of plywood that is 11.5cm x 11.5cm x 0.6cm big and also a piece of metal that is 5 cm by 7.5 cm large.
• You will need to cut, sand, drill, and burn the wood and cut, punch, and rivet the metal. You are to create a design that will incorporate all of these things and also combine the two pieces.

Grade 9 

• We began working on a design challenge based around Tom Baines school. This is a start to something that we will be doing over the next few classes.
• Thank you to 9B who put up with me as I piloted an activity with them. We realized very quickly that this activity may be better suited for much older students.

• Today we began looking at Design Thinking and the creative process by exploring the creation of a representative name tag.
• Please finish your Prototype for next class and remember that you need to have your name on your name tag and it cannot be any larger than 8cm x 8cm x 4cm.
• Below is the process that we went through
  • Empathy – Determine/brainstorm things that represent you
  • Define – Narrow down ideas (blend/combine/group)
  • Ideate – What can you do with your ideas?
  • Define – Pick one of your concepts
  • Prototype – Design/plan the concept in detail (include drawings. measurements, and materials)
  • Test – Have at at least two other people give you critical and constructive feedback
  • Prototype – Start making your name tag.