In the beginning of the school year, the children in the East Wing toured the areas and began familiarizing themselves with the spaces. In the building space, they were particularly interested in the recycled materials and how they connect. They began rolling a skate wheel down their constructions pushing it to go further and further.
Sam discovers the materials in the East Wing building space.
After several weeks, the children began altering their ‘machines’ for demolition outcomes.
Flora provoked them with a new design, raising the height of the ‘machine’. This lead to the children’s analyzing why certain ‘machines’ kept falling: balance, they thought.
The teachers met and poured through notes and video. We came upon a wonder question: If demolition is the goal, will the children embrace the concepts of construction?
We began to research with the children. Beginning with discovering what they knew about balance.
Dashiell: “You have to move it a little.” Find equilibrium.
Sam: “What if you make a tube with a platform on top then put the tube in a hole?” Create foundation.
Miles: “You stick your arms out like this.” Utilize symmetry.
Flora: “What does balancing look like?” She gave the group paper and pen.
Amy: “Tell me about your drawing Miles.”
Miles: “That’s brother. He’s not balancing.”
Amy: “Why is your brother not balancing? What makes him unbalanced?”
Miles: “His arms are not straight out but mine are.”
While Amy and Miles discussed his drawing, Julian (Miles’ brother) had one foot not touching the line. When she pointed this out to Miles, he said that was another reason he was not balancing and drew a foot for Julian to touch the line.
With this information, we learned that they had no vocabulary for the concepts of equilibrium, symmetry, weight distribution or foundations but had a familiarity with them. Flora, Kris, and Amy met to reconsider the environment and how it could support this investigation in the East Wing. Watch the area behind the cubbies for new materials and notes on this journey of discovery. We predict that through their goal of demolition, they will embrace the concepts of construction and expand their expressive capabilities through materials and vocabulary, confront mathematical considerations of angle, symmetry, velocity and measurements of distance and time.