Seeing Prisms in Architecture and Imagining Buildings in our Cities
Royal Vale Elementary, 2018
This lesson plan was taught to a grade four class at Royal Vale elementary. It exposed students to two works of architecture and their authors and enables them to appreciate these structures with respect to their aesthetic qualities and their function. The architects presented were I.M. Pei and Moshe Safdie. The structures presented were the Louvre Pyramid and Habitat 67. Another goal of this lesson plan was for students to review certain geometry concepts learned in grade 2 as well as some they had seen at the beginning of grade four.
The Ministry of Education of Quebec’s “Progression of Learning in Elementary School” was used as a guide in determining the concepts to be reviewed. A list of vocabulary words relating to geometry were reviewed with students. During an introductory lecture, students were asked to identify prisms in the buildings they were shown. They were also asked to make free observations about what other aesthetic qualities they observed (e.g. the building is shiny, the building has holes in it). This exercise in observation is designed to promote careful examining of works of architecture, pondering of their design, and general appreciation for them. A subsequent short lecture and discussion period enabled students to reflect on how the aesthetic and functional elements are related in the architectural works presented. Directed discussion also provided the opportunity for students to reflect and share their knowledge and points of view on how several buildings that they know serve communities. Students were then be asked to formulate a question to ask one or both of the architects about their choices in designing their buildings. This question was meant to crystallize discoveries made on points of curiosity peeked during the discussion period. This crystallized reflection aided students in their next task, which was to design their own building.
After this first class, students were given homework. They were given the task to design a building in the shape of a prism of their choice. They also wrote a text of 50 words explaining why they chose this prism and how the shape of their building relates to the function of their building. They also provided reasons why they made this choice aesthetically. A handout, provided in class, helped them keep certain key questions, terms, and ideas in mind as they thought about this. This handout was meant to serve as a reminder of the contents of the lecture but also as a creative prompt for students as they processed what they had learned, hopefully using new concepts to creatively problem solve in designing a building that serves a functional purpose and is aesthetically pleasing (in their eyes). It was emphasized that in thinking of the functional purpose of their building, students should consider which community this building would serve and how. Students were also asked to find or draw three images or more of buildings they liked. The objective with this request was for students to experience searching through images they find appealing and building a visual repertoire from which to pluck creatively.
The next two classes focused on reviewing and integrating students’ knowledge of prisms. They used this knowledge to draw a rudimentary technical plan of their buildings. That is, students drew a geometric net for the prism they chose to make their building from. This served as a kind of blueprint for their building. Geometric nets are one the notions listed in the “Progression of Learning in Elementary School” for fourth grade. At this level, students should be able to draw a geometric net and match it to a prism. Cut outs of different geometric shapes were handed out to students to aid them in the process of recalling how to draw a net. They had learned about geometric nets earlier int he year. Two classes were given to students to work on the design of their building so as to give them a lot of time to think and plan. In addition to giving them time to properly review and intergrade geometric concepts, this layered approach also shows students good work ethic. The point was stressed in class that devoting time to think of something before jumping to action produces good work. Ideas can come to one over time. Since the lesson plan was divided over many weeks, students had the opportunity to take their thoughts home. This hopefully enabled them to seek ideas in their every day lives and perhaps look at the architecture around them more closely. This is an important part of the creative process and one I wished to expose students to through this lesson. Transferring material learnt in Geometry into a creative architectural endeavour promotes deeper understanding of these concepts. Inversely, seeing architecture through the lens of geometry is also likely to lead to more insight and deeper appreciation. The fourth class focused on the actual building of the 3D prism. Students worked on their dexterity in making a 3D structure with masking tape and constructionpaper. The notion of enjoying the fruits on thoughtful and well paned out work was stressed.
During the last class, students came together in teams. Each team brought their buildings together and thought of a name for a city that would represent their joint work. Each team then presented their city and explained the choices behind the name they decided on. After each presentation a discussion period allowed their peers and myself to ask the team questions. This final activity was meant to bring together all of the concepts thought about during this project and to get students thinking in terms of community and the benefits and responsibilities involved in being a member of a community (large or small).