Gettin' Sketchy With It!

Third grade GATES students at Lakeview Elementary have been focused on Architectural Design. As an introduction to their learning, Mrs. Blake read aloud Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty. They also spent time researching famous structures around the world using various depth and complexity icons to identify patterns, details, and how their structure has ethically impacted the environment. This then led into an architectural details hunt, where students viewed houses and identified exterior details from their research. Their language of the discipline deepened throughout this initial study as students prepared to design their own city.

With inspiration from Iggy Peck’s Blue River Creek Challenge (found in the Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book) students began focusing on attributes of a town and what it should include. The components outlined in the book included: school, library, factory, office buildings, shops, city hall, zoo, fire/police stations, and a building design of their choice (ex: a church or museum). Students set to work on creating their own town with the outlined parameters. As part of the project requirements, they were tasked with creating both an aerial and street view rendition of their town.

As part of their studies, experts from the field visited their classrooms. Brandon Blake, from Blake Architects, visited to discuss the design process from the architect’s perspective. He showed students examples of blueprints and models from projects he’s personally been a part of. These artifacts provided an up close look at how important scale images and models are to both the client and the builder. Blueprints and scale models allow both parties to visualize the client’s request and identify areas that need additional attention to detail. He stressed the importance of getting to know the client and understanding their vision. 

Lisa Payne, Town Planner in the Community Development department in the Town of Trophy Club, also visited to discuss urban planning. She deepened their thinking by sharing the importance of long range planning that is mindful of the community and its resources. Relevant information was introduced as she spoke about future projects planned for the Town of Trophy Club. One of the projects specifically shared was the Byron Nelson Field House, currently under construction. Knowing that many of these third graders will one day utilize that facility brought much excitement to the room. 

During both of these visits, students were able to ask the experts questions that would lead them to be more successful in their own design process. They developed a language of the discipline that would be carried with them throughout the project. It was especially neat to watch students roll up their “blueprints” in true architect form, just as they saw Mr. Blake do during his visit. Annabell said she has enjoyed this study because, “as a little kid you might want to grow up to be an engineer and this project is a really great start”. Providing relevant, real world experiences for students can open the doors to so many possibilities. 

Initial designs were done by hand on paper as students made decisions for how their town would be mapped out. Once their drafts were complete, it was time to begin digitizing them. Google Sketch Up was the tool selected for students. Sketch Up is a 3D modeling tool that proved to be the perfect solution for bringing their towns to life. As a way to familiarize students, Sketch Up provides a curriculum of tutorials for all levels. Students were introduced to the tool by completing the Turtle Sandbox lesson. This lesson provided foundational skills necessary to be successful with the tool, such as learning basic navigation within the tool bars, learning to draw circles and turn them into cylinders, and learning to add color/texture to designs from the materials library. Natalie was excited to share her Sketch Up thoughts as she found value in the ability to let “her imagination to come to life on her computer.”

Their digitized town projects are still a work in progress. Ilaisaane has found herself thoroughly engaged and challenged throughout this project. “I love that I can see my town from all different angles and I can easily see what needs to be improved. The most challenging part was designing my town. There are so many things I want to include, but only a limited amount of space.” Mrs. Blake is very excited about submitting their finalized projects to be considered for Expo presentations. Students would like to present their towns, give a demonstration of Sketch Up, and possibly provide an interactive session where participants can design something of their own. Either way, this group of students can’t get enough of the design skills they are acquiring and they are eager to share their new learning with others. Stay tuned!