LONGLAC—The K-2 students at Marjorie Mills Public School completed a house building challenge that took them through several stages of construction.
With the help of their teachers, the students began the challenge by discussing the different jobs each of them would have and what they wanted to build. The group was able to actually take on the role of construction workers, hard hats and all. They got “suited up in their work uniforms” and began learning about the materials needed, different construction tools and how they would use them.
The construction project highlighted the need to truly know their house design as they created gutters and put shingles and solar panels on the roof of their house.
Other skills and understanding were applied by the students. For example, their knowledge of math concepts was reflected in their building, as they used their knowledge of skip counting by five’s and 10’s to help them figure out how many pieces of “gutters” they needed.
Once they completed the windows and roof of their house, they took the next step of painting and decorating. The class painted a base coat, attached the gutters to the house, and eventually completed the house building challenge successfully.
Throughout this step-by-step construction process, the class demonstrated their learning skills, their group work skills and their imagination, sharing at one point their decision, “to use an old toy to make a doorbell that actually works.”
The final product was completed and symbolized the great work and level of learning regarding construction design, planning and completion.