Our rich curriculum comprises of many interactive experiences and hands-on activities that engage and challenge our students. By immersing our students in a specific project, we can provide an in-depth investigation of a real-world topic. A recent inter-disciplinary project focused on ‘building’, or ‘jenga’ in Swahili (our school theme for the term was ‘Jenga’). Some of the objectives were to explore the following questions through a student ‘chair construction’:
- What does it mean to ‘jenga’?
- How do we build?
- What could we build that would utilise our mathematics, science/physics, and artistic knowledge and skills?
- What skills would we need to learn to build something out of wood?
- What tools would we need, and how will we be safe?
The project involved meticulous planning and research of the different types of chairs and how they are built. The students interviewed experts and undertook training on how to use the tools needed to safely complete their projects.
The research was followed by sketching of their designs in art and sourcing of lumber to bring their designs to life. The students used maths to calculate the surface area and volume of the chairs and to determine how much paint or varnish to purchase. After building and painting their chairs, the students presented their designs to teachers, parents and their fellow students.
Here’s a preview of what the chair construction project entailed:
