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6th Grade 3D Math


Two 7th Grade boys, George and Aidan, helped present a special project at last week's ParentsAssociation meeting. 

Both boys are presently members of 7 Theta, but the project, which was developed and taught by Brendan Hannon, was part of their 6th grade math class last spring. It was the culminating project of a geometry unit on calculating the volume and surface area of solids and a great example of innovative, integrated curriculum at Saint David's.

Mr. Hannon, 6th Grade math teacher, challenged his students to design a city block that had a minimum volume of 150 square cm. The block must have a 10x10 cm “footprint” and have at least four buildings. 

Buildings could be designed using any of the solids the boys had learned about in class. Boys then had to explain which solids they used, and show the calculations for each of their buildings.


The procedure employed by Mr. Hannon had each of the boys create an account on tinkercad.com.  Once created, they processed through several of the tutorials to learn the basic functionalities of the software. Boys then spent approximately four classes designing, building, and then 3D printing their city blocks and calculating their volume. 

Boys who met these requirements were then challenged to calculate how much glass it would take to cover their buildings, introducing surface area.

In the fall of last year, as part of a series of hands-on technology workshops during Friday faculty curriculum time, Tech Integrator, Nora Sundar, lead a workshop on 3D design and printing for math, science, and art teachers. 

Brendan Hannon was intrigued by the process and the possibilities, and began working on designing 3D printing projects on his own, to explore the technology and build his own skills. 

By the spring term, when Brendon was teaching a unit on calculating volume and surface area of solids in 6th grade, he was excited to share his enthusiasm for 3D design and printing with his students in a way that he knew would motivate them and (quite literally) give their work a new dimension.
 
At Saint David's, technology is thoughtfully integrated.  The way we choose to integrate technology makes learning more active, and our teachers are the ones leading the way.







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