Structure and Balance in Work and Life

Rainey Room B

Today we focused on building and social emotional skills. Students split into 2 person teams to brainstorm balance and structure while building vertically. Our challenge was to share ideas with peers throughout the creation progress. We started by observing several creations and deciding which ones were more structurally sound and why. We ranked the structures based on whether we could balance additional weight and how easily it fell when we tapped it with a pencil.
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"The small ones aren't strong enough because this big one falls over. It's too heavy." - Sylvie
"Let's see what happens when you add more stuff"  - Jane
"When you put something heavy on top, it falls." Lucia
As we experimented with the structures, we came to the conclusion that a that a heavier or wider base helped keep the structures from falling. Sylvie and Audrey noticed that building vertically with support made the creations less structurally sound.

We specifically chose to work in pairs so that each student's voice could shine through the creative process and so they could practice articulating their thoughts. As we began to work in pairs, falling structures gave way to insightful conversations. Students discussed how they could use materials differently to make more complex, structurally sound work. Rainey Room B decided that failure was just an opportunity to try something new.

​"You think it's going to fall?" - Jane
"Because it's getting taller" - Sylvie
The building came crashing down
"I can help you build it again" - Sylvie
We can build again. Don't worry!" - Jane
"It's super heavy (concrete block). If we put it on top, it will fall. That's too much weight. If we put something heavy on the sides, it won't fall over." - Giacomo