Towers Unit

Topic: Towers

Project: Multi-week project with pantings, tower building, and architectural drawings

 Academic Area/Skills: Art, Design, Technology, Engineering

Materials: Construction Paper, Paint, Permanent Markers, Sponges, Building Supplies (blocks, bricks toys, milk crates, cardboard boxes, cups, etc.).

Grades: K-1

Kindergarten and first grade students began working on their Towers Unit. Students had so much fun and hands on experience with the bridge unit, I decided to try another architectural engineering unit- this time on towers! 

Day 1: We discussed what a tower is, why they exist, and what they are used for. We looked at photos of different towers around the world.  Next, we created sponge art skylines. We sponged the designs, so that the next class we could outline them and add in details.

Day 2: Today we finished our skyline sponge paintings by adding in details and outlining with a black permanent marker. As a group we talked all about the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building! We learned what each floor is used for and where it is located!

Day 3: Today was a building day! We lucked out with nice weather so hauled everything outside to create some fun building rotations in the sunshine. We had Lego tower building, building with milk crates, creating towers with Keva Planks, and building towers with plastic cups!

Day 4: The final day of our project consisted of drawing a tower of our own imagination. This was left very open-ended. Some students focused on height and shape, while others focused more on the function and contents of their tower.