Benton Community’s sixth grade students at Norway Intermediate School are combining technology and the visual arts while creating some fun cross-curricular projects this year.
Earlier this year students explored graphic design concepts while creating bookmarks on Kleki (a multi-platform web app for painting, sketching, drawing, doodling and editing). Students then voted for their favorite designs and six overall winners were selected. The winning bookmarks are now available in the school library.
After experiencing success with the bookmarks, students used Kleki again to design a utility truck for their own start-up business. Students developed surveys and questionnaires related to their business that were filled out by their peers. Information gathered from surveys was displayed using a variety of bar graphs and pie charts within Google Sheets. Using the data collected, students decided which items would sell best and what prices consumers would be willing to pay. The final Utility Truck Designs include the truck design, the survey data and plaster sculptures relating to each students vision of their future business venture.
Currently students are exploring different aspects of architecture, interior design, construction, and landscaping while designing their own living space. Using online tools at Floorplanner.com students are able to design their own house. Once the floorplans are printed off, students glue together three dimensional walls, build a roof, and then paint their landscapes, sidewalks and streets. Next, students create plaster trees and shrubs to add to the models.
These cross-curricular learning experiences are allowing students to combine the visual arts and technology in interesting ways while also exploring real-world job opportunities.