LESSON 9 (Approximately 4 hours or two 2-hour class periods)
CONSTRUCTING STRING INSTRUMENTS
Overview
Materials
Hand saws Metal wire (to serve as frets)
Power drills Fret press (optional)
Hammers Hot glue gun
Nails Rulers
Screws Pencils
Bolts Colored pens
Wood glue clamps Guitar, bass, and ukulele strings
Wood chisels Materials to serve as the body of a string instrument (e.g., cigar boxes)
Community Resources
Parent or community volunteers (ideally a mechanical engineer, architecture, machinist, construction worker, or contractor) and a music teacher
Key Words
Bringing experts into the classroom | String instrument build project | Project based learning | Engineering design process | Engineering in a high school mathematics classroom | Interdisciplinary learning
1st Construction Day
TEACHING PLAN
Introduction
Welcome! I cannot wait for today’s class. I was thinking about it all day yesterday! Let’s take a moment to welcome our guests today, some of whom you may know. (Introduce music teacher and other guests by name and their relation to the school)! Today we will be working in our design teams--with help from our gracious community volunteers—and begin crafting our first iterations of string instruments. Please keep in mind that safety is our number one priority. Right behind that is creativity. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. Some of you have experience using these tools while many of you were first introduced to these tools earlier this year. Regardless of your level of experience, I am here to help you use tools and resolve building issues as are our expert guests. We look forward to helping you convert your digital renderings into the physical form. To begin, please send your team’s Materials Team Member up. Materials Team Members: Recall that you will be responsible for ensuring safe lab practices and cleaning up equipment and tools during construction today. The rest of you: Please take a second to review your special roles as written in the Please stand up, taking everything with you, and sit with your teams. Thank you!
ASK Questions and discuss as a class (5 minutes)
Task
Wrap Up
Discuss
2nd Construction Day
TEACHING PLAN
Introduction
Welcome to day two of building our string instruments! Let’s give some high fives to those outside experts and thank them for joining us today! In just a moment, you will begin work on the second iteration of your string instrument. Before we do that, let’s complete a quick, individual reflection on our work so far. Then we will go on to building. Does anyone have any questions? Alright--let’s begin!
ASK Questions and discuss as a class (5 minutes)
1. On your own, write down, type, or make an audio recording that includes the following:
Task
Wrap Up
Discuss
Distribute
Web Resources
Formative Assessments
Summative Assessments
CONSTRUCTING STRING INSTRUMENTS
Overview
- Emphasizing creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration through a student-lead, engineering-driven, and adult-supervised learning module lasting two class periods
- Engaging in two iterations of the engineering design process as framed by N.A.S.A.’s Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology (B.E.S.T.)
- Utilizing mathematical models to develop meaningful, artistic, and accoustically valid string instruments
- Delegating specific organization, technical, and communicative roles for fellow team members
- Documenting progress throughout the design & build process
- Leveraging capital from mathematical abstractions, peers, community members, a mathematics teacher, a music teacher, and personal interests
- Engaging in metacognition by assessing strengths and growth areas within individual and group work
Materials
Hand saws Metal wire (to serve as frets)
Power drills Fret press (optional)
Hammers Hot glue gun
Nails Rulers
Screws Pencils
Bolts Colored pens
Wood glue clamps Guitar, bass, and ukulele strings
Wood chisels Materials to serve as the body of a string instrument (e.g., cigar boxes)
Community Resources
Parent or community volunteers (ideally a mechanical engineer, architecture, machinist, construction worker, or contractor) and a music teacher
Key Words
Bringing experts into the classroom | String instrument build project | Project based learning | Engineering design process | Engineering in a high school mathematics classroom | Interdisciplinary learning
1st Construction Day
TEACHING PLAN
Introduction
Welcome! I cannot wait for today’s class. I was thinking about it all day yesterday! Let’s take a moment to welcome our guests today, some of whom you may know. (Introduce music teacher and other guests by name and their relation to the school)! Today we will be working in our design teams--with help from our gracious community volunteers—and begin crafting our first iterations of string instruments. Please keep in mind that safety is our number one priority. Right behind that is creativity. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. Some of you have experience using these tools while many of you were first introduced to these tools earlier this year. Regardless of your level of experience, I am here to help you use tools and resolve building issues as are our expert guests. We look forward to helping you convert your digital renderings into the physical form. To begin, please send your team’s Materials Team Member up. Materials Team Members: Recall that you will be responsible for ensuring safe lab practices and cleaning up equipment and tools during construction today. The rest of you: Please take a second to review your special roles as written in the Please stand up, taking everything with you, and sit with your teams. Thank you!
ASK Questions and discuss as a class (5 minutes)
- Besides some of the requirements for this instrument--having frets, a tuning, and one to six strings—what do you think are essential features of a great string instrument?
- How might our work from today inform modifications to our initial design?
Task
- Gather in your string instrument design teams. (2 minutes)
- Let’s review the homework each of you completed last night. (2 minutes)
- Materials Team Members: You have communicated your team’s wish list of materials to me with price, quantity, and store location.
- Schematic Team Members: You have updated the three schematic drawings or digital renderings. You will also be responsible for ensuring that the string instrument is built to the specifications of your drawings and your team’s mathematical model. If you need to print anything our prior to working in the Innovation Lab, feel free to do so. It may be useful to have the drawings on paper rather that on the computer so the Recorder/Photographer Team Member can take notes.
- Coordinator Team Members: You have created a list of tasks for individual team members to complete today and next class. You also wrote 4-5 sentences explaining how your team will utilize guest experts and school resources today class. You are also ready to serve as the spokesperson for your team over the next three class periods.
- Recorder/Photographer Team Member: You have organized photos, printouts, and notes into a chronological, well-ordered three-ring binder and will contribute meaningful notes, observations, and photos to this portfolio over the coming days.
- Before building, take eight minutes to chat within your team, review work, and plan action steps for today. (8 minutes)
- Materials Team Members: Please come up and collect your wishlist of materials. I also have either guitar, bass, or ukulele strings for each of you. (5 minutes)
- Working within your team, drawing upon aid from our gracious guests, and with my assistance, you will have sixty minutes to construct the first iteration of your string instrument. I will be circling the room helping wherever I can as will our guests. Please remember to review the ‘String Instrument Final Project Grading Rubric’ which was provided to you last class. We will dedicate the last thirty minutes to cleaning up, brainstorming within teams, and issuing some announcements. (60 minutes)
Wrap Up
Discuss
- It looks like everyone is off to a strong start! Please take a moment to clean up your stations. Let’s help our Materials Team Members out. All tools should be returned to their proper drawers, etc. (10 minutes)
- Let’s open up some time and space for your teams to brainstorm potential modifications to your design for your second iteration. In the next ten minutes, please chat about how you will modify your string instruments next time. Try to be as specific as possible. Coordinator Team Members: Please be prepared to share how you and your team justify your proposed design changes. (10 minutes)
- Coordinators Team Members: How did you and your team justify some of the potential design changes you will be making next class? (7 minutes)
- Please submit all homework from last night. (2 minutes)
- Recall that anything you do not complete in class next time may be completed after school this week during my office hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:00-4:30 pm. Our guests have graciously agreed to join us next class as well! (2 minutes)
- Review homework deliverables due next class: (2 minutes)
- Individual, bullet point improvements your team plans to make next class along with justifications as for why each improvement would be valuable
- Send digital versions to myself and your Coordinator Team Member
- Materials Team Members: Please send an updated wish list of materials to me via email. Again, the total cost of your string instrument should not exceed $25 unless you will want to pay out-of-pocket
- Individual, bullet point improvements your team plans to make next class along with justifications as for why each improvement would be valuable
2nd Construction Day
TEACHING PLAN
Introduction
Welcome to day two of building our string instruments! Let’s give some high fives to those outside experts and thank them for joining us today! In just a moment, you will begin work on the second iteration of your string instrument. Before we do that, let’s complete a quick, individual reflection on our work so far. Then we will go on to building. Does anyone have any questions? Alright--let’s begin!
ASK Questions and discuss as a class (5 minutes)
1. On your own, write down, type, or make an audio recording that includes the following:
- A name that accurately captures the spirit and functionality of your first string instrument.
- Eight to ten adjectives that accurately describe your string instrument to date
Task
- Quickly share those works with your team’s Recorder/Photographer Team Member so they can document your title and adjectives. Afterwards, please submit those individual works either by hand or via email. (7 minutes)
- Materials Team Members: Please come up and collect any secondary materials you requested as part of your homework. (5 minutes)
- Coordinator Team Members: You will be organizing your team collaborations today. Consider how you will best serve your team, make use of our guest experts, and utilize the room. (1 minute)
- Schematic Team Members: Again, you will be responsible for ensuring that the string instrument has been built to the specifications of your drawings. (1 minute)
- Recorder/Photographer Team Members: Your job will once again be very important today. Please record careful notes and observations today in your portfolio. Your notes today will be instrumental for the formal critique we will be holding next class. Remember: you will be responsible for documenting the engineering design process within your group and archiving your team’s progress for final submission. (2 minutes)
- Gather in your string instrument teams. (1 minute)
- In a respectful fashion, please share your homework with your team. Recall: this homework outlines suggested improvements and justifications for these improvements. You will be making several of these changes today so pay close attention to your team members. Feel free to add to your homework from last night as you share with one another. Consider answering these questions during your discussion: (15 minutes)
- Which of these suggested changes seem most logical and important?
- Which are feasible today?
- Do we still like these new design ideas?
- If we make these changes, will we meet all of the requirements outlined in the rubric?
- Have we thought of any other changes to our design?
- The remainder of class will be dedicated to building our second iteration of the string instrument. ‘Schematics Team Members’: Remember that it will be your responsibility to make sure your instrument has been built to the specifications of the drawings. To everyone: Please feel free to seek out help from our guest experts and myself. You have sixty minutes. We will build in time for cleanup and some quick announcements at the end. (60 minutes)
Wrap Up
Discuss
- Materials Team Members: Please facilitate the clean up. If everyone could lend a hand it will go much quicker. Thank you! (10 minutes)
- Please submit your homework from last night. (2 minutes)
- All Team Members (and especially Coordinators): Next time, we will be engaging in formal critique. Please take some time tonight to review the ‘formal critique’ protocols available through Harvard’s “Artful Thinking Routines”. I think researching these and having some of the ideas in your ‘back pocket’ will be really valuable come time for formal critique. (3 minutes)
- Anything you did not complete in class today may be completed after school today and tomorrow from 3:00-4:30 pm. I am really looking forward to our string instrument showcase! Keep up the great work and let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Have a great day! (2 minutes)
Distribute
- Specific building materials requested by each team (capped at $25)
- "Protocols from ‘Artful Thinking'"
Web Resources
- NASA’s Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology (B.E.S.T.) home page (http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/best/#.V4Q9GJMrJp8)
- NASA’s B.E.S.T. Engineering Design Process (E.D.P.) video series (http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/best/edp.html)
- Artful Thinking Routines (Harvard Project Zero, 2006): http://pzartfulthinking.org/?page_id=2
Formative Assessments
- Teacher notes team commentary regarding suggested improvements for the second design iteration
- Individually written document outlining suggested improvements and their justifications
- Materials Team Members: Wish list of materials (includes price, quantity, and store location)
- Schematic Team Members: First three schematic drawings or digital renderings.
- Coordinator Team Members: List of tasks for fellow team members to complete and 4-5 sentences explaining how team will utilize guest experts and school resources
- Recorder/Photographer Team Member: You have organized photos, printouts, and notes into a chronological, well-ordered three-ring binder and will contribute meaningful notes, observations, and photos to this portfolio over the coming days
- Hand-written, typed, or audio recorded name for string instrument with eight to ten adjectives
- Two iterations of student-designed string instruments
Summative Assessments
- Digital renderings of proposed string instrument design from three angles: top, perspective, elevation