Learning Goals for this Project
For Students:
1. Students will undertake a design project, engaging in the design cycle, to construct and/or implement a solution that meets specific design criteria and constraints (NGSS-Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions for Grades 6-8). 2. Students will use digital tools and/or mathematical concepts and arguments to test and compare proposed solutions to an engineering design problem. (NGSS-Using Mathematics and Computations Thinking for Grades 6-8). 3. Students will determine how engineering and architectural processes can lead to great prosperity and to great demise. For Myself: 1. I will locate or create resources to provide students and other educators with an intensive and immersive experience with the ancient city of Pompeii. 2. I will utilize technology to further my students' understanding of the architectural, cultural, and engineering systems of ancient Rome and how they can be improved to provide safer dwellings for the citizens of Pompeii. 3. I will continue to challenge myself to become more globally and culturally aware of the needs of 21st century teachers and learners through the design and implementation of cross-curricular activities. |
Rationale of Student Growth and Learning
Students of Latin have few opportunities to interact with the ancient culture of the Romans. They are challenged to find relevance to the real world in the study of a classical language. Creating this virtual field trip will give students an all-access pass to the various structures in Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Mt. Vesuvius. After viewing the resources, students will have the opportunity to participate in cross-curricular learning, integrating STEAM principles for problem-solving, and collaboration. Students will use of Minecraft for engineering and architectural redesign of the city. It is not enough to ask students to read about or memorize information about Pompeii. They need projects where they can actively participate in problem-solving and collaboration. 21st century students have many resources at the touch of their devices.
My website of resources will be at their disposal, but what is essential is the actions they take with those resources. I want students to think deeply and critically about everything they have inferred through the key questions. Knowing about Roman culture, architecture, and cultural norms, I want them to work together to solve the problem of natural disasters that have impacted Pompeii, as well as the structural design of the city that led to overcrowding and lack of routes of escape when Pompeii was destroyed in 79 A.D. They will become engineers and architects and determine solutions to these challenges. Students will be able to transfer this knowledge to similar modern day challenges. Using MinecraftEdu, we will create a community of teaching and learning. Students who are already experts at Minecraft can share their skills and become leaders within the classroom. Students who have never used Minecraft will gain an understanding of design principles. We will share our findings and redesigns of the ancient city with a larger audience, via YouTube. This creates a real-world learning experience, students who become agents of change, as well as opportunities to share their findings with an authentic audience. |
Plan for Implementation of Learning
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