To begin...
Ben began writing the role play and started researching other ways to incorporate the arts into this project. This came very naturally as he began seeing obvious connections to the intended science curriculum. Realizing that the most efficient way to have students work would be to allow them to have independence and the freedom to choose their direction, the play-based learning unit was written in an open ended manner.
Being in role as the peasants, or the working class in their medieval society, the students sketch out blueprints for their new castle. They were tasked with working together and using their knowledge in their designs. Given the freedom to make their designs to their own liking, the grade 5 students took ownership of their project and displayed great leadership skills.
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Besides social studies and science, this cross-curricular program also lent itself to the art curriculum as students explored the elements of design by creating their own banners to be displayed on the outside of the castle. Their teamwork and leadership skills were tested again as they collaborated on accurate representations of their society.
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After their design was complete and a detailed blueprint was developed, a frame was constructed using 2x4 lumber. The students were then tasked with using cardboard to cover the frame to begin making the castle look how they imagined. The students used rulers and measuring tapes to calculate the sizes of cardboard sheets that would have to be cut before piecing them together on the structure. This picture shows three students measuring and marking some cardboard to be cut.
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the role play |
Kings letter |
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