Edutopia is “to the rescue” once again in providing wonderful resources for a unique product that can be used to teach and assess in the differentiated classroom: an architectural model. Students in Eeva Reeder’s geometry class must develop a site plan, a scale model, floor plans, a perspective drawing, a cost estimate, and a written proposal. This short article provides a detailed description of the architecture project, the many types of assessments used, and the ways in which she encourages collaboration.
This unit is ideal for the diverse, inclusive classroom in that many different goals and objectives can be addressed including those related to communication, social skills, literacy, and organization. In addition, students needing more complexity or less complexity in math learning targets can take on roles appropriate to their specific needs. Teachers may also want to differentiate based on student interests. Those with more interest in design may be more interested in working with new software, while others may be interested in checking measurements and drafting plans.