What was your driving question?
How might we construct structurally sound and visually appealing boxes for the theater program?
Grades Involved
5th through 8th
How did this project connect to your local or regional community?
It connects to our school community as we needed the boxes for theater class. It connects to our local economy and community as we used lumber from the local area.
What PBE principles were highlighted in this project?
Learner-Centered, Interdisciplinary Approach
Project Description
Students worked in teams on this hands-on, wood shop project. Our theater program needed 8 boxes on stage for the entire year, leading up to a culminating May performance. The boxes are used to store things, step on, and serve as props on stage. Students marked, measured, used power saws to cut, assembled, and painted the 19″, five-sided cubes. It was also a fun, learner-centered art project as each student painted an image that reflects themselves onto one side of the cubes.
How did this positively impact the community? How was it shared?
These were used on stage in amazing theatre production, as well as in class all year long.
Reflection: What was the biggest challenge? What was the most rewarding aspect of this project?
The biggest challenge is time! This could be a year-long project. The rewarding part is students applying skills they have worked on all year long in ways that positively impact their area.
Any advice for a teacher or student that is implementing a PBE project for the first time?
Start early and make sure to scaffold the project topic choosing.
