Monday, April 9, 2012

Technology Integration Lesson: Google SketchUp

  Noreen Dooley and Cindy Moreno,  fourth grade teachers at Johnson Elementary, received three iPads to use with their classrooms for submitting a technology integration exemplar lesson that utilized Google SketchUp.
Google SketchUp is an easy-to-use program that lets you and your students create, modify and share 3D models and can be used at both elementary and secondary schools. Visit http://www.google.com/educators/activities.html to learn more about classroom activities using Google SketchUp.

Noreen described how using technology in the lesson impacted students, "Although Google SketchUp looked intimidating to fourth graders at first, they quickly impressed themselves at their capabilities of creating a house, yard, and adding items from the 3D warehouse. Each structure and landscape was completely different from the next.  Students were motivated not only by the technology, but how their structure related to the real-world and could actually be constructed in real life.  They were intrigued by the dimensions of their structures as well as making solid shapes out of plane shapes.  In addition, students learned by trial and error.  They were excited to share their creations."



Lesson Description/Overview:
Geometrical Architectural Design - Students will create a 3D structure in Google SketchUp that includes angles, lines, polygons, solid figures, and symmetry.

Student Objectives:
TEK 4.8A: The student can identify right, acute, and obtuse angles.
TEK 4.8B:  The student can identify models of parallel and intersecting (including perpendicular) lines using concrete objects and pictorial models.
TEK 4.8C: The student is expected to describe shapes and solids in terms of vertices, edges, and faces.
TEK 4.14A The student can identify the mathematics in everyday situations.

Materials:
  • Student checklist
  • Laptops
  • Google Sketchup program
Preparation:
Create student checklist
Familiarize yourself with Google SketchUp

Procedures:
Five Day Project
Day 1: Facilitate students through the first two Google SketchUp tutorials: Getting Started with Google SketchUp Part 1 and Getting Started with Google SketchUp Part 2 (http://sketchup.google.com/training/videos/new_to_gsu.html).  Listen to the steps on the tutorial. Stop the video and have students try the new concept.  Start the video again then stop.  Continue so that students hear and see a demonstration then immediately try it on their own.

Day 2: Experiment with colors and textures including brick, carpet, grass, etc.  Also explore importing images via the 3D Google Warehouse.

Day 3 and Day 4: Students create their 3D structure and include the required angles, lines, polygons, solid figures, and line of symmetry listed on their student checklist.

Day 5: Students finish designing their structure and label the required angles, lines, polygons, solid figures and line of symmetry based on their checklist.


1 comment:

  1. This is a great lesson idea. My students could use the same program when we are learning Spanish vocabulary about the house. A great project would be for them to design a house and label all rooms and furniture.

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