Create A Co-op City
Teacher's Guide
This teacher's guide, which is adaptable for middle through upper grades, describes how you can teach your students to draw scale drawings. It takes you step-by-step from simple drawings to the design and construction of a house or a whole city. The guide includes over 40 enrichment plans for using this project in math, science, social studies, and language arts. You can involve a single class, a grade level, or an entire school. You can work alone or with a team of teachers. It can last for a month, a year or never end. It's up to you and your students.

The author was recognized for this project by the National Endowment for the Arts when he received the "Incentive Award for Using Design in the Classroom." He has completed a series of lesson plans, on using computers and CAD design software in the classroom, for Broderbund® Software, Inc.




From the Author, Peter Barricelli
Why use scale drawings and architecture in your classroom?
"I have been using blueprints in my elementary and junior high math classes since 1971. I have found that reading and drawing blueprints are excellent ways to connect the math curriculum to a real-world situation. As the son of a building contractor, I was always fascinated with locating, drawing, and measuring a room or object on a blueprint with my father. For over thirty-five years, I have seen the same fascination from my students. Many take pride in their "architectural portfolios" and complete assignments and extra drawings with little encouragement. I often find students designing houses long after our architectural unit is over. For some students, it is the beginning of a lifetime career."

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