Pre-Planned Residency Examples

These pre-planned residencies provide participants with different examples of how an Architects in Schools residency may take shape. From math to social studies to sustainability, each residency is customized to the needs of the classroom and the standards that need to be addressed. Utilize these residency plans for your classroom or use them as a starting point for developing your own customized residency.

Scroll down for additional sample worksheets and workbooks to use in your residency.

Looking for AiS resources focused on any of the following topics? Reach out to AFO staff to access additional resources that can be adapted from our summer camps:

  • Adaptive Reuse: redesigning a structure to better serve your community that is experiencing cultural, societal, and environmental changes
  • Monuments: designing a monument that celebrates an underrepresented person or group
  • Sustainable and Resilient Architecture: designing for climate change and how small design decisions can make big impact on our communities
  • Equity-Focused Architecture: designing for clients with different backgrounds and abilities

5th Grade Residency Plan Examples

Click on the expandable links below to view example Architects in Schools residency plans. These plans are recommended for 5th grade level students. Feel free to adjust and customize these plans as you see fit.

Grade Level: 5th
Residency Length: One session per week for 3-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students gain a basic understanding of the architectural profession
  • Students learn math concepts such as scale
  • Students learn the design process
  • Students practice following directions
  • Students learn how to consider the needs of others

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

  • Google SketchUp
  • Existing architectural plans provided by the design/building professional
Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students identify and record the structural components they learned about in (4.51) How it Feels to be a Structure in the spaces around them

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students complete their floor plan

*If students don’t have access to a printer, have them use a ruler or draw their own scale ruler

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper and a writing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Have students complete their elevation

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need to access Google SketchUp on their computer, and their floor plan and elevation

Teacher follow up before Session 5:

  • Have students continue to explore and create on Google SketchUp
  • Assign Client Slips to students
Session 5:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: A Special Structure for a Special Client. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need an assigned Client Slip, a printed copy of the Design Development Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, paper and a writing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students complete steps 1-4 on the Design Development Sheet

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their Client Slip and Design Development Sheet from last session, paper, a writing utensil, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

Grade Level: 5th
Residency Length: One session per week for 3-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn about sustainability and STEAM related fields
  • Students learn how human actions make an impact on the environment
  • Students learn about green building and sustainable design solutions
  • Students learn how to consider the needs of others

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students complete the Green Building Definitions worksheet (see the Green Building Definitions Teacher Key).

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents images of sustainable architecture and “green” design
  • Design/building professional leads part two of (4.15) What is Green Building and Sustainable Design? – students work through the How Green is My School? worksheet
    • If you are teaching this lesson through distance learning, have students apply the worksheet questions to their home or the space they are in

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need to access a couple websites, paper and a writing utensil
Session 3:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: What Makes Structures Stand Up? You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper (construction or thicker paper preferred), tape and scissors
Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

Teacher follow up before Session 5: 

  • Have students complete their floor plans
  • Assign Client Slips to students (the clients listed on 4.96 include green building concepts)

*If students don’t have access to a printer, have them use a ruler or draw their own scale ruler

Session 5:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video:  A Special Structure for a Special Client. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need an assigned Client Slip, a printed copy of the Design Development Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, paper and a writing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students complete steps 1-4 on the Design Development Sheet

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their Client Slip and Design Development Sheet from last session, paper, a writing utensil, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

Need help with residency planning? Schedule a meeting during our office hours

4th Grade Residency Plan Examples

Click on the expandable links below to view example Architects in Schools residency plans. These plans are recommended for 4th grade level students. Feel free to adjust and customize these plans as you see fit.

Grade Level: 4th
Residency Length: One session per week for 3-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn how to solve simple design problems and follow design criteria
  • Students learn how to work through the design process
  • Students learn how to test and evaluate their work in order to make improvements
  • Students learn about LEED criteria and how to adapt buildings to be more sustainable
  • Students learn about historical structures in Oregon and different architectural periods and styles

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students identify and record the structural components they learned about in (4.51) How it Feels to be a Structure in the spaces around them

Session 2:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: Building a Geodesic Dome. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional teaches students about how structures stand using tension, compression and load
  • Design/building professional leads students through (4.58) Building a Geodesic Dome – students each build their own geodesic dome out of marshmallows and toothpicks

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need marshmallows (or something similar like gummy bears) and toothpicks

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students complete their geodesic domes

Session 3:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: What Makes Structures Stand Up? You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper (construction or thicker paper preferred), tape and scissors

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Incorporate social studies unit and have students begin studying historical Oregon structures

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper and drawing utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have students select a historical Oregon structure or assign each student a structure

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents on the importance of using environmentally friendly architectural features and materials, and shows examples of sustainable/green architecture
  • Design/building professional leads students through drawing and building a model of their historical Oregon structure
  • Design/building professional presents and explains the LEED Scorecard – students aim to incorporate LEED features into their building

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper, drawing utensils and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students continue to work on their models and drawings of their historical Oregon structure

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional continues to lead students through drawing and building a model of their historical Oregon structure
  • At the end of the session once students have completed their drawings and models, have students assess their building using the LEED Scorecard

Materials:

  • Students will need paper, drawing utensils and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

 

Grade Level: 4th
Residency Length: One session per week for 3-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students gain an understanding of their own community and the needs of the people in their community
  • Students learn about collective value and how architecture and design can enhance a community
  • Students gain an understanding that design is all around them
  • Students learn about the people who design and build places
  • Students learn how to work through the design process
  • Students learn how to consider the needs of others

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

  • Google Earth
  • Historical neighborhood/city resources and photos
  • Site plans and photos of cities around the world
Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed Grid Sheet or a separate sheet of paper to draw on and drawing utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students finish filling out their grid sheets

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Word List or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, colored construction paper, scissors, drawing utensils, and either a stapler, tape or glue

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students finish creating their folders

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need access to Google Earth

Teacher follow up before Session 4:

  • Have students complete the Green Building Definitions worksheet
  • Incorporate social studies unit and have students learn about the history of their neighborhood, town or city
Session 4:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: Design a Future City – Part 1. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads part one of (4.88) What Will Cities Look Like 25 Years From Now?
  • Design/building professional shows students different examples of cities around the world and teaches students about the people who design and build cities
  • Design/building professional leads students through thinking about their own future city and filling out the Think About Sheet

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Think About Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses and a writing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have students complete their Think About Sheets and continue to look at examples of future cities and observe what they do or don’t like about their own city or neighborhood. Have a discussion with students about what they observe.

Session 5:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: Design a Future City – Part 2. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads (4.23) Let’s Get Out and See the World
  • Design/building professional shows students different site plans and maps of cities around the world and explains the process of designing a city
  • Design/building professional teaches students about Kevin Lynch’s notation system and how to apply it to their own future city site plans
  • Design/building professional leads students through the Future City Design Criteria worksheet, which will help them design and draw a site plan of their future city

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need their Think About Sheet from last session, a printed copy of the Future City Design Criteria worksheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, a large piece of plain white paper for their site plan and coloring utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students complete their future city plans

Session 6:

If students will have less than four sessions with the design/building professional, consider presenting this lesson using the prerecorded video: Design a Future City – Part 3. You can work through this prerecorded lesson as a class or assign to students to complete on their own time. If a design/building professional will be leading this session, proceed with the following session instructions.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their Think About Sheet, their Future City Design Criteria, their future city plans from last session, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

Grade Level: 4th
Residency Length: One session per week for 6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn about historical structures in Oregon and pioneer architecture
  • Students learn how human actions make an impact on the environment
  • Students learn about green building and sustainable design solutions
  • Students learn about collective value and how architecture and design can enhance a community
  • Students gain an understanding that design is all around them
  • Students learn about the people who design and build places
  • Students learn how to work through the design process

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

  • Google Earth
  • Integrate Oregon History unit
  • Photos of green/sustainable architecture
Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need access to the Let’s Face It grid drawing, unlined paper, a pencil with an eraser, and a ruler

Teacher follow up before Session 2:

  • Have students finish the Let’s Face It activity
Session 2:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need unlined paper, a pencil with an eraser, and a ruler

Teacher follow up before Session 3:

  • Have students finish their log cabin drawings
Session 3:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents the importance of researching and understanding a site – whether the project is a new structure or working with an existing structure
  • Design/building professional takes students on a neighborhood walk or virtual tour of a building, pointing out architectural features and styles that have been discussed
  • Design/building professional leads (2.4) How Do You Feel About This Environment?
  • Design/building professional shows students how to look at their own neighborhood on Google Earth and encourages them to explore on their own time

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Word List or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, a pencil with an eraser, and access to Google Earth

Teacher follow up before Session 4:

  • Incorporate social studies unit and have students learn about the history of their neighborhood, town or city
Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Think About Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, and a pencil with an eraser

Teacher follow up before Session 5:

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need their Think About Sheet from last session, model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies), and drawing utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 6:

  • Have students continue working on their final projects and exploring different green/sustainable architectural features
Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional gives an overview of different design professions and careers that consider sustainability and our built environment (architecture, engineering, construction, graphic design, art, etc.)
  • Design/building professional gives 3D modeling and drawing tips as students continue working on their final projects
  • Students are given a chance to present their work to the class

Materials:

  • Students will need their Think About Sheet, model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies), and drawing utensils

Access the AiS Curriculum Guide

3rd Grade Residency Plan Examples

Click on the expandable links below to view example Architects in Schools residency plans. These plans are recommended for 3rd grade level students. Feel free to adjust and customize these plans as you see fit.

Grade Level: 3rd
Residency Length: One session per week for 5-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn about different types of bridges
  • Students understand basic structural principles of tension and compression and how bridges resist loads
  • Students understand how design and engineering can solve problems
  • Students learn how to work through the design process, test, and evaluate their work in order to make improvements

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed Grid Sheet or a separate sheet of paper and drawing utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students finish filling out their grid sheets

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads (4.51) How it Feels to be a Structure
  • Design/building professional leads Activity 1 of (4.71) All About Bridges!
  • Design/building professional presents different types of bridges (beam, truss, arch, suspension, etc.) and types of operable bridges (vertical lift, drawbridge, swing) and shows images of local bridges as well as bridges around the world
  • Design/building professional presents on the different team members involved in building a bridge (architect, engineer, contractor, etc.) and about the importance of teamwork
  • Have students guess and identify different types of bridges

Materials:

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students select a type of bridge or a specific bridge in the world to focus their project on – or assign a bridge to each student

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper and drawing utensils, as well as straws and tape or marshmallows and toothpicks for Activity 2 of (4.71) All About Bridges!

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Have students finish drawing their bridge designs

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their bridge drawings from last session and bridge building materials such as straws and tape or popsicle sticks and glue – we recommend limiting the amount of straws or popsicle sticks each student can use for their bridge
Session 5:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their bridge drawings from last session and bridge building materials such as straws and tape or popsicle sticks and glue – we recommend limiting the amount of straws or popsicle sticks each student can use for their bridge

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students complete their bridge models

Session 6:

If students are completing this residency through distance learning and load testing bridges from home is not feasible, you can have students continue working on their bridge models and add decorative elements.

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • If students built their bridges out of straws and tape, you can load test their bridges with lighter items such as coins. If students built their bridges out of popsicle sticks and glue, you will need to heavier weights such as books or bricks.

Grade Level: 3rd
Residency Length: One session per week for 5-6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn about Native Americans, Indigenous populations, early Pioneers and their architectural heritage
  • Students learn to use design and sketching as a tool for thought
  • Students learn about architectural history and the evolution of technology in the built environment

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need colored construction paper, scissors, drawing utensils, and either a stapler, tape or glue

Teacher follow up before Session 2: 

  • Have students finish creating their folders
  • Continue or begin Native American Social Studies unit
Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents Native American buildings from The Plateau Group in (3.5) Northwest Native American Dwellings and discusses the different architectural features and innovations
  • Design/building professional introduces the idea of scale and how to draw something to scale
  • Design/building professional leads students through drawing one of the Native American structures they learned about from The Plateau Group

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation – see an example
  • Students will need access to the drawings in (3.5) Northwest Native American Dwellings, paper and a drawing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 3: 

  • Have students finish their Native American structure drawings
  • Continue Native American Social Studies unit
Session 3:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents Native American buildings from The Great Basin Group in (3.5) Northwest Native American Dwellings and discusses the different architectural features and innovations
  • Design/building professional presents on structure, and how buildings are able to stand and resist load
  • Design/building professional leads students through creating a few of the shapes in (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?, which will be used to create models of Native American buildings in later sessions

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation – see an example
  • Students will need paper (construction or thicker paper preferred), tape and scissors

Teacher follow up before Session 4: 

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents Native American buildings from The Northwest Coast Group in (3.5) Northwest Native American Dwellings and discusses the different architectural features and innovations
  • Design/building professional presents on climate in architecture and how climate influences design and the built environment
  • Design/building professional leads students through creating more of the shapes in (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?, which will be used to create models of Native American buildings

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need paper (construction or thicker paper preferred), tape and scissors

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have students complete The Northwest Coast Group worksheet

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents Log Buildings from (3.27) The Pioneer Period and discusses the different architectural features and innovations
  • Design/building professional presents on technology in architecture and how technology influences the built environment
  • Design/building professional leads students through drawing the log cabin from (2.27) Now Let’s Try it on a Building

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need access to the Log Cabin drawing, paper and a drawing utensil

Teacher follow up before Session 6:

  • Have students finish their log cabin drawings
  • Have students choose a specific Native American or Pioneer structure that they learned about or assign a structure to each student
  • Have students do more research on their selected or assigned structure
Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional presents on aesthetics in architecture
  • Design/building professional leads students through building a model of their selected or assigned Native American or Pioneer structure, using the shapes students made from (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up? as a starting point

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, any art supplies)

 

Grade Level: 3rd & 4th
Residency Length: One session per week for 6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students gain a basic understanding of the architectural profession
  • Students learn how human actions make an impact on the environment
  • Students learn about the people who design and build places
  • Students learn how to work through the design process
  • Students learn how to consider the needs of others
  • Students learn math concepts such as scale

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

  • Examples of architects and architecture from around the world
  • Images and knowledge of Accessory Dwelling Units
Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students identify and record the structural components they learned about in (4.51) How it Feels to be a Structure in the spaces around them

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads (2.4) How Do You Feel About This Environment?
  • Design/building professional leads a lesson on different architects and architecture from around the world
  • Teachers assign or have students pick an architect to focus on from the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Design/building professional leads students through creating a mood board based on their assigned architect’s style

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Word List or a separate piece of paper, a pencil with an eraser, and access to a computer or collaging materials for the mood boards

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students finish their mood boards

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

  • Students share their mood boards from last session
  • Design/building professional leads a lesson on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
  • Teacher and design/building professional introduce the final project, which will be to design an ADU for a client – students choose or are assigned a client
  • Design/building professional leads students through filling out steps 1-4 of the Design Development Sheet from (4.92) A Special Structure for a Special Client

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Design Development Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write their responses, additional paper, a pencil with an eraser, and drawing utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Have students finish their Design Development Sheets and gather research on their client

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need their Design Development Sheet, a printed copy of the *Architectural Scale Rulers and the Architectural Drawing Symbols, a piece of paper (preferably graph paper), and a pencil with an eraser

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have students complete their ADU floor plans

*If students don’t have access to a printer, have them use a ruler or draw their own scale ruler

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

  • Students share their floor plans from last session
  • Design/building professional shares modeling tips with students and shows examples of different architectural models
  • Design/building professional leads (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?
  • Students begin building a physical model of their ADU

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need their Design Development Sheet and floor plans from last session, construction paper, scissors, tape or glue, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, any art supplies)

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students continue building a model of their ADU

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional helps students as they finalize their ADU models
  • Students are given a chance to present their projects

Materials:

  • Students will need their Design Development Sheet and floor plans, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, scissors, any art supplies)

Submit your residency plan before you begin your residency

All Grades Residency Plan Examples

Click on the expandable links below to view example Architects in Schools residency plans. These plans are recommended for 3rd, 4th or 5th grade level students. Feel free to adjust and customize these plans as you see fit.

Grade Level: 3rd, 4th & 5th
Residency Length: One session per week for 6 weeks
Time Per Session: 45-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students learn about cities and skyscrapers
  • Students gain an understanding of their own community and the needs of the people in their community
  • Students understand basic structural principles of tension and compression and how skyscrapers resist loads
  • Students learn about the people who design and build places
  • Students learn how to work through the design process, test, and evaluate their work in order to make improvements
  • Students practice working as a team

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Word List or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses

Teacher follow up before Session 2: 

  • Have students complete another word list thinking about how they feel in their neighborhood/community
  • Students begin looking at their neighborhood through Google Earth
  • Organize groups of 3-4 students who will work together for the rest of the residency
  • Optional Add-On: Incorporate social studies unit and have students learn about the history of their neighborhood, town or city
Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads (4.23) Let’s Get Out and See the World
  • Design/building professional shows students different site plans and maps of cities around the world and about the people who design and build cities
  • Design/building professional teaches students about Kevin Lynch’s notation system and how to apply it to their own future city site plans
  • Design/building professional leads students through the Future City Design Criteria worksheet, which will help them design and draw a site plan of their future city in groups of 3-4 students

Materials:

    • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
    • Students will need a printed copy of the Future City Design Criteria worksheet or a separate piece of paper to write down their responses, a large piece of plain white paper per group for their site plan and coloring utensils

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have student groups continue working on their future city plans

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

    • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
    • Students will need construction paper, scissors and tape or glue for lesson (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Have student groups continue working on their future city plans

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

    • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
    • Skyscraper Station 1: Cardboard, straws, rubber bands, tape, a heavy book
    • Skyscraper Station 2: Paper towel tubes, straws, tape, paper, a fan
    • Skyscraper Station 3: Plastic or paper cups, index cards, paper, straws, scissors, tape measure, tape

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have student groups select a building in their future city plan that will be a skyscraper. Each group will build a model of their skyscraper and load test them.

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

  • Revisit what students learned last session about what makes skyscrapers strong and stable
  • Design/building professional leads student groups through constructing skyscrapers out of popsicle sticks
  • Be sure to have each group secure their skyscraper to a cardboard “foundation.” This will help with load testing during session 6
  • Students will reference their future city plans and future city design criteria to inform the design of their skyscrapers

Materials:

    • Students will need model making materials such as popsicle sticks, tape, glue, construction paper, coloring utensils, cardboard, and any other art supplies for decorating models

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students finish building their skyscrapers

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Load testing day! Have each group come to the front of the classroom to present their future city plans and completed skyscraper models. Measure and load test each model, one-by-one.
  • Measure each skyscraper’s height using a tape measure and have each student group write down their model’s height.
  • Test each skyscraper against wind load by placing the model on a table and having each student group hold down the cardboard base with their hands on each side. The design/building professional will point a leaf blower or fan at the skyscraper for 5 seconds. If it doesn’t collapse, the skyscraper has successfully withstood wind load!
  • Test each skyscraper’s maximum lateral load by placing the model on a table. Tie string/rope around the skyscraper model at mid-height. Stack books on the edge of a table a couple feet away from the skyscraper. The height of the stacked books should match the height of where the rope was tied around the model (rope will be extending perpendicular from the model). Drape the rope over the books and edge of the table and tie the loose end to a bucket. Fill the bucket with cans of food/books/weights, one-by-one until the skyscraper breaks or buckles under pressure. Have each student group write down how much weight their skyscraper withstood before buckling/breaking.
  • Design/building professional reminds students that “improvement” is a part of the design process and that there is always room to make upgrades to their designs.
  • Have students write down or draw improvements they could make to their models to better withstand lateral load.

Materials:

    • Height test: Tape measure
    • Wind test: Fan or leaf blower
    • Lateral load test: Rope/string, books, bucket, weights (i.e. cans of food, books, etc.)

Grade Level: 3rd, 4th & 5th
Residency Length: One session per week for 6 weeks
Time Per Session: 30-60 minutes

Residency Goals:

  • Students gain a basic understanding of the architectural profession
  • Students gain an understanding of environmental impact and how design can help or hinder the natural environment
  • Students learn math concepts such as scale
  • Students learn the design process
  • Students practice following directions
  • Students learn how to consider the needs of others

Residency Activities:

Other Resources:

Session 1:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional introduces themselves, teaches a bit about their career and answers questions
  • Design/building professional explains the design process
  • Design/building professional reads “The Evolution of Egansville” from start to finish (if pressed for time, at least read stories about Buggs and Freddy as well as the book’s introduction about the town of Egansville and the prologue relating to Buggs in the back of the book)
  • Teacher and design/building professional give students an overview of what they will be accomplishing during their AiS residency

Materials:

Teacher follow up before Session 2: Have students finish reading through “The Evolution of Egansville” if it was not finished during this session

Session 2:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional leads (4.105) What Makes a Sustainable Place to Live?
  • Design/building professional leads a lesson on different sustainable design choices and buildings, and leads a discussion on how sustainability could help Egansville and the students’ community
  • Design/building professional leads students through creating a cut-paper collage of what makes a healthy living space

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need a printed copy of the Sustainable Design Vocabulary Match and access to magazines, cut outs and paper for their collages

Teacher follow up before Session 3: Have students finish their collages and the vocabulary match. EXTRA CREDIT: Have students read these articles on sustainable design:

Session 3:

Plan/Details:

  • Students share their collages from last session
  • Design/building professional leads (2.34) What Do I See Through My Telescope? For this residency, we suggest this lesson to be done outside if possible. It can also be done by the teacher prior to the design & building professional coming for this session. Questions to ask students during the lesson: What details do you notice through your telescope on the structure you are in or near that you may not have noticed before? If you are outside, what are some things that aren’t built by people that you might not have noticed if you weren’t looking through your telescope? Why do you think it’s important to take care of our natural environments as well as our built ones?
  • Design/building professional leads at least part of (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up? Focus on the three sided pyramid if you are pressed for time.
  • Teacher and design/building professional introduce the final project, which will be to design and build a structure for a client – students choose or are assigned a bug client
  • Design/building professional leads students through filling out steps 1-4 of the Design Development Sheet from (4.99) A Special Structure for a Bug Client

Materials:

    • Students will need paper, a printed Grid Sheet or a separate sheet of paper and a drawing utensil for lesson (2.34) What Do I See Through My Telescope?
    • Students will need construction paper, scissors and tape or glue for lesson (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?
    • Students will need an assigned Bug Client Slip a printed copy of the Design Development Sheet or a separate piece of paper to write their responses, additional paper, a pencil with an eraser, and drawing utensils for lesson (4.99) A Special Structure for a Bug Client

Teacher follow up before Session 4: Have students finish steps 1-4 on their Design Development Sheets and gather research on their client. If there is time, have students complete lesson (2.20) Let’s Face It – The Eyes are in the Middle! and lesson (2.27) Now Let’s Try it on a Building

Session 4:

Plan/Details:

Materials:

  • Students will need their Bug Client Slip and Design Development Sheet from last session, graph paper, plain paper, a writing utensil and drawing utensils
  • Students will need construction paper, scissors and tape or glue for lesson (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?

Teacher follow up before Session 5: Have students complete steps 5-6 on the Design Development Sheet

Session 5:

Plan/Details:

  • Students share their floor plans and elevations from last session
  • Design/building professional shares modeling tips with students and shows examples of different architectural models
  • Students begin building a physical model of their structure for their client. Encourage students to use the shapes they made from lesson (4.65) What Makes Structures Stand Up?

Materials:

  • PowerPoint/slideshow for the design/building professional’s presentation
  • Students will need their Design Development Sheet and drawings from last session, construction paper, scissors, tape or glue, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, any art supplies)

Teacher follow up before Session 6: Have students continue building their models

Session 6:

Plan/Details:

  • Design/building professional helps students as they finalize their models
  • Students are given a chance to present their projects

Materials:

  • Students will need their Design Development Sheet and drawings, drawing utensils, and model making materials (e.g. recycled materials, paper, fabric scraps, felt, tape, glue, scissors, any art supplies)

Sample Worksheets and Workbooks

Contact Us

Kim Ruthardt Knowles
Associate Director, Architects in Schools
kim@af-oregon.org
503-317-7537

Candice Agahan
Education Program Manager
candice@af-oregon.org
503-542-3823

Sam Majors
Education Outreach Associate
sam@af-oregon.org
971-357-3178