Someone in our school needs something that can hold a real load without falling or tipping. Who might that be, and what might they need held up?
While we load: Watch this small shelf bracket on the desk edge. I will add coins one at a time until something gives way. What do you think will fail first: the triangle shape, or the tape join?
In your group, pick one real school job that has to hold something up. Someone nearby is waiting for a better answer than a pile on the floor. Ideas on the board:
- a shelf for the classroom library
- a stand that holds a tablet at reading height
- a hook rail that takes wet coats
- a small classroom model of a bridge for the wet corner of the yard
Name who it is for, what load it must hold, and why that person or place needs it. Use a board idea or invent another school job that holds a real load and can later be built on a desk from card, sticks, tape, pins or string. No building yet: talk it through first.
Now build a half-size version of your idea. Half-size means a model that fits on the desk: roughly half as tall or half as long as a full classroom version of the job (a shelf or stand that could sit on a table, or a short desk-edge span for a bridge model). Neat measuring is not the point today. A rough piece is enough.
Use one strong shape you trust (a triangle, a tube, an arch, or a flat strip with a triangle stuck under it) and one main join that holds straight away (tape, a split pin, or string). It only needs to stand and have a place to put a load. You have about fifteen minutes. Keep it small so we can break it on purpose next.
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