Raquel Jentzch’s morning class shows off their completed cardboard houses.
All third-grade students in Utah are expected to “design a solution that reduces the effects of a weather-related hazard” as part of their science curriculum (UEN Science Standard 3.1.3), but students in Raquel Jentzch’s dual-immersion-Portuguese class at Sunrise Elementary quite literally took the assignment to a new level. Jentzch asked her students to design and build a house with their families that could remain standing in fierce winds. The children then tested the fortitude of their primarily cardboard houses against a leaf blower.
“It can be difficult for parents and families to feel involved with school in a dual-immersion classroom,” Jentzch said. “I hoped that this activity would give the children the opportunity to practice the science terms they have been learning in Portuguese with their families.” The finished products came in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. Some houses were tall and thin, with multiple levels. Others were short and squat. Student style was evident through the students' choice of aesthetic appeal, scientific innovation, or both. Some students added weights to the floors or built vents to allow wind flow. Artistic interpretations of the assignment were covered in bright purple butterflies, furnished like dollhouses, or painted in various colors.
Students used a variety of scientific and artistic methods to create their houses.
“I am so proud of my students,” Jentzch said. “All 48 of them completed the assignment with their families. Look at the creativity! They also learned so much about the process of scientific inquiry. Scientists must make hypotheses, test them, and then revise them all the time. And they learned that they can bring school home to connect with their families.”
“We all did it together,” third-grade student Quinn Lehman said, hefting her house that she weighed down with rocks. “My dad cut out all the pieces, and I designed it. My favorite part was decorating it after we built it.”
Quinn Lehman and her mother pose with the house they built together.
