CLASSROOM 101

Representing Leap + YAX in the Classroom

• When you go into the classroom you are representing Leap + YAX.
• By agreeing to participate in the Sandcastle Classic competition you are agreeing to our standards around equity and inclusion.
• Leap’s Mission: Arts education is prioritized in all students’ lives and provides them equitable access to a transformative education.
• YAX’s mission: Youth Art Exchange sparks shared creative practice between professional artists, public high school students, and the broader community, fostering youth leadership, artistic growth, and equitable access to the arts across generations in San Francisco.
• Both are focused on providing equity-driven, culturally responsive arts education with marginalized perspectives centered.

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Collaborating with the Classroom Teacher

• Ask your school contact to put you in touch with the classroom teacher.
• Discuss and share the lesson plans with the classroom teacher before your first visit.
• Points to discuss:
• How many students will there be?
• How is the classroom organized in terms of space and structure?
• What prior knowledge do students have of sketching, design and scale modeling?
• What techniques do you use to gather students’ attention and manage behavior?
• What techniques do you use to manage transitions?
• Is there a concept or vocabulary word you would like us to include?
• Anything else I should know to make this successful for your students?

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Planning Out Your Workshops

• Plan for ideally 3 visits to the classroom:
• One to brainstorm
• One to create a mock-up
• One to test out to scale
• If there’s time constraints with your team, you can condense the lessons down.
• Around 50 - 60 minutes per workshop
• Plan for at least 3 team members to attend each session; more depending on how large the class size is.
• Plan to bring someone from each industry so that they can describe to students what they do in their work. Explain what architects do, what engineers do, what general contractors do, etc.
• Bring in permission slips and T-shirt forms to the 1st class session and collect in the following sessions.
• If you can, try to deliver T-shirts at the end of the 3rd session so all students can feel they’re part of the team.
• REMEMBER: Not all students will be able to make it to the beach, so this is the only exposure you have to explain the educational components of the entire process.
• This is an opportunity to increase student vocabulary: model, scale, mock-ups, floor plans, etc.
• Go over what to expect on Beach Day: safety rules, jobs, schedule, lunch time, what to bring, and let them know their family is invited as well.

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Workshop 1 Drawing/Individual Exercise (~5 weeks away from Main Event)�Introduction� -What is Sandcastle?� -What to expect in the weeks to come� -Breakdown of team makeup (students, architects, engineers, contractors, etc.) and how this collaborative process will mimic how AEC professionals work together to build real buildings� -This year’s theme is: Level Up!�Brainstorming� -What comes to mind when you think of the theme?�Individual drawing exercise� -Draw what interests you most from the brainstorming exercise�Distribute event information handouts, permission forms with t-shirt size options�Collect drawings for review�Materials: scratch paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, printed image references as inspiration for students�

Workshop #1

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Workshop 1 Drawing/Individual Exercise (~5 weeks away from Main Event)�Introduction�

Materials & Prep

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Workshop #1 Materials

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Workshop 2 Modelling/Small Group Exercise (~3 weeks away from Main Event)�Prior to conducting Workshop #2, team reviews student ideas/drawings to narrow down a focus revolving around the theme – team can still carry a couple design options/creative inspirations in parallel��Recap of Workshop #1 with students and present design themes/ideas still in play�Introduce the idea of scale and create a scene to design��Small group (~4 students per group) modelling exercise at 1/4” = 1’ scale in Play Doh�Have students present designs to the class��Document models for review��Materials: scaled sites (5” x 5” cardboard squares to mimic scaled down version of 20’ x 20’ sandcastle site), Play Doh – 1 small canister per student/~4 per group, printed image references as inspiration for students, optional: scaled model reference or image to explain how AEC professionals use scale to design. Can use kinetic sand, Floam, homemade dough.�

Workshop #2

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Workshop 2 Modelling/Small Group Exercise (~3 weeks away from Main Event)

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Workshop #2 Materials

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Workshop 3 Mock-up/Large Group Exercise (~1 week away from Main Event)�Prior to conducting Workshop #2, team reviews student ideas/models and constructs their own scaled representation of what the team plans to build at the Main Event��Recap of Workshop #2 with students and present final design reveal (1/2” = 1’ scale model in Play Doh or modelling clay)��Day Of logistics overview��Large group 1:1 scale playground chalk drawing exercise (mock-up of what’s to come!)��Measure out the site on the school yard, 20’ x 20’ and divide the site into 4 quadrants – 5’ x 5’ each��Assign a team volunteer or teacher to site manage one quadrant, divide students into 4 groups��Each group is responsible for drawing 1/4 of the final group drawing��Collect permission forms��Distribute t-shirts  ��Materials: sidewalk chalk – enough for 1 piece of chalk per student, site map (plan view of scaled model with quadrant overlay) for students to reference during the exercise�

Workshop #3

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Workshop 3 Mock-up/Large Group Exercise (~1 week away from Main Event)

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Workshop #3 Materials

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Condensing Workshops

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• Condense the first 2 workshops by having students brainstorm and draw their ideas on a whiteboard, then move directly into modeling

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• Condense the second 2 workshops, by having students create their models, then use the whiteboard, sidewalk chalk or a tape measure to explain how to scale the model

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• Remember: judges will want to see a model of the sandcastle or a recreation of it that incorporates the students’ ideas

QUESTIONS?

Email more questions to sandcastle@leaparts.org.

www.leapsandcastleclassic.org