Week 1

AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, STUDENTS WILL:

  • Understand the expectations and rules of the class
  • Saw a piece of wood
  • Get excited about making

​Teaching is about relationships. Week 1 is important for establishing both the tone of the course and the rules of engagement. Remember, the kids are here to have fun while they learn, and so are you. But in order to do that we want to make sure to respect the space and one another.

Begin by introducing students to the idea of making. It is about creating something that wasn’t there before, problem solving, and using your brain’s best extension–your hands.

  • Share why you are teaching this class. Use what you wrote for Chapter 1 or paraphrase.
  • Ask students if they would like to share any reasons they have signed up for the course and what they hope to learn.
  • Spend some time making sure that students understand the rules of engagement and why they are important.
  • Establish a call and response signal to get the students attention and instruct them to stop talking.
  • Introduce students to the materials kit that they will be using for their projects. It is the same as yours so take a minute to familiarize yourself with what is included.

​USING A HAND SAW​

Demonstrate for students the steps of using a hand saw. Students will mark and cut a 2-inch piece off of the end of their 2X2.

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(Note: This won’t create a cube but rather a rectangular prism. Time permitting, have students investigate why. The answer? Because 2X2s are not actually 2″ by 2″ in size thanks to these standards.)

The videos below detail how to complete each step:

Measure and Mark with Your Square

MEASURING AND MARKING WOOD

Please note, this video does not contain audio.

Proper Clamping Technique

If you are not sawing in a woodshop (as seen here), use one of the included spoil boards between the wood you are sawing and the table. When clamping one to the table make sure there is at least ½’’ overhang of board over table (spoil board should stick out a bit) to protect the edge of the table from when students are not holding the saw the correct angle.

When clamping your wood, you can use one clamp to secure the wood, just make sure to do a wiggle test before you begin sawing.

CLAMPING YOUR WOOD TO SAW

Please note, this video does not contain audio.

Cut a groove in your wood to guide your cut

CREATING A GROOVE TO GUIDE YOUR CUT

Please note, this video does not contain audio.

Sawing https://player.vimeo.com/video/307132577

SAWING YOUR WOOD

Please note, this video does not contain audio.

When sawing, remember:

  1. Keep a safe distance from the blade
  2. Use the entire length of the saw
  3. Always keep your EYES ON THE SAW
  4. Stop before cutting table
  5. When walking with saw, point it downwards
  6. When finished with saw, put it all the way down on the table, not hanging off

Sawing Tips:

The angle you hold the saw determines how difficult your cut will be, ideal angle is saw teeth parallel to the piece of wood being cut .

The carpenter square can (and should) be used to measure cuts up to 7 inches. You can also use the angle and pivot to measure angled cuts. 45 degrees is the easiest to do and demo. More advanced students can make other angles.

Once you have demonstrated for the students the basics of hand sawing, it’s time for them to do it themselves. Facilitate pairs of students to measure, mark, and cut 2 inches off of the end of their 2X2. You can have as many students simultaneously sawing as you are comfortable with, but should have at least 5 in order to finish in a timely manner.

It’s important to set up clear expectations for clean up time from the very start. Help students be successful with this by setting up your environment so that students can easily identify where things need to go and where they can find tools for cleaning up.

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Some important tips for students to remember every week:

  • Clean up your own mess.
  • Bundle and label your work in progress together. Use masking tape to bundle and write your name on the tape. (This will prove increasingly helpful as the project progresses.)
  • Place student work in a container as you will transport it back and forth (unless you have explicit permission from a teacher or administrator to leave work in a designated space).
  • Clean from the top down.
  • Tip spoil board onto the desk for sweeping or directly into the trash before putting it back in the storage.