• City Lamps 1

      testing the lamp wiring and bub copy

A student tests their lamp to see if it works properly
I started the New York Lights project with my Grade 6 Technology classes in 2021 as a way for us to pay tribute to the many locations around the Big Apple that had served as getaways and physical and mental health breaks during our worldwide pause. The project, which tasks students with building a working table lamp from scratch, combines various tasks and skills that the sixth graders study each year in their Math, Science, Art, and Technology classes.

Once students picked the location they’d like to use as their inspiration, they quickly got to work constructing their lamps. With help from Ms. VonGutfeld, they were able to work through the engineering portion of the project, using geometry to design schematics for a structurally sound item. After that, students used a variety of tools to put the lamps together. During this step, many students commented on how much they enjoyed building and designing things with their hands and how (for some of them) it was the first time they had worked with a drill, C-clamps, electrical tools, sandpaper, and household wiring.
 

    • Lamps in Progress

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Each lamp was decorated with a photograph of a well-known location, which they took and edited as a part of my class. The final step was working with Mr. Diveki in Science, learning the foundational skills needed to build operational circuits to allow for their lamps to light up. After many internal loops of trial and error, and the iterative choices made along the way, students ended the year with a functioning household lamp that they could bring home to decorate their rooms. 
Beyond getting to see students go through the entire process of coming up with an idea to creating a tangible product, I also personally love the spirit of collaboration with other teachers that this project inspires. I feel that some of the best learning at any age is done with the influences, input, and perspectives of multiple teachers. Ultimately, while this project adheres to the S.T.E.A.M approach, I prefer calling it T.E.A.M.S in this case, as that is what it really should be - teams of teachers and learners working in a united way towards a common goal.
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Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for over 800 students in junior kindergarten through twelfth grade.