2B
Make a map & base model of your site
Goal
You'll make a map, which will also be the base of your model. You'll use this later as a base to create your designs on.
Objectives
Each person will
1. learn how to change your site's perimeter measurements to the scale of your model
2. learn how to calculate the area (optional)
3. work with a small group to make a base model of the site with accurate measurements written on each side. The map will not have any site details or elevations. It will be in scale.
4. understand the concept of "scale"
Materials & Resources
Map of the site with measurements. Aerial photo of the site and map from www.oasisnyc.org.
sample maps for discussion: subway, garden, bike maps, apartment/kitchen floor plans
For each student: 1 site map with accurate perimeter measurements, ruler, pencil and eraser
yardsticks
18" by 24" paper or cardboard. If your site's smaller than 180' by 240' you'll need 1 for each group.
Optional: For each team: 1" square blocks (300), or 1" square graph paper, cut into 300 squares
Activity Steps
1. Group discussion:
Show subway, city maps. Explain how scale is used to make large things fit on smaller pieces of paper. If a map is "in scale" it's exactly the same shape as the real place, but a different size.
The scale of your base model will be 1" = 10'. Draw a map of the site on the board. Write the perimeter measurements on each side. Divide each by 10. Change it from feet to inches. Draw a new map and put the new measurements on it. For example, if your real site is 100' by 200' you'll write 10" by 20" on the new map. This is the map size the small groups will create.
2. Hands on work in small groups
It's best to have 3 people in each group, but you can have up to 5.
If your group is older, they can divide the real site's measurements by 10 themselves & convert it from feet to inches. They will use the yardsticks to draw the site on the big piece of paper or cardboard. They'll write the real site measurements on each side.
If your group is younger (or needs some help with scale), they can lay the 1" blocks or paper squares on the big piece of paper or cardboard. For example, if your drawing on the board says 10" by 20", they'll lay 10 blocks across, 20 blocks up, then fill in the inside. They'll trace around them and write the measurements of your real site on each side.
If it's too difficult for your group to make the maps, you can prepare 10 maps ahead of time. Have small groups fill the maps with the 1" blocks or paper squares in order to understand the map's scale.