Marlee DeSplinter

Weekly Summaries
Weekly Summaries Week 1 January 11 to 15
This week the kids started their tower projects. At the beginning of this project all of the
kids get packets where they sketch four designs of what they could possibly build for their
towers. After this they get a bill of materials sheet where they write down how much wood they
will need and make sure they fit the requirement. I explained to the class how to do the final
sketch of their tower and how to correctly fill out the bill of material sheet. Also, I explained to
them how their spaghetti mock up tower works and I got to go around and help them with that.
To finish out the week the kids also took quizzes over the basics which I got to grade.
1. Describe your favorite part of your week with your students- My favorite part of the
week was going around to each group and individually talking with each of them about
their towers. Since these students are still new to me it is a great chance for me to get to
know the students better. Also, I love seeing how creative they can be with all of their
designs, it amazes me how much they can come up with.
2. Tell me about a way you made a positive impact this week- This is the first time I really
get to meet and spend time with my students so it is important for them to view me as
someone they can trust and someone that always has a smile on their face. As I walked
around to each group and complimented them on their work they had the realization that
they could be successful in this class, even with never having taken a construction class
before. This is a great way to start the nine weeks off, instilling them with confidence so
that they put all their effort in to making their projects great.
3. Tell me about a behavior issue occurring in your class- This week as I got to know the
students some of them seemed to be a bit feistier than others. There are two boys who sit

next to my desk who enjoy messing with each other and pushing each other to their
limits. This is a bad thing because most of the time they push each other too far and one
ends up getting mad and either not talking to the other or hitting him with a ruler. To
solve this problem I took away their rulers and made them sit on opposite sides of the
table.
Week 2 January 18 to 22
This week I helped the kids test their spaghetti mock up towers. This activity helps them
to see what they can improve on to make their towers stronger. Also, I built my own tower for
the lesson that I would be doing the following week. Once the kids tested their spaghetti mock up
towers they would turn in a worksheet along with it and I graded those. Along with this, I
handled giving them the materials they needed for their actual tower.
1. One idea that you want to take into your classroom one day- I really love the idea of
building a mock up tower so that the kids know how they can improve their towers. This
is also a great learning opportunity because the kids can see how the forces relate directly
to their towers.
2. Describe your favorite part of your week with your students- My favorite part of my
week with my students is testing their spaghetti mock up towers. I love having the chance
to see my students reaction when they test their towers because this is the first thing they
are actually making themselves and I love to see their faces light up when the tower holds
more than they expected. The hope that this small project gives these students makes me
excited for all they have to accomplish in the nine weeks.
3. What type of learning took place in your classroom this week- This week as the kids
tested their spaghetti mock up towers they learned about forces, the forces that are
applied to buildings. The kids learned what type of forces their towers would go through

during this project because of the weight that they add on to their towers. This is
important knowledge for anyone going into architecture and is also something good to
know for basic knowledge.
Week of January 25 to 29
This week the students worked mainly on building their towers. The tower project takes a
long time for them to put together so most of the week was dedicated to working on this. This
week I tested my tower though for my project and made a PowerPoint to go along with it. My
teacher was not there on Friday so I gave a lesson to his sixth and seventh period classes. This
was different because I am usually only there for seventh period. This was a great chance for me
to spread my wings and see if I can handle eighth graders, I figured out that I can.
1. Describe your favorite part of your week with your students- This week I gave my lesson
on Friday and once I finished I let the kids ask me questions about high school when they
were working since they started scheduling that week. I loved having the chance to share
my experiences with them hoping that they could learn from them and that my advice
would leave them to have a great high school experience.
2. Tell me about a disruption in schedule/routine that effected your kids learning- This week
my teacher was not there on Friday so I had to take the lesson. I would not say this
negatively effected their learning but it was a different experience for them and gave
them a chance to learn in a new way they maybe hadn't thought of before.
3. Tell me about a student that surprised you this week- This week as I was walking around
a couple of the girls who sit in the back called me over and asked my advice on certain
high school classes. This surprised me because these girls seemed to mind their own
business and not listen to what others really said, it was cool to see them talk about things

other than clothes and the latest fashion. I love how they opened up to me and shared
their fears about high school with me and gave me the chance to help them.
Week 4 February 1-5
This week the students finished up building their towers and started testing them. I
graded the students towers before they crushed them on neatness, design, and if it followed the
rules. Mr. Tschuor gives me a lot of independence in the classroom and let's me take a lot of the
lessons as start the classes most days.
1. Tell me about a student that surprised you this week- This week as the kids began to test
their towers, I tested two girls, Ahnae and Grace, tower. As they walked back they said
how their tower would hold 20 pounds. When they started testing their tower held 85
pounds. Each time they put another weight on they could only say Wow and I can't
believe it. It was surprising to me that they got so much because it seemed like they
didn't really care during the class time when they were working on it. I guess they were
just really good at managing their time.
2. One idea you want to take into your own classroom one day- Along with the tower
project all groups have to complete a presentation of the tower making process. I want to
take this idea into my classroom one day because it gives the students a chance to reflect
and really take in what they just did. It also gives them a chance to understand the lesson
more fully and get a greater understanding of how towers and architecture work.
3. Tell me about behavior issues occurring in your classroom- One issue that I find occurs in
my classroom is how much talking the kids do and how little work they get done. The
kids do not take this class as seriously as others because it is an elective and most of the
kids are forced to be in that class so they simply do not care. It is hard to teach to people

who are unwilling to learn. Hopefully as the semester goes on these students will find the
class interesting and get more involved.