General Instructions1. Driving Question What is an optimal middle school learning environment?

2. Explanation Classrooms are learning environments. However, how can a classroom be changed to make it a better learning environment? Your job is to select one academicclassroom (such as a math room) or learning center (such as a library or computer lab) or the downstairs room (for a new Study Center) and design it to be the best learning environment possible for that subject or area.

3. Research Once your team has selected a room or learning center, do some preliminary research to see what floor plans, furniture, lighting, etc. has already been created.

4. Your Room As a team, give your project a name, then decide how you want to design your room. What is already available? How can you change it and make it better? What can you create that will be different, unique, and functional? Remember: the goal of your project is to show how you can design a room by utilizing what you have learned about anthropometry biometrics (measurements) and ergonomics (designing and arranging).

5. Plan Next week, you will have four afternoons to prepare your project and presentation, and you will present it on the fifth afternoon. As a group, decide what type of project you want to do.

6. Project Must include a poster and a model. Floor plans, drawings, models must be to scale. Remember, you are designing this for the average 6th grade student.Possibilities include but are not restricted to 3-D drawings, 2-D floor plans, architectural drawings, computer images (Sketch It Up), and cardboard/clay/Styrofoam/balsa wood models.

7. Presentation On Friday, your project will be set-up in the Lair. Several Lower School classes, administration, and teachers have been invited to visit your presentations. You will be briefly explaining your project to them and answering any questions they may have.

Project Work ReportProject Name: ___________________________________________________________Members of group: _______________________________________________________Due date for finished project with presentation: ________________________________

This is a verbal description ofour project.

These are the general steps we will take to complete this project1.

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Our AgreementWe all promise to listen to each others ideas with respect.We all promise to do our assigned work to the best of our ability.We all promise to turn in our work on or before due dates.We all promise to ask for help if we need it.We all promise to share responsibility for our success and for our mistakes.We all promise to turn in work that is our own.If someone in our group breaks one or more of our rules, the group has the right to call a meeting and ask the person to follow the rules. If the person still breaks one or more of our rules, we have the right to vote to ask that person to do his/her own project.Date: ____________________________Group Member Signatures:_________________ ____________________ __________________ ________________

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Materials List All materials must be brought to school on Monday.Item Person Responsible1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.