Building Community Through Building Study

What do buildings tell us? If they could talk, what would they say? Is it possible to “read” a building? These are some of the questions 7th graders and JK students recently explored together. The 7th graders have been studying architecture and using buildings as a tool in learning about people and the past. And JK students have also been learning about buildings, constructing objects in their classroom and trying to identify different shapes. So when 7th grade History and Social Studies teacher Anthony Shaker and Junior Kindergarten Grade Head Sherry Kaufman discovered their respective students were studying the same topic, it seemed like a golden opportunity for collaboration.

The students worked in pairs and completed an activity called “Reading a Building.” They chose a building from the neighborhood and answered some questions together: What colors do you see? How tall is the building? What shapes do you see? What do you think happens in the building? What questions do you want to ask the building? The students also worked together to sketch the structure.

This opportunity allowed students from different divisions of the school to connect and see the world through a different set of eyes.

Click here for photos from this unit.