As part of the Magnet theme of Architecture and Engineering, JHS 185 ASPIRES has partnered with The Salvatori Institute and The Center for Architecture. Professional architecture educators from these organizations work with our 6th grade students and teachers in their classrooms, giving students a first hand look at what these professions are like. Students study architectural design, structural design, infrastructure, and engineering drawing. In the above pictures you can see that the students are engaged in designing and constructing replicas of famous religious structures. Students are also designing to scale roller coasters.

Sixth graders will be able to select one elective class where they will focus solely on the concepts of architecture and engineering. Here they will have the opportunity to work with computer software programs such as sketch up to create three-dimensional structures.

In addition to working with experts, the concepts of architecture and engineering are integrated across the standard 6th grade curriculum. As an example, in math they directly relate the concepts of scale and portion to the architectural projects they are working on. In the social studies course Global History and Geography, we use the lens of architecture as they study ancient cultures. As we follow the state history curriculum learning about various civilizations. we pose the following question How are the cultural mores and norms reflected in the structures? Our 6th grade art class also explores the cultural phenomenon in buildings across time and place. In English our students might spend their fiction unit on creating short stories on if walls could talk while in the non-fiction unit they might focus on professionals in related industries.