Sixth Grade Addie Pidduck
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING: TINKERCAD Teaching in the current Age of Innovation is a tremendously exciting time to be in the Design & Engineering Center where fabrication is the name of the game. Just in time for Crane School’s transition to online learning, sixth grade students delved into the colorful and playful world of TinkerCAD, an online software tool for building in three dimensions. The primary goal was for students to simply have fun letting their imaginations wander. From a giant red lobster, to “hamsterville,” to rabbit-shaped water towers, the Class of 2022 learned to creatively merge and manipulate basic geometric shapes to create stunning 3D creations. This program also happens to be one of the more intuitive and individual platforms used in the Design & Engineering Center, making it optimal for independent learning. As their culminating project, students were tasked with designing a city. It did not have to be realistic, or even be for humans—it could be for sheep, or aliens, or anything else! Sixth graders all demonstrated their TinkerCAD expertise and constructed strikingly ingenious cities.
Gweneth McTigue
Going above and beyond is always an option for students in the Design & Engineering Center where projects are “challenge by choice” and studentdriven. Two sixth graders, Leo Korman and Ian Sheshunoff, already had experience and background in 3D printing. During the COVID-19 shelter-inplace order, they borrowed 3D printers from the Crane Design & Engineering Center and kept themselves busy by taking on the challenge of 3D printing face shields for medical professionals. Leo and Ian demonstrate the true spirit of community that is at the heart of all we do here at Crane.
Madeline Rick
Lora McManus Teaching Fellow
Mason Copus
Massimo Bonilla-Zakosek
WORD ART
In English, the sixth graders were asked to type any and all words that describe, symbolize, or reflect this year for them into a shared document. Using Word Art they chose the shape of a tree. 23
