Overview and Rationale:

The math kit I produced is unique in that it is a continuous project, that once complete will benefit the students as well as the school. My kit involves constructing a garden shed that will eventually be raffled off as a fundraiser for the school. The activities in the kit are original and sequential as they start with the basics of construction (the foundation) and continue until a finished project is complete with shingles and paint. I like to think of this kit as a practical use for mathematical skills.

The kit is geared to students in grades 8-9. The reason is that these students are more mature and are ready to acquire skills that they can relate to previous learned ones. Every student takes math in school but not everyone grasps the importance of the subject. Many students go through the routine of learning mathematical rules, solving the equations and problem solving without ever thinking about what they have learned or the importance of these skills. Hopefully this kit will bring to light some ideas and thoughts that the students may use in the future.

The activities, as I have stated, start with the foundation. The students need to realize that as in education a solid foundation is needed for the shed. The first couple of activities will center around the students designing a concrete pad for the shed to sit on. They will take into consideration the size of the shed, price of lumber, and lengths of materials in order to minimize waste. As the students come up with various designs and shapes the teacher will remind the students of costs and practicality of each. The activities will be setup so that there is always a reference to material taught in class such as area and perimeter.

The rest of the activities will teach the students about reading blueprints and looking at scale and the actual construction of the shed. Once they understand the scale principles then they will be able to design the shed and draft a model of their design. Once they have a draft, they will be able to calculate materials needed as well as the costs.

The activities will look at calculating the number of studs needed, the area that is covered with plywood, the amount of paint and shingles needed to finish the shed and to note labor and miscellaneous costs. As the students will have varied designs the teacher will have to do some cost comparisons and point out where there could be cutbacks or where it is simply impractical to build an extremely expensive shed.

The expense of the shed becomes a clear issue at the end of the unit when you want to sell tickets as a fundraiser. For instance, if the money is going to be spent on the class outing ( camp out, field trip) the students will be a lot more interested in making money rather than building an elaborate expensive shed. Again realism and practicality come into play along with the learning of math skills.

Some of the skills that I have incorporated into the kit deal with various strands. I use geometry when designing a rectangular pad. Area, perimeter and volume are topics that relate to the foundation as well as the structure. Measuring is constantly used and because of the building materials, fractions have a major role. Remember that a 2x4 is 1 1/2 x 3 1/2. Scale is used in the drafting and blueprint reading activities. Problem solving is an important strand as the students use it to determine cost effectiveness and also to calculate materials needed.

My philosophy behind the idea of putting a practical project like this together derives from the question " When am I ever going to need this in my life? " So many students ask this when you teach them something that they may struggle with at first or that requires a little effort. The premise of this kit is to provide a realistic and hands on project that brings together many different strands of math. Math is usually taught as different entities like fractions for one month and then geometry for another. This kit brings all the entities together where the students will find that they do not even notice they are using the skills until the teacher points them out with a review after each activity. I also believe that students need to learn with "hands on" or experiential learning. The learning process comes alive with an active approach rather than a passive one from a textbook. A sense of accomplishment is evident when you see the students' faces light up with excitement w! hen they see what they have constructed.

My philosophy is also built on experience. While I was employed as a teacher's assistant I had many encounters with children who had behavioral problems. I found that whenever I tried to teach them a new concept that old question arose " When will I ever use this stuff? ". No matter how I explained to them that they need math in their lives they could not see it or believe it. So when the principal and I discussed some of these barriers, we decided to create a practical project. I would take a group of boys, with behavioral problems, and we would construct a garbage can stand. Now this is not nearly as complicated as the shed project but it was effective. When the boys struggled with measuring and adding lengths etc., they realized how important math was and I found a real sense of effort later in the classroom. Now I'm not expecting to turn the world into carpenters but rather I want to emphasis the practical uses of math. Even though some students turn out to become profe! ssionals there is nothing wrong with a doctor that can be a handyman around the house as well.

NOTE: As a teacher using this project outline, you may feel the need to adapt it to a plan that works better for you. Also note that the "Strand/Objectives" and "CEL's" are specifics which come from the Saskatchewan Curriculum.

Things to Note:

1.	Foundations may vary according to the floor surface, i.e. concrete, or wood.
2.	Forms for the pad should be screwed rather than nailed to allow for easy disassembling.
3.	Plates should be laid out prior to wall assembly, studs should have crown facing the same direction and instructions for nailing procedures i.e. 2 nails/stud.
4.	Remember the saw blade takes off 1/8 of an inch when cutting.
5.	Keep studs 16 inches on center. Note: Use sheeting to hold studs.
6.	Use a standard nail spacing on sheeting i.e. 6-8 inches.
7.	Allow for shrinkage by spacing the sheeting, i.e. 1/8 inch in between.
8.	Remember to pull out bent nails.
9.	Instruct students on how to build headers, i.e. door, window.
10.	Use finishing techniques as extra incentives, i.e. fascia boards, moldings.