Week 8 update

Now we are in our eighth week of the first trimester! We don't have much time left to learn new things, because this is the time where you use the things you have already learned- your new skills and knowledge to create some things that you can be proud of.

In Drafting you are finishing your unit on orthographic projections. The package of 8 drawings are due on Tuesday, and there will be a quiz on Wednesday. Be sure to use your study guide to get ready for the quiz. I want to see everybody score an A on this one! On Thursday you will start drawing your 1st floor plan. It will be the plan of the house that the Residential Construction class is building in Bailey's Grove. In class we will be discussing careers related to drafting, and we will going to the computer lab so you can work on your EDP. I hope I may have influenced you into considering a career that uses Drafting, there are many good jobs that use the skills you are learning. And if you want to pursue this career, make sure to prepare yourself by taking the right classes.

In Introduction to Manufacturing you need to work hard to get your mission style bookshelf completed by Friday. As soon as you are done, you will begin your small team project, which you will need to complete by November 16. We are going to be finishing up the unit on Careers in Manufacturing soon, and then you will prepare your Educational Development Plan. Don't forget to also be working on your tool expert project. We will be doing presentations during the week of November 12.

Keep up the good work, and remember: Measure twice, cut once.

week 7 update

MEAP and Conferences Week

We are now in week 7 of the 1st trimester. I hope you are all pleased with the progress you are making in your classes.

In Drafting we are midway through unit 7- which is where you learn to make 3-view orthographic projections of mechanical parts. It takes some time to learn this concept, but hopefully it will make sense for you real soon. Remember this is the standard used throughout the world for accurately drawing mechanical parts. Unit 7 is due on October 22, there will be a quiz on October 23, and then you will start unit 8- drafting floor plans for a house.

In Manufacturing we are finishing up classwork in Shop Math and starting the section on Careers in Manufacturing. In the shop, you are all working on your Mission style bookshelves. the bookshelves are due on 10/26. After that you will have about one month to work on your small team project.

Don't forget to start working on gathering material for your "Tool Expert" project.

I'm looking forward to meeting parents at conferences on 10/17 and 10/18.

Career Night is coming up soon- 10/30

week 5 update

In drafting we are starting Unit 7, which is where you learn to make Orthographic Projections, which are 3 view drawings.This is a difficult concept to master, but it is the standard for mechanical drawing. Remember to look at each drawing project as a puzzle that needs to be solved!

In Manufacturing we are finishing up the unit in shop math. It is so important that you learn to apply math to solving problems in manufacturing. Math is as important a tool as your hammer and saw, and learning to read a ruler is a fundamental skill that you will have to master. In the shop we are finished manufacturing the pieces for the bookshelves, and now you will need to make the lap joints, and assemble and finish your bookshelf.

Extra Credit

Here is an easy way to get 10 extra credit points:
Simply make a comment about what you have learned in our class. Be sure to leave your full name. If you want, leave an e-mail address so I can reply back

4th week update

Drafting- We have finished Unit 5 (out of 9). So you have learned to make 2 dimensional drawings using the drafting tools. You have learned to do geometric constructions using the compass and straight edge. Next you will learn lettering techniques and all the details of dimensioning a drawing following the ANSI standards.

Everyone is working hard and making tremendous progress!

Manufacturing- We have completed the first two projects- the peg game and the Tangram puzzle. Now we are learning about mass production as we make the parts for your bookshelves. You have learned to use most of the power tools- miter saw, table saw, and saw, router, drill press. Of course there are still more tools to learn about and more skills to learn.

In class you have learned about safety and shop math. Soon we will be making you into tool experts and exploring careers in manufacturing and construction.

Keep up the good work, be safe, and thanks for all you do to help keep the shop looking good!