Toys R'nt Us
November 14-January 13
Driving Question
How can we engineer accessibility into play?
Project Overview
Students will engineer adaptations to a toy, playground, or recreation equipment with the goal to improve accessibility for ALL kids to play regardless of abilities.
In Science, students will learn about the design process and modify a toy or playground equipment to improve accessibility for kids with disabilities. Students will also learn about forces of motion in the creation of their toys.
In ELA, students will be learning about accessibility, equity, and advocacy. They will research what accessibility looks like in our area, explore local accessibility issues, and draft a letter to advocate for improvement. They will be learning about informative writing, argumentative writing, research, peer review, parts of speech, complete sentences, capitalization, and end punctuation.
In Literature, students will do a novel study to see what real life can be like with an "invisible" disability. They will make a plan for changing how students with visible and invisible disabilities encounter daily life at TGS to make it more accessible for everyone.
Project Milestones
Science Milestones
Week 1- Understand the nature of physical barriers (disability) to everyday motor skill functioning.
Week 2-4 Toy/equipment selection, the barrier to use (disability), and initial design rationale (rough draft).
Week 5-6 3D renderings (CAD drawings) of play device with and without proposed modifications.
Week 7-8 Force analysis of play device
Week 9 Final project portfolio & elevator pitch for play device
ELA Milestones
Research summary- Students will use research best practices to learn about accessibility. They will compile a list of their sources and summarize their findings.
Letter advocating for improved accessibility in a public space- Students will draft letters that argue for improved accessibility.
Peer review - Students will use their own knowledge to review and give feedback on their classmates’ work. They will then integrate the feedback they were given into their work.
Literature Milestones
Week 1 & 2: Understand invisible disabilities and how to phrase (person before disability)
Week 3 Book talks about RF novels
Week 4 & 5 Finishing RF book about a young person affected by invisible disability
Week 6-8 School improvement plan for visible and invisible disabilities - planning & final product.
Community Connections
Mighty Miss Maya
Maya Tisdale
