7th Grade

Introduction to technology education is a required class for 7th graders for 9 weeks during the school year. The class is designed to show students how technology affects our daily lives. The four systems of technology are construction, manufacturing, transportation, and communications. The students will complete at least one project for each technology system. Their construction project is a balsa wood superstructure. The students will engineer, build, and test the superstructure for strength. One of the manufacturing projects include the "Hi-Q" game board where the students will use a variety of tools and machines to make the game board. The machines include the scroll saw, belt sander, and drill press. Another manufacturing project is a Plexiglas picture frame. The students learn how to remove saw marks, buff out scratches, and bend the plastic. The transportation unit includes a paper/balsa wood glider with the students learning about aviation. The communications lab has the students completing many drawings using a computer aided design (CAD) program.