Keeping things balanced
We all rely on our abilities to balance things on a daily basis, though I suspect that most of us give only occasional thought to what we really know about balance, and how we may be able to learn more about “balance” as a result.
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The Basics of Balance are at the center of this episode:
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A bit of vocabulary relating to balance, though not too much, will be introduced.
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A hands-on approach to the topic will be encouraged.
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Any and all materials and tools will be considered in our experiments.
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Focus on what you know. Focus on the resources that you have. This is not a competition.
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This is an opportunity for creative exploration and expression.
About Balance
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LEARN, EXPLORE, and DEMONSTRATE
This section highlights a variety of views from which to examine the topic of Beams and Balance. Some of this you may know already, but there will be at least a few new things here for most of us.
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SolveMe ONLINE BALANCING GAMES
- Activities to demonstrate and challenge your knowledge of the Basics of Balance.
- Start with a few weights on the sample mobiles.
- Create models of your own design.
- SolveMe INTRODUCTION/INSTRUCTIONS
- SolveMe GAMES
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ALEXANDER CALDER AND THE MOBILE
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In 1931 Alexander Calder, an American artist, pursued his interest in exploring Balance to create sculptures that came to be known as "Mobiles".
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The Tate Galleries, in Great Britain, has wonderful online resources, including the "WHO IS ALEXANDER CALDER" site linked to the image to the right.
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BUILDING BALANCE AT HOME
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Though mobiles can be quite complex, simple works from common materials can be rewarding as well!
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Here we explore options for creating freestanding, as well as hanging, mobile-inspired structures.
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Check out these videos, then create a sculpture on your own!
BUILDING BEAMS BUILD A BASE
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FULCRUM MEETS BEAM DREAMWORK
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Feedback Loop - Build and Balance
Please consider sending photos, designs, or other thoughts relating to any of the topics put forth on this site. I am interested in hearing your thoughts, and to continuing the conversation!
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EPISODE 3- FINAL tHOUGHTS
Please take the time to fill out the survey below. Remember, this is not an assessment. This is an opportunity for us to work together as we seek to learn and grow during this highly unusual time. I look forward to seeing how things have gone thus far.
- Mr. Clark
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EPISODE 1- FINAL tHOUGHTS
Please take the time to fill out the survey below. Remember, this is not an assessment. This is an opportunity for us to work together as we seek to learn and grow during this highly unusual time. I look forward to seeing how things have gone thus far.
- Mr. Clark
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WORD WALL
During the course of this term we will be adding Domain-Specific Vocabulary to our Word Wall. I have included a couple of items to get us going. You may add to the wall by clicking on the PLUS sign. Please include Your Name when adding an entry.
**Note that you can open the word wall in a new window by clicking the icon in the upper right corner of the wall