building a strong structure with index cards

Once again, index cards are all about labeling things with ease. This seemed a puzzlingly simple notion--that developing the plot of your story was in some way akin to the act of jotting down your grocery list. Try building a tower with other materials like straws or wooden craft sticks. YA is less of a genre than it is a category of reader. Every scene must make the next scene inevitable. A column takes an axial load, but a beam is subject to a bending moment (which is why you see I-beams). Susan Mattern, author of Out of the Lions Den, grand-prize winner of the 10th Annual WD Self-Published E-Book Awards, talks staying true to her story and the benefits of writing at a distance from the events. If you are having trouble with this project, please read the FAQ below. 5 index cards (20 cm 13 cm) glue gun, white glue, or glue stick at plywood (20 cm 20 cm) string Design Specications A. It's an innovative approach to putting exceptional education at the very heart of a community. What are some examples of tall towers throughout the world? How to Build a Tower Out of Straws & Paper Clips - Synonym It's a common thought that most movies can be told within 40-60 scenes. To make a safe bridge that will last a long time, engineers often look at other bridges that are already built and try to imagine ways that they can improve on that existing design. Do you employ this technique, or something similar, when creating a structure for your novel or story? This is often a common mistake for those that attempt this index card process for the first time. Build one triangle, one square, and one arch in advance as visual aids. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Engineering-Design-Process-Teacher-Guide-and-Student-Activities-6135198, Quick STEM Challenge for Kids Engineer a New Paper Clip, A STEM Building Toy for Imaginative Children, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Sampler-Pack-2220744, https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfe.zcolumnsi/columns-finding-the-strongest-shape/#.WTKaiPErIUQ, Meredith on Index Card STEM Towers, Shannon Bynum on Quick STEM Challenge for Kids Engineer a New Paper Clip, Jana on Index Card STEM Towers, 5 Easy STEM Challenges You Can Do with Paper Plates. For example, it is very easy to bend a flat piece of paper. Unlike regular buildings and skyscrapers, which typically have rooms (offices, apartments, etc.) Character Breakdown: What Makes Ariel More Than Just A Little Mermaid? PDF Paper Bridge Engineering - Museum of Science This is not designed to give youth the answers, but to empower them to ask questions and figure things out on their own. You need a second plot line too, something to complicate the first one: Now, take all these separate cards and shuffle them together and start laying them out on the kitchen table in the order you think they should go. Unopened can of food, 1416 oz or 400450 g. Glass jars are not allowed for safety reasons (they could shatter if they fall off your tower). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Get yourself a stack of index cards. For scoring purposes, 1 piece of paper is 1 sheet of paper. It becomes much harder to bend the paper if you fold it in half multiple times or roll it into a tube. When you have all the cards laid out in order, go through them as if you're reading a comic book or a storyboard and see if they read like a story. Pretty soon, you start to wonder how the hell Arthur C. Clarke and Larry Niven and Frederik Pohl and Richard Matheson and Jack Finney and Anne McCaffrey and C.J. Your email address will not be published. We are passionate about elevating and supporting the construction workforce. A mechanical engineer by training, she enjoys creating STEM educational resources for her two sons, other homeschoolers, and classrooms around the world. Create Structure in Your Fiction Using Index Cards Have you ever tried to build a house of cards? After seeing that one can of beans was easily held, I told them they could try stacking two, and then three. How do these towers stay standing without falling over, even though they are very tall and skinny? Rest the bridge on two piles of books 8 inches apart. What additional tools might you need to make that happen? What would happen if you doubled up the index cardswould the bridge be stronger? Can you design a tower that is tall, lightweight, and sturdy? Author Katie Shepard shares her views on writing at the intersection of mental health and romance fiction, including examples of novels that do it well. Insert the slit on a third card into the unused slit at the end of either of the first two index cards. Hollywood Screenwriter John August's 10 Best Index Card Practices, The Screenwriter's Simple Guide to TV Writing, 21 Movie Treatments and Outlines That Every Screenwriter Should Read, 10 Screenplay Structures That Screenwriters Can Use, 10 Most Thought-Provoking Villain Monologues, 15 Movies Screenwriters Should Watch to Study Dialogue, 18 Plot Devices You Can Use to Elevate Your Story, The Biggest and Baddest "Big Bads" of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Character Analysis: How Star-Lord Goes From Outlaw to Hero, 5 Lessons From Past ScreenCraft Summit Speakers, How 'Evil Dead Rise' Carries on Sam Raimi's DIY Filmmaking Legacy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Take the fourth card and insert one of its slits into one of the two remaining exposed slits on the structure. They then use index cards and their shape of choice to build a bridge that will support a die-cast toy car. endobj Build a different type of structure, like a bridge. So, it is possible for a shorter tower that uses less paper to beat a taller tower that uses more paper. endobj Put a card on the palm of your hand and slowly raise your arm until the card starts to slip. Thank you for your interest and for helping us in our mission to transform lives as we put the E in STEM! https://registry.screencraft.org?utm_source=screencraft-blog&utm_medium=side-bar&utm_campaign=&utm_campaign=Hollywood Screenwriter John August's 10 Best Index Card Practices. Show the participants examples of a triangle, an arch, and a square made of index cards and tape. Index Card Structures - Education to the Core Premium % If you step back and can't read them, you're not going to be able to envision the layout of your cinematic tale. Why dont they just slip and fall down? A pack of one hundred white index cards sells for an average of just fifty cents. I modified it for this challenge make it easier for the young class I was teaching so that they didnt have to write as much. %PDF-1.5 Engineering. It cannot be taped to the tower. If you list a card as the opening hook, the midway turning point, or the final showdown, you're doing nothing more than limiting that moment to a specific location within your script. Make observations about the strength of each shape. Triangle shapes in a bridge direct the weight of the bridge and the cars crossing it downward without bending. We'll send you a list of our free screenwriting eCourses when you subscribe to our newsletter. Instead, it represents the labeling of each moment, indexing the figure pieces of the screenplay as a whole. This 60-minute tutorial, taught by literary agent Lucianne Diver (who also writes paranormal), covers everything from worldbuilding and character development to creating magic systems and internal and external conflicts, and readying your manuscript for submission. Self-differentiating for each team and each grade level. For materials, the original version of this used just 35 or 46 index cards. on every floor, observation towers may have a mostly "hollow" structure with an observation deck on top. Our team is made up of educators, parents, engineers, and lifelong learners; our common bond is that we are all STEM enthusiasts. I especially like what David has to say about treating each scene as a "motivational unit" and being able to see, from a visual perspective, those scenes that don't move the story along, and therefore are necessary to cut. Index cards are generally thicker than regular paper, allowing them to create a structure that will stand up against wind or pressure from any side. How did you explain to your students the science behind it? The trick is knowing what to put next on the list.". : The weight that something must support. What I absolutely loved about this challenge is that every single index card tower was completely different! When I first showed the kids that we would be using just index cards and tape, I held up a floppy index card and a can of beans and asked them if they thought index cards were strong enough to hold the can. stream I used the basic graphic organizer in my STEM Sampler (free): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Sampler-Pack-2220744 Need a literary getaway? How to Build a Strong Structure Using 4 Index Cards | eHow The index cards don't feature every single visual or moment from the script. Then take it to the next level!. Hey, this is awesome! Then you can go back and forth between separate threads, picking up the next appropriate scene from each. If it isn't, start moving the cards around--no, this one needs to go before that one; this scene has to follow that scene, this group goes here, not there. They act like triangles, directing the weight of cars on the bridge without bending. What would you change in a future design? Each index card represents a scene or sequence. Follow Ken on Twitter@KenMovies. (A sidenote: What's particularly amusing about it is that he is the writer of the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" from Star Trek: The Original Series, which is, in my opinion, one of the best Star Trek episodes ever.). Notify me of follow-up comments by email. document.getElementById( "ak_js_5" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_6" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 ScreenCraft | An Industry Arts Company. Write a one-line synopsis of each specific scene that you think should be in your story, one scene per card. You are allowed to fold, bend, roll, cut, etc. Hard, smooth surface, such as table or countertop. Details aren't necessary. If you have too few within your action script, you'll see the problem quickly. Check out the literary scene in Salem, Massachusetts. How to Make Paper Hold Up Books: My kids wanted to know which shapes would be strongest, so we folded paper into squares, circles and triangles and taped them together. Examples of a triangle, a square, and an arch made of index cards and tape. Wait for 1 minute to make sure the tower does not collapse. And this is an area where you can really change the challenge up. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464). He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseriesBlackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Credit: American Society of Civil Engineers. Gather your supplies and begin building. The kids loved it so much that I started planning more tower-building events. Activity adapted from American Society of Civil Engineers. Bend down the small piece of card on the outside of one of the slits, then twist the end of the other card so that its slit will fit into the slit on the first card. Building with Straws | Simple Engineering Challenge for Kids No strings attached. I asked them to think about ways they could change the shape of the card to make it stronger. Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. Great way to introduce and practice the design process for K-5. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Find out which is strongest by pushing down on them and rocking them side to side. Your success is our #1 priority. Surprising variety of possibilities. Once it is in, release the piece and your structure will be standing. Think about bridges you have seen. Stuck inside on a rainy day? Your building will be considered "earthquake proof" if it can retain its complete structure on the shake table and not fall over during a period of 10 seconds of shaking the table. Figure3 shows several examples. The purpose is to work as an editor, trying to find the best flow of scenes and sequences for pacing purposes and story structure building. <> Download Format: .zip file. Is this a logical or inevitable progression of events? For more information, see our Cookie Policy. ], Welcome back to school! Post-It Notes have a sticky portion of the back that you can use on a board or on a table or flat surface, allowing you the freedom to rearrange your moments with ease while offering the security of a sticky mount. Parking garage must be strong enough to hold at least 1 small book (or 8 toy cars) . Students must consider weight distribution, basic physics and the engineering necessary to construct a structure. It's an essential tutorial for those interested in writing science fiction, fantasy, or paranormal, and I highly recommend it! Darren Bagley, Michigan State University Extension - Building a tower out of straws and paper clips can be an challenging project and an effective way to teach the basics of architectural design. New ScreenCraft online events You can also use this project to demonstrate the engineering design process. What about arches? Pull the cards apart until they are 90-degree angles to one another. What can you learn from this simple experiment? You will need index cards, masking tape and a scale to weigh the structures and to get a weight on the textbook. Print Overview STEM careers Civil Grade level 3-5 So far, we have tried building structures with gumdrops, candy hearts, candy pumpkins, and jelly beans.After reading my friend's new book, The Curious Kid's Science Book, I knew we had to share our favorite engineering challenge from the book: building with straws. It's all about balance and using color cards for certain elements is key to maintaining a visual sense of the balance between action and dramatic scenes and sequences. Take your hands off of your tower and see if it can stand on its own. You also might want to test your tower as you build itfor example, by pressing on it gently to make sure it is sturdy enoughinstead of waiting until the very end and then putting the can on top. Send us an email and we'll get back to you ASAP. People have built whole cities out of Lego bricks. The shapes can be taped together, but not taped to the table. The bottom of the tower can only be taped to the horizontal surface that it rests on (floor, table, etc.). Note: the following variations are not eligible for the 2021 Engineering Challenge, but you can do them for an independent science project. Somewhere between 8-10 minutes makes it challenging, but you can decide. Enjoy experimenting with your card structures while learning a little about physics and architecture in the process. Guess what? DiscoverE works to provide every student with a shared STEM experience and the resources, programs, and connections to improve the understanding of engineering through a united voice and a global distribution network. 3 0 obj STEM challenge at the 1st/2nd grade level asking students to create a structure using index cards. Use the diagrams in Figure 4.45 to decide what type of beam to . Figure 3. Experimenting with shapes such as triangles and arches, teams consider which can best support a load without collapsing. Build Strong Coalition For example, bridges must be able to hold up the materials that make the bridge, as well as all of the traffic travelling across it. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. As you can see in this example, I've used business cards and if you just put a call out to your non-teacher friends or the parents of your students, I guarantee you just about When you feature an action sequence within an index card, you're calling attention to a part of the script that is elevated. How can you make your bridge look really good? 5x8 Index Cards Scissors Paper clips Pennies (the more, the better!) The development of this site was made possible by a grant from the United Engineering Foundation (UEF). In other words, they learn from mistakes made in the past and make old designs even better! I showed them the structure and asked if they thought index cards could support their weight. Use folded index cards to build the tallest tower. With a simple item that most people have in their house, you can do numerous experiments. The activity sheets include: Introduction, Equipment. For this reason, you will see triangles in lots of bridges. By crumpling, folding, and otherwise reshaping the flimsy flat sheets and by forming a wide base, students can make their newspaper sheets in this activity stand up and reach unexpected heights. Writing Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Paranormal Tutorial. Your builder or local city council can help you with this process. Some people outline. For this project, students are given a pack of 100 3x5 index cards and are asked to build the tallest possible tower that holds a specified object, such as a required course textbook. Show your students the following introductory video: Tallest Tower: 2021 Engineering Challenge. How can you build a tower if the only materials you have available are paper and tape? It is unlikely that your tower will work perfectly on the first tryit might even collapse! Some people like to do their outlining on a computer, but the actual physical act of writing scene synopses down on cards and shuffling them around on the kitchen table is still one of the best ways to get a sense of the rhythms of story structure, because it allows you to treat scenes as units. Thanks for your question. Required fields are marked *. Try index cards, folded paper, pizza boxes after a pizza party or other ideas. As I was flipping through the book, I read an opening line that intrigued me: "All writing is list-making. How to Build a Tower: 25 Simple Engineering Ideas for Kids Upgrade to download this resource. Then I decided to add another component and test the height as well. Offering poetry and literary festivals, open mics, historical landmarks, literary journals, and more, Salem is more than just a Halloween mecca. Take two of the cards and orient them so that they are next to each other, with the slits on the cards facing each other. You can download this slideshow for more pictures of different towers. Material cost is not prorated. Depending on what you include, several of the NGSS standards related to Matter and its Interactions, Motion & Stability: Forces and Motion, as well as Engineering Design. If you label your initial final showdown as such, you're not going to be able to move that index card anywhere as labeled. Design, build, test, improve, repeat. 1 toy car (1:64 scale size, such as Hot Wheels or Matchbox). This is a generalization but can hold true to many films. Ive used the same set of folded index cards with 6 grade levels x 6 HRs per grade for 2 years in a row. These maximize strength with minimal material. That's not the point. Looking for inspiration? When engineers build structures, they want to make sure that the structure can bear weight. What would you do to the individual pieces of paper? : The distance from one side of something to the other side, like the length of a bridge. Place all four cards in a stack and put them on the table in front of you with the long sides running horizontally. (Check out the Dragon Bridge in Vietnam.). October 01, 2015. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot. Index Card Tower Challenge - The Science Spot Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How to make a structure stronger - BBC Teach 1 package of 3 x 5-inch index cards; 15 sheets of 12 x 12-inch poster board; . And yet, as I started to read further, what the author was saying made a lot of sense: The thing about Lego bricks is that you can build just about anything you can imagine--if you're patient enough. No strings attached. Materials: 1 deck of cards, 1 pair of scissors The scissors may not be damaged and may not be used as part of the solution. STEM Design Challenge: Building Earthquake Proof - Instructables Tallest Paper Tower Challenge | Science Project Scotch), masking, and painter's tape are allowed. Other similar structures that have a hollow frame with a heavy load at the top can include water towers and radio towers (Figure 2). You might want to practice building individual elements (for example, single beams, or connections between beams) of your tower before you try to build the entire thing. Load: The weight that something must support. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. BuildStrong Academy: Building Careers in Construction (2022, December 20). Tallest Paper Tower Challenge for Grades 6-8 | Lesson Plan What do you predict will build the sturdiest house? The Amazing Index Card Tower Using one simple material, students build the tallest tower possible. The tower can only be built from paper and tape. The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707. We may also use additional cookies to analyze, improve, and personalize our content and your digital experience. We got to work making our index card STEM towers: Then they took time to plan out their designs. Make a cut on the right side of the cards, about half an inch from the left edge. Please enter a search term in the text box. Strongest Shapes - DiscoverE When most people try building a house of cards, they use the pyramid or triangle shape as the main building block, with the aim of building another layer on top of this. As shown in the following video, your goal is to build the tallest possible tower using only paper and tape, but the tower must also support a can of food at the top. The two strongest structures held together at 155 and 160 pounds.
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