Better Together: Ms. Cozza's World History Builds Masterpieces

What does a pile of gumdrops and a stack of toothpicks have to do with learning history? During a recent study of the Renaissance, students in Ms. Cozza’s World History class got to work hands-on using nothing but these two items.

“Before cutting a single stone,” comments Carbone, “the masterminds would first draw sketches to decide upon the overall aesthetic of the building.”

A supplemental activity project was purchased from Education with DocRunning on Teachers Pay Teachers to emphasize features in classic Renaissance architecture. Students looked at famous Renaissance buildings such as the Sistine Chapel and the Santa Maria del Fiore for inspiration.

Even though the tools may not have been as mighty as marble and stone, students had to work together to discover, sometimes through trial and error, the best methods of constructing stable, beautiful Renaissance domes made of nothing more than gumdrops and toothpicks.

The project was an excellent example of how “teamwork makes the dream work” just like the structures left behind by Donatello and Brunelleschi which, today, still grace the world with their beauty!

A junior Health Assistant, Halee Coburn used her understanding of mathematical concepts to help her group. “I learned that we actually have to do more than simple trial and error; once we discovered a strong pattern, we needed to measure to make a dome that wouldn’t fall apart.”

Darius Coe, Health Assistant junior, used geometric concepts to succeed at meeting the goal: “As a member of the winning team; by far, the most important lesson I learned was in architecture and engineering is that the triangle is by far one of the strongest shapes.

At the end of the project, a leader of the classroom judged which design is best according to both stability and beauty — just as the early leaders judged competitions to determine who would get the job in Renaissance times!

“The best part of the assignment,” continues Coe, “was that everyone was willing to participate because it was fun.”

Coburn agrees, “I like how it was a group effort.”

“I enjoyed that it was a creative project that involved us to work together and brainstorm,” states junior Commercial Artist, Katie Tillia. “Projects like this are better when there’s more than one person working on it.”