7th Grade Sukkot Laser-Cutter Project
Human-Centered
Students were tasked with creating an ornament that can hang in a sukkah and twirl.
This is a sample we saw on Etsy. We used this idea but brought it closer to the lesson students were learning in their Jewish Studies classes. Each student created an individual design to their own artistic taste and incorporated the learning about this holiday.
Students took their projects home to share with their families.
Connected to Curriculum
The 7th graders learned about the seven species and their connections:
Wheat - Kindness
Barley - Strength
Grapevine - Beauty
Figs - Endurance
Pomegranate - Majesty
Olive - Foundations
They were asked to think about the connection between the plant and the word and make a connection to themselves.
Concrete
Students created these beautiful ornaments to concretize their learning in Jewish Studies.
Not only did they learn about Sukkot in a deeper way through this project, they learned new software (Inkscape), a new art resource (thenounproject.com), and a new technology skill — using the laser cutter.
This learning starts with safety (ex: never walk away from the laser cutter while it’s running) but also gives students understanding about X, Y and Z axis on that machine, using the CorelDraw and JobControl software needed to run the machine, and a little bit about why we use 3mm baltic birch plywood for these projects.