Our last P.E. teacher, Mr. Duffield, once told me, “The Burj Khalifa? That doesn’t impress me. It’s the 21st century. We can build anything. What impresses me are the pyramids in Giza or Chichen Itza, that they’re still standing.”
I have to say I mostly agree with this sentiment. In History class Grade 7 has been looking at the marvels of classical Roman engineering–the aqueducts, for example, and the Colosseum. The Romans were master builders and, just as important, they understood that quality engineering can produce infrastructure that makes our lives better. Thus, over one million (!) Roman citizens had access to clean drinking water, baths, and toilets.
Now, I said I mostly agree with Mr. Duffield’s assessment. I still get a kick out of marveling at modern engineering–it’s just so clever sometimes. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the pyramids at Giza (circa 2550 BC) and the Hoover Dam (circa 1930) and have stood in awe at both.
Grade 7 is currently working on the first draft of an essay about Roman engineering. Once that draft is turned in on Monday, they’ll begin a project that asks them to examine, critique and present one example of modern, engineered infrastructure, such as the Hoover Dam. This will afford them opportunity to apply the larger concept (how human systems improve our lives) to their contemporary world.
If you’d like to assist your student by providing them with ideas and examples (I’ll provide some as well), feel free. Ideally, I’d like the students to make their choice based on their interest.