In the opening pages of the book, you’ll find an illustrated map of The Wright 3’s neighborhood. Discuss the aerial view and its correlation to the “birds-eye view” one gets from a floor plan.

As a group, create your own map of the area surrounding your school. The emphasis is not on precise scale, but rather on identifying landmarks and important places.

First, define the area you will represent on your map. If your school doesn’t sit on a traditional grid block, choose a surrounding area that will include different types of buildings and usage.

Discuss with students the important buildings and places to represent on the map- the “landmarks.” Include historic places, favorite restaurants or shopping, popular meeting spots, natural landmarks, perhaps a water tower. Be selective- you will not have room to include everything.

Send us your map and include all of the following:

• a legend of symbols and what each represents, i.e., houses, trees, transportation, etc.
• directional symbol indicating north
• street names

Not required, but you may want to include:

• heavily used paths (by bus? by students who walk to school?)
• “nodes”- areas where people gather, important intersections
• any designated residential, shopping, industrial districts that exist in the area

Scan and upload the map to the site, or send it to us by mail.

      Materials you’ll need for this challenge:

•        *lots of straws
•        *3 feet of masking tape
•        *a ruler or yardstick

 A cantilever is a structure that is supported at one end and sticks out way beyond its base.   Cantilevers were used frequently by Frank Lloyd Wright in his Prairie style residences.  They contributed to the long, horizontal appearance of the building that reflected the flat landscape of the Midwestern prairie.    

In the Robie House, the rooflines are great examples of cantilevers.  In Wright’s Fallingwater home, the balconies are cantilevered, projecting people out into the natural surroundings.  Look for everyday examples of cantilevers in the classroom and identify a few.     

A quick and easy demonstration of a cantilever:  Hang a heavy backpack from one extended arm, first from near the shoulder, and then closer to the wrist.   In which case is it more difficult to hold up the bag?   Cantilevers in buildings must be extremely strong and are often reinforced by steel.        

See how far you can build out your own straw cantilever: 

• Use a desktop as your point of support.
• Using only the 3 feet of masking tape but as many straws as you like, build a cantilever out from the desk.
• Your construction may not “droop” lower than 22 inches off the floor.
• Optional:  Hang weights at various points on the straws to test the strength of your cantilever.

For your response:  take a photograph of your straw cantilever construction and indicate its length in inches.  Good luck!

“Tommy, examining it also, wondered if it was okay to keep a treasure like this that had been found on a piece of private property.” (pg. 84)

What do you think? Write and send a short persuasive piece- a couple of paragraphs in length- about whether Tommy should, or should not, keep the fish, and why. Is it more important for him to save the Robie House or use the fish to get a home of his own?