Community Planning

Burris Laboratory School Technology Education Activity

Grades 4 and 5

Fall Semester, 1998

Page last updated:

September 17, 1998

For more pictures, click here.

Burris Home Page

	Mrs. Sandy Murray, Grade 5 teacher
	Mrs. Christine Coelho, Grade 4 teacher
	Mrs. Joyce Carmichael, Grade 4 teacher
	Mrs. Danette Morrell, Grade 5 teacher

Teachers:

Technology Education: Dr. James Kirkwood, DTE

Assistant: Mike Patrick, Graduate assistant in the Department of Industry and Technology, Ball State University

Classroom setting:

Each class consists of 19 or 20 children who attend Burris Laboratory School on the campus of Ball State University. These children have been together as a class, with few additions or subtractions, since Kindergarten. Burris accepts students from anywhere in the State of Indiana, by lottery. These classes, however, cannot be considered a random sample, since earlier registrations permitted some descretion in selection. Nevertheless, they are typical 4th and 5th graders of mixed gender, race, and ethnic groups.

Communication Technology:

The classrooms are situated next to a 20+ station Mac lab. All computers are connected directly to the internet.

Classroom goals:

In an initial planning meeting the teachers all desired their children to learn more about the community in which they live. They also expressed a desire to have the children experience the drawing and reading of maps. The technology teacher mentioned the possible use of drawing software that could be installed on a few of the computers. In discussing the problems associated with Burris school not being identified through appropriate road signage as a school zone, and with only a few school speed limit signs installed, it was decided that the children could undertake a socially-oriented transportation technology activity.

Click on the following links to see the handouts given to the students:

1. Questionnaire for 4th & 5th graders re: methodsof getting to and from school.

2. Questionnaire checklist for 2nd and 3rd graders as dictated by 5th graders.

3. Letter to parents.

Traffic and Signage	We looked at the signs and traffic around Burris. We found more signs than we thought we might. New signs had been placed just before school started. We found quite a few of these two signs. The one on the left is called a "School Advance" sign and must be placed ahead of the "School Crossing" sign.
	When we went to count the cars one morning, high school students from the Indiana Academy, which is housed in the Burris building, were checking actual speeds of passing cars. (Most were going over 30 mph.) The students are seen here measuring the "course." Above is a "School Speed Limit assembly." It must consist of the three signs as shown, according to the Indiana Manual. The speed limit at Burris is 20 mph, not 25 mph. The fourth graders and fifth graders made three studies. We found that there were more than 100 cars every 15 minutes. We did not check traffic at peak traffic times. We will do so soon. Indiana suggests a number of "Supplemental Signs"to be used when occasions warrant. Here are a few of them that might be placed near Burris school:

	We found only four "School Speed Limit assembly signs," and strangely enough, most were found on only one side of the street--that must mean that cars can go 30 miles per hour one way and only 20 mph the other way. Is this legal? It surely isn't safe! Resources: Indiana State Highway Commission (1975). Indiana manual on uniform traffic control devices for streets and highways.