Julia J., hammerhead shark (interior structure), grade eleven.

Jude Saleet

The first challenge 3D teachers face with their students is getting them to shift from thinking in two dimensions to thinking in three dimensions. This can be accomplished by first working with the ubiquitous paper cube—it starts out flat, and after a few cuts and folds, weʼve traversed two-dimensional space to the third dimension.

Iʼve been starting with folded paper forms in my design classes for some time, but this is the first year I considered moving the ball further downfield. What would an advanced form look like? How could I get my students to create more advanced 3D forms with paper? This project is my attempt to answer these questions.

Let the Process Begin
We settled quickly on organic, anatomical structures. The curriculum up to this point, which focused on geometrical and abstract forms, helped lead us to that conclusion. Students broke into teams of their own choosing, so we started by breaking the first rule of partner projects in high school—don’t pick your friends. Much to my studentsʼ credit, they made it work anyway.

There was enough of a mix of both art and design to create opportunities for students to be creative, problem-solve, and ultimately feel a high level of accomplishment.

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