Drafting
Course Description
In this class we will begin to understand how to communicate three dimensional objects in two dimensions. Emphasis will be given to architectural drafting. Students will be exposed to a variety of drafting styles and presentations to help them develop a sense of what is effective mechanical communication and what is simply attractive (or not) drawing. By the end of the course I hope students will have an ability to draft with some precision and style.
In the first week we surveyed several drafting presentations and commented on their efficacy for construction. The students worked on lettering quality for clarity and proper style. Most made rapid progress toward clear precise letters. Students practiced distinctive line weights and began to see the significance that different lines could have. We worked freehand most of the time. Following a brief discussion about scale on maps and the necessity to represent large things on small paper, we began constructing our own ¼" and ½" scale rules. Next we began to make a plan view of our classroom. This became a bit raucous as some students excelled and others required a different pace. For the first week of high school I think they are all doing well. Homework assignments will continue and parents should check that it is completed. To complete the week we began a discussion about the class final project which will be a multiple views of an object or building. Time management for this young class will be important. Please encourage your students not to wait until the last minute.
In our second week we will explore using the mechanical tools of the draftsman; tee-square, triangles, compass and templates. More formal definitions for what we have been looking at will be understood by all. Plan, elevation, section and isometric drawings of simple objects will be drafted. We will explore circles and their proper integration into straight lines using compass and template. Proper dimensioning will be mastered (?)
Our final week will see us back to the classroom drawing. We will begin again with all of the tools and techniques practiced in the previous weeks. Architectural conventions will be explored and some time will be allowed in class for work on final projects but they are to be done primarily outside of class.
Students are allowed to take any equipment that they use in the classroom home to work on class assignments. Students must bring all their drafting equipment to class each day along with two sharp pencils, the HB or H and the 4H.
A note on grading: Like all courses at YIHS this is a pass/fail course. Failure to do the homework or turn in the final project on the last day of class will result in an incomplete. Incompletes that are not completed within two weeks will result in a failure. Please talk to me about any special family circumstances that may require a modification of this policy. If a student excels, I may give some pass with honors grades but these will not follow onto a student's transcript, sorry.
Teacher: Chris Cox
