We had a great visit to the Pearl Street workshop and gallery today by professor Dawn Kidd, an Adjunct Instructor at Lamar University. Her students are preservice teachers who will be teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. They started with a workshop visit with Jordan where they learned how to make a heart – square- circle dissection model. Ella Basken and Jordan Varat worked together to write detailed instructions to design and make this project on a laser cutter, including laser setup, cutting, assembly and coloring.

The group heading to the Texas State History Museum to view La Belle, see the dramatic film and enjoy the other exhibits included Prof. Kidd and her students as well as Stefany Espinoza, Tyson Geigenmiller, and Megan Do.
On returning to MathHappens, we spent some time reviewing the models and topics we cover on a La Belle field trip including the Mercator Map, Quadrant, Mini LaBelle with log-line, parallel ruler and nocturnal.
Megan Do lead the group in paper folding a mini-LaBelle that is 1/120 of the full size ship with the help of an interpreter to translate her instructions into sign language. The mini La Belle is a great model to help convey the challenge of the voyage. To cross a proportional distance, the mini La Belle at 5.4 inches long would have had 1/2 inch tall sailors and it would travel across over 20 miles of open sea. We also made working parallel rulers.
We really appreciate the interest of Professor Kidd in creating an opportunity for her students to go on a field trip that is all about taking students on field trips. Shelby and Kaitlin at Texas State History Museum were very helpful in making arrangements.