This unit is an introduction to repair for middle school students. The first few lessons introduce students to basic repair concepts: types of repair, careers in repair, environmental impact of waste, and the repair movement. Students then learn technical skills such as tool use, diagnosing repairs and taking items apart. In the final lesson, students go in depth into three areas of repair: textiles, bicycles, and computers.
Age — 6th - 8th grade (12 - 14 years old)
Cost — Free
A Collaboration between Berkeley Unified School District Middle School MakerSpaces & BUSD Climate Literacy Initiative
On November 3, 2021 the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education unanimously passed the Climate Literacy Resolution, which commits to graduating students who are well versed in climate change science, issues, & solutions and environmental justice as a civil rights issue. BUSD funded a full-time Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) to implement the resolution.
Culture of Repair helped secure funding for this project.
If you would like to read more about the impact of repair at Berkeley Unified School District, check out Ellen McClure’s Note From The Field. Ellen writes about a two-part program integrating repair into the middle-school STEM / Makerspace curriculum and hosting community repair events. Read: “Climate Literacy Initiative Pilots Repair Curriculum and Community Events” to learn more about the initiatives.
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