Scaling Up a Model

Title: Scaling Up Our Designs

Author: Andrew Stillman

Subject: Engineering

Grade: 6

Week:

Unit/Lesson Plan #:

Unit theme: Cardboard Chair Unit

Materials Needed:

• Smartboard with object gallery, document camera, or overhead projector with transparent ruler.
• Sample prototype chair, cut from plain cardstock. One prototype part should be photocopied so it's outline can be measured on a worksheet. Label each corner with a letter (this corresponds well to the typical geometric representation learned in mathematics classes).

Learning objectives:

• Students will review how to take accurate measurements using an imperial (US) ruler.
• Students will be able to state the necessary conditions for the similarity of shapes (corresponding angles are equal, all sides scale equally, or have the same proportion)
• Students will develop methods for choosing the scale factor needed to scale a shape up to a desired size.

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

Scale, scale factor, similarity

Stage 1: Measurement review

Provide students the photocopy of the prototype part. Challenge them to identify each side based on the lettered labels assigned to the intersections, and to create a table to record their measurements.

Stage 2: Similarity and scale factors

Stage 3: Assessment

Homework: No homework in this class?

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

__ Group assessment

__ Observation of process/student work

__ Self-assessment by student

__ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

__ Test/Quiz

__ Other: ____________________________________