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Engineering Cardboard Chairs

David Lindquist
9-12 Introduction to Engineering

Common Core Standards:

http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Academic-Content-Standards/New-Learning-Standards
Design Standard 9-12

Standard 9) Students will develop an understanding of engineering design process


H) The design process includes defining a problem, brainstorming, researching and generating ideas,
identifying criteria and specifying constraints, exploring possibilities, selecting an approach, developing a
design proposal, making a model or prototype, testing and evaluating the design using specifications, refining
the design, creating or making it, and communicating processes and results.
I) Design problems are seldom in a clearly defined form.
J) The design needs to be continually checked and critiqued, and the ideas of the design must be redefined and
improved.
K) Requirements of a design, such as criteria, constraints, and efficiency, sometimes compete with each other.
Lesson Summary:
Students will be required to design and construct a cardboard chair out of nothing but cardboard, no other
material can be used. The chair will need to have 4 separate legs, weigh less than 5 pounds, and yet it must be
strong enough to hold a 280pound man for at least 30 seconds without failure. The students will work in
groups of 3 and be required to submit a set of plans that have all the details of the chair, including sizes,
shapes, and how all pieces will be attached together.
Estimated Duration:
This lesson will take a total of about 10 - 12 class periods. This is broken down to about 2 class periods (each
period is 40 minutes) to discuss design and set up the assignment. 3 class periods plus the weekend will be
allotted for the design of the plans, and 5 7 days for construction and testing. They need to record all their
results as they are working and make presentation of their findings and how their project could be improve the
next time.

Commentary: This is the first major project in the Advanced Engineering class. They have used the design
process in the Introduction to Engineering class but not near to this level. This is a college level assignment
and they will need to pool all their resources to build a chair in this time frame. They are hooked when they
find out the assistant principle will test the chair and their final grade depends and whether or not it holds him.
They need to record all their results and make presentation of their findings and how their project could be
improve the next time.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1: First 10 minutes: Pre-Assess the students on the design process with a short handout. Have students fill
in missing data with a pen to remind them of what they didnt recall when I review the Importance of the
design process in the next 15 minutes. For the final 15 minutes by using Design Presi, using Design Prezi will
show students shown the different stages and their proper usage. This will refresh their memories and prepare
them to begin cardboard chair design process.
Day 2: For the first 15 minutes students will use the draft process to pick their groups. For the next 25 minutes
the groups will be given a handout dealing with design process, engineering, constraints, specifications, and
manufacturing vocabulary used in the cardboard chair assignment.
Day 3-5: Students will be researching cardboard chairs, sketching paper drawings of their agreed upon design.
Students will turn in their set of plans by the end of the 5th day. These will be graded over the weekend and
returned on Monday the next week. I constantly remind them of time constraints and the necessity of a well
thought out set of plans.
Day 5-10: Students will be given 3 sheets of 40x48 cardboard, utility knives, 3 steel rules, and exacto
knives to layout, cut out, and assemble their cardboard chair.
Pre-Assessment:
I will give the students a guided note handout on the Design Process in the first 10 minutes of class. I will have
them do this in pencil. Then I will review the Design process in the remaining minutes of the class, review the
important points and I especially hit the ones most students didnt understand very well and have them do this
in blue or black pen and they can then see which area or areas we need to focus on with each student.

Scoring Guidelines:
This is a more of a self-reflective assignment because the students are seeing for themselves the areas
they need to improve or lack foundational knowledge of the design process. I explain to them the
importance of each step and how each step leads you into having a successful, well - designed chair.
.
I will conduct daily teacher assessment and student self-assessment throughout instruction (this is
called formative assessment). This conducted every day throughout the projects design, production, and
assembly. Students are graded each week on the own efforts in the production process and their
functioning as a part of an engineering team.

Post-Assessment:
Students will have an actual experience of going through the design process. Every single day elements and
vocabulary are being discussed, issues involving the process are actually processed daily as problems arise,
and whether or not the project is successful the concept of the design process will be better understood. The
students will display their knowledge of the design process through and Emaze presentation to the class
showing how they went through each stage and produced a cardboard chair.
Scoring Guidelines:
Each Emaze presentation will graded on thoroughly the design process has been analyzed. They should
have proof through inserted video or picture reference to validate their position. They will be graded on
several different aspects of this project:
The chairs design and performance - 50pts.
Teams Emaze presentation

- 50pts.

Daily Engineering Teamwork

- 100pts.

Individual Cardboard Chair write-up-50pts.

Differentiated Instructional Support


I frequently use peer tutoring to assist students with IEPs and 504 education plans. I also spend extra time
giving these students additional learning strategies to help them be successful.
I will require students who need challenge to implement additional constraints to make their project tougher.
Such as reducing the weight allowance from 5 pounds total cardboard weight to 4 pounds.

Extension
https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess
Students can use this link to see how each step of the design process is interrelated and how necessary it is to
go through each step in order.

Homework Options and Home Connections


Students will be asked to provide examples of websites that were referenced, and possible examples of
different chair design.

Interdisciplinary Connections
This lesson is a pure example of how STEM works in real time. My area of Engineering pulls together the
science through the discovery of how cardboard is made, its properties, and how it is used as a building
material, the technology side in the used of machines and hand tools used to cut and fabricate cardboard
furniture, the engineering side in the discovery how to design, a functional ergonomic chair with a limited
amount of cardboard that will meet rigid specifications and finally the math comes in through all the
calculations of sizes of the pieces and how each piece needs to fit in the chair. All of these aspects are clearly
demonstrated through the planning, design, construction, and testing of the chair.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Laptops, USB flash drives, VGA cords, classroom projectors to show Prezis, laptop in
carts so students can access all related technological information needed to complete
the design of their chairs.

For students

Laptops so students can access all related technological information needed to


complete the design of their chairs and they also can create their presentation on Emaze
Students will use utility knives, exacto knives, and 3steel rules to cut out and assemble
their cardboard chairs.

Key Vocabulary
1.Design Process

2.Problem based learning

3. Critical thinking

4.Brainstorming

5.Constraints

6.Specifications

7.CAD drafting

8.Engineering

9.Criteria

10.Annotated Sketches

11.Ergonomics

12.Prototype

13.Inventor 3D software

14.Orthographic sketches

Additional Notes
Because my class is unlike most others, my time constraints are much broader for me to accomplish this

lesson. Days of actual construction are normal and necessary for students to discover the reality of the design
process in engineering; which is that ideas and prototype rarely work the first time.

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