Creating a Robot (2 Days)
Lesson 15 of 17
Objective: SWBAT use thier knowledge of surface area to create a tin foil robot,
Do NOW (Days 1 and 2)
The students will be working on a problem involving surface area and a rectangular prism. The problem focuses around a real life situation where the student needs to find the amount of wrapping paper needed to wrap a present. Students should be able to make their own net, find the surface area, and then determine how much paper is needed to wrap the present.
This problem sets them up for today’s project where they will be creating a robot made out of prisms and pyramids. They will be using nets to find the surface area needed to cover the robot in aluminum foil.
Encourage students to create the net by using a ruler or grid paper. They will then need to determine how much wrapping paper will be needed.
As students finish this problem, have them do a HUPUSU to compare answers and strategies.
Tools: Wrapping paper problem, grid paper and rulers.
Do NOW (day 2)
Time: 15 minutes
The students will be using surface area to find out how much shingling will be needed to cover the roof of a house that is in the shape of a square pyramid. In order to start this problem, students should know to create the net of the square pyramid (SMP1: finding an entry point). Then they can assign the appropriate lengths to the faces of the pyramid (SMP2: what do the numbers mean). Finally, they will use these numbers to find the surface area of the roof. (SMP5: using tools strategically and SMP4: modeling the math).
Tools: Day 2 problem, grid paper, rulers.
Day 1: students should be able to create the nets for each of the body parts of their robot. They will need to make 1 head, 1 body, 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 hat. The worksheet tells them what the shape should be, but not how big or small the measurements should be. Students should use a heavier weight paper to draw their nets on, however, they can use grid paper if that helps them visualize the net better. The grid paper can be used as a tracer.
Day 2: students will continue where they left off from the prior day. They should be calculating surface area as they go along. They will need to come up with the amount of foil needed to cover their entire robot. Students can use tape to secure the aluminum foil in place.
Tools: Heavier paper, tape, rulers, grid paper, and aluminum foil (1 per class), robot worksheet
Closure (Days 1 and 2)
On day one, we will be closing this lesson by asking questions about what went right and what went wrong. Was there anything that was too difficult to do? Was anything too easy? The students will also be coming up with a goal to finish their project on the first day. We will do this as a whole class discussion.
On the final day, the students will be writing about how well they calculated their surface area. Did they have too much or too little tin foil and why. This will give the students time to self-assess to determine whether their calculations were precise.