A Chair for a Bear

thingiverse

Students will design chairs to help Goldilocks rebuild the three bears' furniture. Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerBot Printer: MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) Rafts: No Supports: No Overview and Background After reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, students will create a chair for one of the three bears. The chair can be fully printed, partially printed, or made from found objects. Objectives Through this lesson, students will learn which designs hold up best and think through how to make the chair large enough for each bear. Skills Learned (Standards) Use materials to design a device that solves a specific problem or solution. (1-LS1-1) Make observations to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (1-ESS1-2) K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. K-2-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs. Lesson Plan and Activity Read and Discuss the book Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Talk about the three bears and what makes them different or the same. Get out small weights and discuss how much students think each bear would weigh. For this, I used weights from science class with a pan balance and pulled out three stuffed animals: one small, one medium, and one large. After deciding on each bear's weight, I strapped the weights to the animal using masking tape. Students were asked to design a chair in pairs to hold one of the three bears, considering not only their size but also their weight. We used 8oz for Baby Bear, 1lb for Mama Bear, and 1lb 8oz for Papa Bear. During the design process, you may need to review with students about millimeters, how big the bear is in millimeters. After designs are complete, test out the chairs by placing the designated bear on it. Is it able to sit without assistance? Count to 30. Does the chair hold the bear? After all chairs are tested, have a discussion. Place successful chairs together and ask if they have anything in common or something that all successful chair designers did. Have students write about their experience and how successful their design was. Is there something you wish you would have done differently? Is there something you would like to change on your design but couldn't figure out how to make it work? Duration of Lesson 1-2 weeks Preparation Depending on the method used to construct the chair, students may need access to: ipads, computer, printer, found objects, glue, etc. References Show Goldilocks being read https://youtu.be/BVggRyq3LIg Extension Can you make a chair that is scalable so that it works for each bear? Extension Is there a physical aspect of your chair that can be changed to make it hold more weight or hold a different bear? Extension Can your baby bear chair still hold Goldilocks?