Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

Provided by TryEngineering - www.tryengineering.org Click here to provide feedback on this lesson. Lesson ocus
Demonstrate how product design differences can affect the success of a final product -- in this case a bag for holding candy. Students work in pairs to evaluate, design, and build a better candy bag.

Lesson !ynopsis
The Design and Build a Better Candy Bag activity encourages students to work in pairs to design, build, and test a candy bag. Students will predict the volume and strength of their original design, sketch the design, create a model candy bag, and then test their bag using weight. fter testing, students redesign their bag to improve it, and then retest. Student pairs make predictions, compare results, and discuss their findings.

"ge Levels
!-"!.

#b$ectives
#earn how design impacts product performance. Design a better candy bag using science, mathematics, and engineering concepts and applications. Build a better candy bag using science, mathematics and engineering design concepts and applications. $se the engineering design process to solve the problem. %mploy the use of data collection and analysis to help solve the problem.

"nticipated Learner #utco%es

s a result of this activity, students should develop an understanding of& engineering design process teamwork in the design process making and testing predictions product design challenges

Lesson "ctivities
Student teams will design a candy bag, and predict the volume and strength of their design. Students then build a model of their design, redesign it, build an improved bag, retest using weight, discuss findings, and share results.
Design and Build a Better Candy Bag
Developed by )%%% as part of Try%ngineering www.tryengineering.org 'age " of (

&esources'(aterials
Teacher *esource Documents +attached, Student -orksheets +attached, Student *esource Sheets +attached,

"lign%ent to Curriculu%
See attached curriculum alignment sheet.

ra%eworks

)nternet Connections
Try%ngineering +www.tryengineering.org, )%%% .irtual /useum +www.ieee-virtual-museum.org, )T% Standards for Technological #iteracy& Content for the Study of Technology +www.iteawww.org0T 0'ublications0ST#0ST#/ain'age.htm, /c*%# Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks +www.mcrel.org0standards-benchmarks, compilation of content standards for 1-"2 curriculum in both searchable and browsable formats. 3ational Council of Teachers of /athematics 'rincipals and Standards for School /athematics +www.nctm.org0standards, 3ational Science %ducation Standards +www.nsta.org0standards, 'ro4ect #ead the -ay +www.pltw.org, The 5istory of 'aper Bags +www.eurosac.org0uk0history.htm,

&eco%%ended &eading
/argaret 1night& 6irl )nventor, by /arlene Targ Brill +/illbrook 'ress, )SB3& 789":"8;92, 'ackaging 'rototypes& Design <undamentals, by %dward Denison and *ichard Cawthray +*otovision, )SB3& 2!!7=9:!(7, ;7 Trade Secrets of 6reat Design& 'ackaging, by Stafford Cliff +*ockport 'ublishers, )SB3& ";9=(9!82:,

#ptional *riting "ctivity

-rite an essay +or paragraph, e>plaining how a cardboard milk carton has been designed to be strong enough to hold its li?uid contents.

&eferences
'am 3ewberry, 'ro4ect #ead the -ay +www.pltw.org, Doug 6orham, )%%% +www.ieee.org0organi@ations0eab0precollege0tispt,

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

Developed by )%%% as part of Try%ngineering www.tryengineering.org

'age 2 of (

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

or Teachers+ "lign%ent to Curriculu% ra%eworks

3ote& ll #esson 'lans in this series are aligned to the $.S. 3ational Science %ducation Standards +produced by the 3ational *esearch Council and endorsed by the 3ational Science Teachers ssociation,, and if applicable, to the )nternational Technology %ducation ssociationAs Standards for Technological #iteracy and the 3ational Council of Teachers of /athematicsA 'rinciples and Standards for School /athematics.

,ational !cience Education !tandards -rades .-/ 0ages / - 12

C#,TE,T !T",D"&D "+ !cience as )n3uiry s a result of activities, all students should develop bilities necessary to do scientific in?uiry $nderstanding about scientific in?uiry C#,TE,T !T",D"&D B+ Physical !cience s a result of the activities, all students should develop an understanding of 'roperties of ob4ects and materials

,ational !cience Education !tandards -rades 4-5 0ages 67 - 6/2

C#,TE,T !T",D"&D "+ !cience as )n3uiry s a result of activities, all students should develop bilities necessary to do scientific in?uiry $nderstandings about scientific in?uiry C#,TE,T !T",D"&D B+ Physical !cience s a result of their activities, all students should develop an understanding of 'roperties and changes of properties in matter

Principals and !tandards for !chool (athe%atics 0ages 8 - 652

Data "nalysis and Probability !tandards - Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all

students to:
formulate ?uestions that can be addressed with data and collect, organi@e, and display relevant data to answer them. develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data.

!tandards for Technological Literacy - "ll "ges

Design Standard !& Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design. Standard (& Students will develop an understanding of engineering design. Standard "7& Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and e>perimentation in problem solving.

Design and Build

a Better Candy Bag

or Teachers+ Teacher &esources

(aterials Student -orksheet Sketch paper and pencil 27cm > :7cm pieces of thin, plastic materialB /asking tape Twine *ulers Scissors Scale, such as spring scale /easuring cups Bags of candy, blocks, or other ob4ects to be used as weights )tems to check for volume, such as rice or candy
drop cloth or plastic sheeting

Bwe suggest cutting either a plastic painters

Ti%e ,eeded Two Class 'eriods

Procedure ". Divide students into pairs and provide the Student *eference Sheet to each. +3ote& This sheet can be provided as a reading homework assignment for the prior evening., 2. Discuss the manufacture of various types of bags, and provide several e>amples of bag designs to share. sk students to compare the bag designs and guess which might hold the most volume and the most weight. :. 'rovide each student with the Student -orksheets and review the pro4ect with the teams. Teams will& design a candy bag create a model of their bag design predict the bagAs volume and weight capacity test the bag for volume and weight capacity force the bag to fail with too much weight redesign their bag with a goal of holding more weight build a model of the improved design test the second model complete the student worksheet present their finding to the class and compare0contrast results

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

!tudent &esource+ Paper Bag 9istory and )nventors

Paper Bag 9istory and )nventors

Cver the years a variety of designs for candy bags have been created. They are built of a variety of materials +paper, plastic, cardboard, and are designed in a variety of shapes. woman inventor from Dork, /%, named /argaret 1night +"!:!-"("=, is credited with inventing a process for automatically folding and gluing paper to form the s?uare or rectangular bottom of a paper bag. s a child, /argaret was often designing, or redesigning mechanical parts for everything from kites to sleds. -hen she grew up, she initially worked at the Columbia 'aper Bag Company in Springfield, / . t the time, paper bags were folded and glued much like envelopes. fter her work hours, /argaret began to design a machine part that would automatically fold and glue the s?uare or rectangular bottoms needed for paper bags.

<inally, she came up with a design that she thought would work. She had a Boston machinist create an iron model of the part so that she could apply for a design patent. )nitially, her design was ignored as the workmen in the factory ?uestioned what a Ewoman would know about machine design.E /argaret 1night did receive a patent for her machine in "!87, but she had to go through a lawsuit first with a man named Charles nnan who had attempted to steal her design and patent the machine himselfF 3ow, /argaret 1night is often considered the mother of the grocery bag. She eventually partnered with a 3ewton, / man and started a company in 5artford, CT in "!87 with her invention& the %astern 'aper Bag Company. 3ow, /argaretAs machine is on display at the Smithsonian )nstitution in -ashington, DC. .isit www.smithsonianlegacies.si.edu0ob4ectdescription.cfmG)DH(2 to view a photo of her machine. <or more information on the history of paper bags, visit www.eurosac.org0uk0history.htm.

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

!tudent &esource+ !tudent Challenge

!tudent Challenge

Dou and your partner are employees of the Sweet-Tooth Candy store. *ecently your boss has learned that customers would like to have a candy bag that is attractive and more functional than the one they currently use when they shop in the store. Dour boss has asked you to design and build a new and improved candy bag that is sturdy, functional, and attractive. She is interested in a candy bag that is able to hold ma>imum weight and that is attractive, but she has not specified minimum dimensions or the amount of weight the bag must hold. Dou have learned that the design and construction method as well as materials used will determine the strength of a bag. Dou will want to test the strength of your candy bag and will redesign and retest as needed. /easurements may be taken to determine how to improve the strength of your candy bag and to estimate the volume or weight the bag will hold. The Task ". 2. :. =. ;. 9. 8. !. (. "7. "". s a team, discuss and agree upon a design for your candy bag Draw a sketch of your design in the attached Student -orksheet Build a prototype candy bag based on your design Calculate the appro>imate volume of the bag 'redict how much weight the bag might hold Test the strength of your candy bag by holding the bag by the handles and placing weight in the bag Discuss and agree upon a redesigned candy bag Draw a sketch of your new design in the attached Student -orksheet *ebuild your prototype bag based on your agreed upon redesign Test the strength of your improved candy bag design 'resent your groupsA findings to the class

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

!tudent *orksheet+ Design a Better Candy Bag
Candy Bag Designs )n the bo> below, draw the candy bag your team agreed upon for your first design. )nclude how large it will be, a list of materials needed to construct it, and your estimate of how much weight it will hold.

/aterials 3eeded& %stimated .olume& %stimated -eight The Bag Can 5old& ctual .olume& ctual -eight The Bag Can 5old&

Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

!tudent *orksheet+ Design a Better Candy Bag
Candy Bag Designs fter you have tested your original design, redesign your bag and draw the new design in the bo> below.

5ow did this design differ from the prior designG

3ew %stimated .olume& 3ew %stimated The Bag Can 5old& ctual .olume& ctual -eight The Bag Can 5old&

Design and Build

a Better Candy Bag

!tudent *orksheet+ Design a Better Candy Bag

&esults

Cnce you have built your candy bag and tested it, complete the ?uestions below. ". -hen you tested your prototype, what was the appro>imate volume of the bagG 2. 5ow much weight did your bag holdG :. Did you redesign your initial prototypeG )f so, what did you discover because of your redesignG )f not, why do you believe your prototype worked so well the first timeG

=. The one thing ) liked about our design wasI

;. The one thing ) didnJt like about our design wasI

9. The one thing ) would change about our design based on my e>perience is I

8. -hat technology, science, and mathematics concepts did you use when you designed the prototypeG