Design and Build a Better Candy Bag

Lesson Focus - 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 Synopsis - 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. After testing, students redesign their bag to improve it, and then retest. Student pairs make predictions, compare results, and discuss their findings.

Age Levels - 8-14.

Objectives
Learn 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.
Use the engineering design process to solve the problem.
Employ the use of data collection and analysis to help solve the problem.

Lesson Activities - 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.

Anticipated Learner Outcomes - As 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

Resources/Materials
Teacher Resource Documents (included in PDF)
Student Handouts (included in PDF)
Materials (described in detail in PDF)

Alignment to Curriculum Frameworks
Curriculum alignment sheet is included in PDF.

Internet Connections
IEEE Teacher In-Service Program
IEEE Virtual Museum
International Technology Education Association Standards for Technological Literacy
McREL Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks - a compilation of content
standards for K-12 curriculum in both searchable and browsable formats.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principals and Standards
for School Mathematics
National Science Education Standards
Project Lead the Way
The History of Paper Bags

Recommended Reading
Margaret Knight: Girl Inventor, by Marlene Targ Brill
(Millbrook Press, ISBN: 0761317562)
Packaging Prototypes: Design Fundamentals, by Edward Denison and Richard
Cawthray (Rotovision, ISBN: 2880463890)
50 Trade Secrets of Great Design: Packaging, by Stafford Cliff
(Rockport Publishers, ISBN: 1564968723)

References
Pam Newberry, Project Lead the Way
Doug Gorham, IEEE