Barbie and Proportions

I decided to try to start the term with little bit of fun, and as we were studying rates, ratios and proportions, I figured that having the 7th graders play with Barbie would be a good way.

 

I began the lesson by playing a short news clip about the real-life Barbie. This was a good attention grabber and elicited a wide range of comments from the kids.  Then, I told the students that they had been hired to turn one of their group members into a real life Barbie.  With that, I had them grab a Barbie and begin brainstorming ways to make the transformation.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but my hope was that they would stumble upon ratios, proportions and scale factors (not the vocab words, but the concepts)...and most did.  If a group was unable to come up with this, I asked some prompting questions to try to lead them to the discovery.

They all seemed to really enjoy the thought of transforming a classmate into Barbie, but their ideas of how to get there were a little crazy.

Once a group was able to determine that a ratio was the best place to start, I gave them tape measures and had them begin.  Again, little instruction was given.  I'm really working on having my student explore concepts first before I do too much scaffolding.  But after a bit of struggle and watching groups measure both Barbie and their friend, I eventually provided some scaffolding worksheets to help them determine which body parts to measure.

The real struggle was creating the life-size Barbie. After finding the Barbie:life-size ratio, they proceeded to measure one of their group members to determine Barbie's life size dimensions.  With this, I had to remind students that if they simply took the measurements of their classmate they would be creating nothing more than a clone of their friend.  This is where I gave quick mini-lessons to some of the groups that didn't grasp proportions or scale factor (I allowed either to be used).  Eventually, all groups were able to find life size Barbie dimensions.

I also had them do the same activity with a different doll so that we could compare body types and have a bit of a discussion about the effects, if any, of dolls on our body image.


Once all measurements were calculated, students were given a piece of butcher paper, a tape measure, and a pen, and they were to create their life-size doll (some Barbies and some others).  This was hilarious.  Kids were rolling around the floor laughing (as was I) at some of their creations. 

A discussion will follow, where I'll discuss some of the key ideas from the project (see slide show).  One of the big take-aways for me, was how important precision is in design and construction.  Many of these students should have Barbies that are proportionally identical, but that is definitely not the case.

The final step of the activity is to have the students create their own doll/action figure, determine its life size dimensions, complete a simple cost/analysis, and graph potential profits.

All in all its been a fun way to start the semester.  I don't know if the content learning that I expected happened, but I think the creativity, community building, and conceptual development has been powerful enough to make it worthwhile.  

Barbie Activity Google Doc
Barbie Activity Google Slides

 

Why You Should Take Your Kids Out of School

It's been a long time since I've posted here. Mainly because when I have a few spare moments I either spend them with my daughter, spend them planning my next lesson, or spend them trying (usually unsuccessfully) to think about nothing.

However, I felt compelled to share this article because it made me think and question everything I do for my students and for my child. I realize that "unschooling" is not the best option for all students from all walks of life, but maybe it's the best option for more than we account for.



Have a read and let me know what you think.



Why You Should Take Your Kids Out of School