These paper toy cut-outs are instant replicas of everything from stealth airplanes to famous buildings. Some are very simple one page designs like the Great Pyramid, and others are more complex, such as some of the buildings that require up to 3 pages of cut outs.
Here’s how I integrate this into the classroom. I print out a variety of different cutout patterns (for which the actual dimensions of the real life version is easily found with a quick google search). The students then select their pattern, put together the model, and research the dimensions. On one side of an index card, they write the scale and on the other side, they write the real-life dimensions. Both sides also have the dimensions of their model. (For the models that aren’t perfect replicas, they can scale only one dimension, such as height).
(1) If we’re short of time, this is all there is to it, and it is done as a “project” to do at home. It can be done as a mobile, with their model and index card on a piece of string. These are wonderful to hang up on the classroom ceiling. Or simply staple a few to a bulletin board.
(2) If we have more time, I will place the models around the room, and students walk around to various models with its corresponding index card on display. I flip the cards around so that some show the scale and others state the real life dimensions, and students can calculate the missing piece of information.
OR
For my advanced students who don’t require much time to go through the proportions unit, I simply print out some of the more complicated designs and let them work in small groups and just put them together. You know, for those kinds of days…
