Unit 1, Lesson 9
Creating Scale Drawings
Grade 7
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students use actual distances to calculate scaled distances and create their own scale drawings. Next, they see how different scale drawings can be created of the same actual thing, using different scales. They also see how the choice of scale influences the drawing. For example, a scale drawing with a scale of 1 cm to 5 m will be smaller than a scale drawing of the same object with a scale of 1 cm to 2 m. (Since each centimeter represents a larger distance, it takes fewer centimeters to represent the object.) This prepares students for future lessons in which they will recreate a given scale drawing at a different scale.
Noticing how scale drawings change with the choice of scale develops important structural understanding of scale drawings (MP7).
- Compare and contrast (orally) different scale drawings of the same object, and describe (orally) how the scale affects the size of the drawing.
- Create a scale drawing, given the actual measurements of the object and the scale.
- Determine the scale used to create a scale drawing and generate multiple ways to express it (in writing).
Let’s create our own scale drawings.
Required Materials
Activity 3
Required Preparation
None