reSolve: Bifold Boxes

This lesson challenges students to use proportional reasoning to explain how changing the size of a square will affect the size of a box folded from that square. Students fold an origami box from a square of paper and record the dimensions of the resulting box. They then fold a box from a square of paper four times the area, and explore how this changes the dimensions of the new box. The lesson is outlined in detail including curriculum links, vocabulary, materials needed, discussion points, a slide show describing how to fold the box and a link to a video demonstration. This sequence is part of the reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry program.