DESIGN · CTE · 35-45 MIN
Reach and Clearance: Ergonomics & Design lesson plan
Students place true-size paper furniture, test clearances with everyday tasks, and build a measured clearance table.
At a glance
Time: 35-45 min
Grades: CTE
Subject: Design: Ergonomics & Design
Grouping: Teams of 3-4.
Space: One room about 12 x 14 ft per team.
Teacher prep: 15 min printing + 25 min taping
Included: Teacher guide, student sheet, checks for understanding, exit ticket with answers
Open the printable lesson: teacher guide and student sheet →
Essential question
How do you test whether a room's layout actually works for the human bodies that will use it?
What students learn and show
Learn: Clearances can be derived from task tests and compared with the one codified reference used here (36-in accessible route).
Show: Produce a measured clearance table and a layout that meets the class minimums and the 36-in route.
Objectives
Place true-size furniture in a room layout
Test clearances with the body: carrying, passing, and reaching
Build an evidence-based minimum-clearance table
Apply the one codified clearance (36-inch accessible route)
Before this lesson students should: Measuring to the inch; reading a floor plan.
Materials and prep
The 1:1 print
Kraft-paper furniture cut at true size (sofa, bed, table, chairs)
Tape measures
A serving tray as a prop
Recording sheets
Prep (about 15 min to print, 25 min to tape)
Cut true-size paper furniture: sofa about 84 x 36 in, bed 60 x 80 in, table 36 x 60 in, chairs 18 x 18 in (about 30 min).
Lay out the print or tape one living room per team.
Copy the clearance table.
Space: One room about 12 x 14 ft per team.
Grouping: Teams of 3-4.
Ways to run it: Painter's tape on the floor; 1:1 printed floor plan
Lesson procedure
Teacher model: Teacher walks a narrow gap carrying a tray, stops when the tray touches: 'Failed. Measure the gap: 28 in. That is evidence for our table.'
Guided practice: Teams run the tray test once together and record the first row of the table.
Teams furnish one printed room with the paper pieces in a first-draft layout.
Body tests, at a calm pace: walk the room carrying the tray; have two people pass in the main path; 'open' every door and drawer swing with arms at true reach.
After each failed test, measure the clearance that failed and record the number — the class builds its own minimum-clearance table from evidence.
Cross-check the one codified number they must not violate: accessible routes at 36 inches (2010 ADA Standards).
Re-lay-out using the class's measured minimums, then re-test.
Checks for understanding
Ask: Why derive clearances by body test as well as looking them up? Look for: The tests show what each number means for a real task.
Ask: Which clearance in this lesson is from a published standard, not class preference? Look for: The 36-in accessible route (2010 ADA Standards).
Ask: What is the design lesson of the failed tray walk? Look for: Layouts must be tested by tasks, not by how the plan looks from above.
Exit ticket
Your class table says passing needs 30 in, and the accessible route needs 36 in. Which do you design to, and why? Answer: 36 in: the route reference is the larger requirement and serves wheelchair users.
Show one change you made and the measurement after it. Answer: A specific change with a measured clearance.
Scoring: Item 1: 2 points. Item 2: 2 points.
Common misconception
Students may think: A clearance that works for me works for everyone.
Address it: Bodies, mobility devices and loads differ; that is why references exist.
Supports and extensions
Learning support: Assign the clearance-recorder role with a pre-labeled table.
Multilingual learners: Demonstrate 'clearance', 'reach', 'swing' physically; label each paper piece bilingually.
Mobility and access: Tests can be done with a wheelchair, walker, cart or tabletop model; the student chooses. Never require a student to demonstrate their own mobility.
Extension: Test the layout for a left-handed vs. right-handed cook. Challenge: design the room for a wheelchair user and verify every clearance.
Transfer task: Check the clearance between desks in your classroom against your class table.
Spaced review: Next unit: given a furniture plan, flag gaps below the table values.
Standards connections
NGSS HS-ETS1 (domain-level practice)
Perkins V (framework)
ADA 2010 (accessibility)
Connections show which skills the activity practices. They are not a claim of full coverage; see the library for scope notes.
Why this approach
A theoretical review: cognition is grounded in perception and action rather than abstract symbols alone. Limit: A theoretical review, not evidence that this lesson improves learning.
Source: Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617-645.
Ready to teach it?
The printable version has the full teacher guide, a student recording sheet, prep steps and an exit ticket. Open the printable lesson →
Need the floor plan itself? Get a 1:1 print quote.
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