3 of 17

Notes for Teachers

This lesson makes a great introduction to a unit on Computer-Aided Design (CAD) using Tinkercad. If you have the time, I would have students complete the first 13 3D Design tutorials on Tinkercad before starting this lesson: Learn how to use Tinkercad

Prep: You will need to create a teacher account on Tinkercad for yourself, as well as classes and student accounts for your class(es). Google Classroom is a great way to share the code/link of the class in Tinkercad with your students so they can activate their accounts. I would also recommend making your own “monster” as an example to show your students.

Privacy: There is a “safe” mode on Tinkercad that safeguards your students’ information.

This lesson could be a great option for online learning and as a sub plan (1st day of lesson especially, if you had a sub).

List of Materials

Student chromebooks and/or other devices with internet access
SMART TV or similar device
Websites Used:

4 of 17

Standards

Arizona Technology Standards

Indicator 1.d.

3-5.1.d. Students explore age-appropriate technologies and begin to transfer their learning to different tools or learning environments.
6-8.1.d. Students navigate a variety of technologies and transfer their skills to troubleshoot and learn how to use new technologies.

Indicator 4.b.

3-5.4.b. Students, in collaboration with an educator, use digital and/or non-digital tools to plan and manage a design process.
6-8.4.b. Students select and use digital tools to support a design process and expand their understanding to identify constraints and trade-offs and to weigh risks.

Indicator 4.d.

3-5.4.d. Students demonstrate perseverance when working with open-ended problems.
6-8.4.d. Students demonstrate an ability to persevere and handle greater ambiguity as they work to solve open-ended problems.

Indicator 6.b.

3-5.6.b. Students, in collaboration with an educator, create original works and learn strategies for responsibly repurposing and remixing to create new artifacts.
6-8.6.b. Students create original works or responsibly repurpose digital resources into new creative works.

Indicator 6.c.

3-5.6.c. Students, in collaboration with an educator, create digital artifacts using digital tools to communicate ideas visually, graphically, and/or auditorily.
6-8.6.c. Students create artifacts using digital tools to communicate complex ideas textually, visually, graphically, and auditorily.

Arizona Science Standards

5.L3U1.9

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about patterns between the offspring of plants, and the offspring of animals (including humans); construct an explanation of how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next.

5 of 17

Vocabulary

Cell

DNA

Genome

Molecule

Nucleotide

Double Helix

Cell: one of the tiny units that are the basic building blocks of living things, that carry on the basic functions of life either alone or in groups, and that include a nucleus and are surrounded by a membrane.

DNA: [deoxyribonucleic acid] any of various nucleic acids that are located especially in cell nuclei (the center of the cell), are usually the chemical basis of heredity, and are composed of two nucleotide chains held together by hydrogen bonds in a pattern resembling a flexible twisted ladder (double helix).

Genome: the genetic material of an organism.

Molecule: the smallest particle of a substance having all the characteristics of the substance.

Nucleotide: any of the basic units of structure of DNA or RNA that consist of a base (as adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thymine) joined to a sugar (as deoxyribose) with five carbon atoms in a molecule and to a phosphate group

Double Helix: the arrangement in space of DNA that resembles a spirally twisted ladder with the sides made up of the sugar and phosphate units of the two nucleotide strands and the rungs made up of the pyrimidine and purine bases extending into the center and joined by hydrogen bonds.

Source: Merriam Webster.com Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Image: https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/Lumen_Learning/Biology_for_Non-Majors_I_%28Lumen%29/08%3A_DNA_Structure_and_Replication/8.02%3A_Storing_Genetic_Information

6 of 17

Objective(s):

Students will be able to decode a monster’s “DNA” and use that information to create a 3D model of their monster using Computer-Aided Design (Tinkercad).

7 of 17

Agenda (1.5-2 hours total)

Day/Class 1: (30-45 minutes)

Introduction: Review agenda, objective
Opening: Show example project
DNA discussion/story.

For younger students who would benefit from the information in story form, use this webpage: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/monster-story. This can be read as a read-aloud or jigsaw reading in groups of students.
For older students, have them jigsaw-read this webpage/article instead: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/build-monster

Work Time: Decode your Monster’s DNA!
Save and Share: Download picture of monster and upload to Google Classroom or other saved location.

Day/Class 2: (45 minutes-1 hour)

Introduction/review of Tinkercad
Opening: Show example project
Tinkercad Mini-Tutorial
Work Time: Students will build a 3D model of their monster in Tinkercad with the picture they downloaded of their monster as a reference.
Share Out: Students have an opportunity to show and tell their 3D monsters.

8 of 17

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

Day One Essential Question:

How does your DNA make you unique?

Opening: Share example:

Day Two Essential Question:

How can I create a virtual 3D model of my monster using Computer-Aided Design (CAD)?

Opening: Share example:

9 of 17

Example: 2D Monster

10 of 17

Example: 3D Monster

11 of 17

Hands-on Activity Instructions

I had my students complete this lesson individually. If you are interested in students working in pairs, check out this link that explains how students can work in the same Tinkercad file together: TinkerTips: How to Collaborate in Tinkercad
Instructions: Day 1 (30-45 minutes)

Introduction:

Welcome your class and review the agenda and objective for the day

Opening:

Show example project: As an opener, share that today students are going to get to create a monster by decoding some monster DNA. Show students your example monster (2D, not Tinkercad version yet) and share that you named it.

DNA discussion/story:

For younger students who would benefit from the information in story form, use this webpage: A Monster Story | Ask A Biologist. This can be read as a read-aloud or jigsaw reading in groups of students.
For older students, have them jigsaw-read this webpage/article instead: How to Build a Monster | Ask A Biologist

Work Time: Decode your Monster’s DNA!

Give your students at least 15-20 minutes to decode their monster’s DNA. Encourage them to also come up with a name for their monster based on their monster’s inherited physical features (phenotype).
While students are working, help students who get stuck on a particular code. Remind students to keep the tab with the Monster Make Game up at all times until they have successfully downloaded and/or printed the 2D picture of their monster.

Save and Share: Have students download and/or print the picture of their monster and upload to Google Classroom or another saved location.
Instructions: Day/Class 2: (45 minutes-1 hour)

Introduction:

Review the objective for the lesson and introduce the essential question of the day (see previous slide)

Opening:

Show example project: As an opener, share that today students are going to get to take the 2D picture of their monster and use it to make a 3D model. Show students your example monster (the 3D Tinkercad version), zoom in and out, and show different perspectives of it.

Tinkercad Mini-Tutorial:

Using Slides 11 and 12 as well as your Tinkercad account, show your students basic of how to create a 3D model in Tinkercad.

Work Time:

Students will build a 3D model of their monster in Tinkercad with the picture they downloaded of their monster as a reference.

Share Out:

Students have an opportunity to show and tell their 3D monsters. This could be done through a Nearpod Collaboration board, pulling up students’ Tinkercad projects from your teacher account on a SMART TV, and/or printing images of students 2D and 3D version of their monsters and posting them on a “Student Work” board.

12 of 17

How to Play the Monster Maker Game

The combinations of colored dots in the Key translate to letters, numbers, or grammatical marks.

How many colors are represented in the code? [4]

How does our monster’s code relate to the DNA in our bodies?

Our DNA is made up of 4 “building blocks” called nucleotides: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The nucleotides attach to each other (A with T, and G with C) to form chemical bonds called base pairs, which connect the two DNA strands. Just like different combinations of these nucleotides make up our DNA, the combinations of different colors in the monster “DNA” determine what your monster looks like!

Your

As your decode your monster’s DNA, the monster will appear in this box. When you are done decoding the DNA, some new icons will appear, including printing and downloading your monster.

Icons you will see:

Source: Definition of DNA - NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms

Tips:

Emphasize to your students that they MUST stay on the Monster Maker Game tab (Monster Maker Game - Play | Ask A Biologist) until they have successfully download and/or printed a picture of their monster. They will lose all of their progress and have to start over if they exit out of the tab!
As your students are finishing decoding their monster’s DNA, walk around the room and point out the icon for downloading and/or printing their monster. Even if you went over how to save the monster earlier!
Here are some great ways to save your students’ monster for the Tinkercad part of the lesson:

Print them out and keep them in a folder for your students
Have students download the monster image to their devices, and then upload the picture to an assignment or a shared google slide in Google Classroom.
Another great way to save your students’ monsters and have them be able to see each others’ monsters is to use the Collaborate Board feature in Nearpod.

Further instructions on how to play the game/create your monster: Monster Maker Game - Instructions | Ask A Biologist

13 of 17

How to Start a 3D Design in Tinkercad

Once you have logged in to your account, click “Designs” on the left side of the screen, then “Create” and “3D Design” in the center of the screen to start a new project.

This will only appear on a Teacher account

14 of 17

Overview of Tinkercad Workplane, Icons, and Menus

“Home” view icon

Zoom in on selected shape

Zoom in

Zoom out

Toggle 2D vs. 3D view

“Perspective” cube: click and drag it around to change your view of the workplane

Click the Tinkercad logo to go back to your “homepage”

Menu/library of 3D shapes. You can also search for a shape by keyword.

From Left to Right: Copy, Paste, Duplicate & Repeat, Delete, Undo, Redo

Change Grid (Workplane) size

From Left to Right: Group Shapes, Ungroup, Align, Mirror

15 of 17

Assessment

4	3	2	1
Student successfully decoded their monster’s DNA and created a 3D model of their monster using Tinkercad. 3D model has the same colors, shapes, and body parts as the 2D image of their monster.	Student successfully decoded their monster’s DNA and created a 3D model of their monster using Tinkercad. 3D model has some of the same colors, shapes, and body parts as the 2D image of their monster.	Student successfully decoded their monster’s DNA and created at least a partial 3D model of their monster using Tinkercad. 3D model has some of the same colors, shapes, and body parts as the 2D image of their monster but is incomplete.	Student did not finish decoding their monster’s DNA. Student did not complete their 3D model of their monster–it is either barely started or the student created something else off-topic.

PBL Rubric:

Science-Content Focused Exit Ticket: Google Form Exit Ticket

16 of 17

Differentiation

Spatial Difficulty with Tinkercad:

Students who struggle to build their monsters should first ideally complete the first 13 tutorials on this page: Learn how to use Tinkercad. If students still struggle, encourage them to look through the shape menus to the right of the workspace (ex. Creatures and Characters) to find pre-made shapes they can use instead of building from scratch.

Colorblind students: There is an option in the Monster Manual game to switch to black and white codes instead of color codes:

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Early Finishers: Early Finishers can either decode a second monster’s DNA and make a second monster or they can walk around and be helpers to students who are still working.

Biology Extension: Strawberry DNA Extraction

A great companion lesson to the biology content in this lesson is to complete a Strawberry DNA Extraction lab.

Strawberry Extraction Resources:

Lesson Plan/Procedure/Student Response Questions

Click the eye to toggle between the color/black and white settings