The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Helping Communities with 3D Printing

Helping Communities with 3D Printing

A 6th Grade STEM Lesson

Lisa Barnard

April 2023

Notes for Teachers

My students worked in groups for this activity to also work on our collaboration skills and to ensure we had enough time and materials for everyone to create something.

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My students at this point in the year had already had experience drawing things to scale. If students don’t have experience, make sure to help them draw things to scale with graph paper. The first part of this video can help: How to Make a Scale Drawing | 7th Grade | Simplifying Math

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Depending on how many days your students need to build, test, rebuild, this lesson could go more than one day.

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This was done at an IB school, so I included an IB standard among the others.

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I had used Tinkercad in the past and was familiar with the site. If you have never used it, make sure to fully explore and watch tutorials if needed before introducing it to students.

List of Materials

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• 3D Printer(s)- We used 3 Toybox 3D printers (https://toybox.com/ )
• 3D Printing supplies- will vary based on the 3D Printer you have. I used: Toybox Creator Space- in order to upload and print their files from Tinkercad. Toybox has so many great free files as well, in case their designs don’t work. I also purchased the filament from Toybox to use which is called printer food.
• Each student needs a digital or paper copy of the 3D Printing Project Google Doc.
• Access to an iPad or laptop for each group to use Tinkercad.
• Tinkercad Dashboard- make sure to make an education account and create your classes before hand. https://www.tinkercad.com/
• Index cards or a piece of paper, one per group
• Sticky notes- at least one per group.
• Chart paper or a whiteboard space to record.

Standards

AZ 6th Grade Math:

6.MP.1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

AZ Educational Technology 6-8:

6-8.3.d. Students explore real world problems and issues and actively pursue solutions for them.

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6-8.4.a. Students engage in a design process for generating and testing ideas and developing innovative products to solve problems.

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6-8.4.c. Students engage in a design process to develop, test, and revise prototypes, embrace the iterative process of trial and error, and understand setbacks as potential opportunities for improvement.

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IB Standards:

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Criterion A: Knowing and understanding

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ii. apply scientific knowledge and understanding to solve problems set in familiar situations and suggest solutions to problems set in unfamiliar situations.

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Science and Engineering Practices:

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• ask questions and define problems
• develop and use models
• plan and carry out investigations
• analyze and interpret data
• use mathematical and computational thinking
• construct explanations and design solutions
• engage in argument from evidence
• obtain, evaluate and communicate information

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NGSS Middle School Engineering Standards:

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MS-ETS1-1.

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-2.

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Objective(s):

I will explore problems in my community and brainstorm solutions that could be printed on a 3D printer.

I will develop, test, and revise 3D printed designs.

I will evaluate the designs and reflect on the most effective 3D printed solutions.

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Agenda (2-3 50 minute class periods)

• Brainstorm Ideas
• Explore 3D Printers
• Tinkercad- 3D Printing Design
• Reflect

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3D Printing: Helping our Communities!

Warm-up Question

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What do you already know about 3D printing?

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What would you like to know about 3D printing?

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Introduction to 3D Printing Video

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Part 1: Idea Proposal

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1. Who is someone in your school community, friend community, or home community that could use something to either improve their life, make their life easier, or to bring a smile to their face? Please write down a few ideas of people who you could make something for.

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We are going to start a project to not only learn how to use a 3D printer, but to also improve our communities!

2. Choose the person and idea you think could make the most difference. Which one would really make a difference in that person’s life? Please write a short description of the person, the need, and what you would create below.

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3. Please share your person and idea with your group. Try as a group to pick the one person in your group that you would most like to help. You will write a brief summary on a sticky note for our class to vote on. I will read out the sticky notes and then we will vote on our top 2-3 per class period. Please remember to think of which one will make the most impact on a community.

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Part 2: 3D Printer Exploration

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4. I will be calling groups to come up and observe the 3D printer. What do you notice? What do you want to know or wonder?

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Part 3: Let’s Design!

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5. Your group will be choosing one of the class ideas to create a 3D design for using Tinkercad. First, let’s sketch some 2D ideas on graph paper! You can use inches or centimeters. Then we will watch this video about how to use Tinkercad to make 3D files.

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Let’s engineer using Tinkercad!

• We will be working with our table group.
• Your group will choose one of the top 2-3 ideas our class voted on to create a 3D file we can print to help someone in our community.
• Please remember we will now be going through the engineering process. You will be getting feedback from others in the classroom as you design and possibly print prototypes. Each time you create a design on Tinkercad with your group, you will receive feedback and reflect on possible changes.

Materials:

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You will be creating an initial design, testing it, and redesigning.

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You will be using your Tinkercad account. The code for your class will be displayed on the board.

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3D Printing Project

3D Museum/Reflection

With your group, please write which class problem your group picked and what solution you designed on the index card. I will give you the group number to write on the top.

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Please set up your 3D printed item and index card so other groups can go visit your display.

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At each display, please have someone read the card out loud for the group to hear. Then you will discuss and write notes as a group.

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Wait for the bell sound before switching with your group to the next station.

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Assessment

As students work throughout the project, the teacher should be monitoring their work and asking questions. I like to keep a clipboard with the groups and walk around as I check in with them each day. That way I know who I need to check in with.

For an exit ticket, you could have students write down their thoughts on which group’s design best met our engineering goal and why based off of their notes.

You could also have students turn in their Museum Walk reflections in order to see what notes students wrote about their peers projects.

Finally, you could have students write their own reflection on their group’s engineering process, including discussion of the different prototypes and the changes they made, as well as how well their solution solved the problem.

Differentiation

• During the engineering process, ask specific questions to groups that are struggling that help them.
• Make it known to students that they may not get to all of the redesigns and that’s okay.
• If students have technology, give each student a copy of the Google Doc so they can use accessibility features such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students have plenty of room on their recording sheets for redesigns and notes. Make sure students are really understanding the engineering process.

Challenge students to create more prototypes or start the process over for a new idea if they finish early.

Have students research one of the class questions about 3D printing. They can present the answer or add it to the class chart.