Bringing An Insect to Life

thingiverse

Prior to this lesson, students will engage in a unit of study around insects and the essential functions of their 3 main parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. This lesson is a culminating assessment integrating 3D printing and insect study with a focus on these parts as well as their functions. Students will create their own insect to demonstrate understanding of the 3 main parts. Students will be able to explain how their insects' external parts help them adapt and survive in an environment. Lesson Plan and Activity Understanding the Lesson Duration: 1 week Preparation: Understanding the Lesson (10 minutes) - video lesson for teachers Lesson - Part 1 (Drawing the Insect) Approximate time - 30 minutes Our first graders started designing an insect with required parts by drawing. This activity reinforced the concept of insect characteristics. The insect could be real or imaginary. I printed examples so students had a concrete idea of what their insects would look like. One important note is that I should have had students draw without lifting their markers to ensure connected body parts. We had a few butterflies fall apart after printing. Use Assessment Rubric to assess student insects before printing. Lesson - Part 2 (Capturing the Insects for 3D Printing) Approximate time = 2-10 minutes per insect depending on student or adult involvement I used the MakerBot PrintShop app's Shape Maker feature to capture student drawings. I used one iPad and did it instead of having students do it due to retakes and instructional time constraints. Students could have done this part, but you'll need to allocate sufficient time for each student or use multiple iPads with the same MakerBot account. For some drawings, it took several attempts to capture correctly, but most insects were easy to capture. Lesson - Part 3 (Printing the Insect) Approximate time - 20 minutes per insect Rafts: no Supports: no Resolution: 0.2 mm Infill: 10% You can choose to use a raft depending on your printer. Our insects printed successfully without one or supports. Using one MakerBot account on iPads allows all insects to be uploaded and printed. Lesson - Part 4 (Extensions) Art - Students created beautiful habitats for their insects in art class after printing. Writing - Students could create informational stories about their insect or the process of bringing it to life. Presentation - Students share finished insects, explaining different structures and functions. Materials Needed This lesson requires: iPad with MakerBot PrintShop app installed Pencils White Paper (copy paper) Black sharpie marker or bold black marker Rubric and Assessment The assessment should occur before sending the insect to print in Step 1. There's no desire for a student's insect to fail printing or reteach about main parts. Skills Learned (Standards) 1-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes All organisms have external parts that they use differently to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air.