Caliper Practice Block

thingiverse

This block is a versatile tool I use daily in my middle school classroom to help students hone their Vernier caliper skills after they've mastered using them with everyday objects. You can utilize it as a performance assessment, printing blocks at varying scales to prevent copying among students seated at the same table. For instance, if you have six tables with four students each, print six blue blocks at 75% scale, six red blocks at 100%, and so on, ensuring each student receives a block with distinct dimensions. This block allows for the comprehensive use of all Vernier caliper tools, including depth of hole, outside diameters, inside diameters, step height, length, width, and depth. The prints you see were produced using an Ultimaker 2+, which I utilized at a very low infill setting and minimal shell depth to speed up the printing process. Despite their lower quality, they serve our purpose adequately. To facilitate this activity, you'll need one block per student or pair of students and a Vernier caliper for each participant. You may also choose to have students create a working drawing in Inventor, where they can fill in the blanks based on their measurements.