Leaf Identification Lesson

thingiverse

Students are going to design 3D models of leaves, which other students will attempt to identify using plant characteristics. Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerBot Printer: MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) Rafts: Yes Supports: No Resolution: 0.2mm Infill: 10% Notes: I always use rafts because my printer doesn't work well without them. I printed two different imprints at the same time, but they started to lift. I stopped the print before it was done, but I had enough of the leaf to use in the lesson. How I Designed This How the leaf print is made A sketch of a leaf was found using a Google search. The drawing was then converted into an .svg file which was imported into Tinkercad. A solid surface was created and the leaf drawing was turned into a hole to imprint onto it. This was then printed out. Standards NGSS CCSS Overview and Background Students will learn about the structure and design of leaves while modeling a print of them in 3D. They will use a dichotomous key to classify the leaves of others in the class. Objectives Students will be able to: Model a leaf in 3D using Tinkercad software Use a dichotomous key to identify trees Standards Students should understand the unifying concepts of science, and should also understand similarities and differences among animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, and viruses. Students should know how to develop and use models to represent things in nature. Lesson Plan and Activity The lesson starts with a description of various leaf descriptors: Branching: Alternate vs Opposite Deciduous: Broad-leafed, compound leaf, leaflets, petiole, simple leaf, veins Conifers: Bundles, coniferous, evergreen, scaly Leaf Margins: Entire, Lobed, Toothed, Sinuses Then students are assigned a specific leaf to design. Students can find this leaf online or sketch it out themselves and scan it into the computer. They will convert their file to an .svg file for import into a program like Tinkercad. Students will then import this file into Tinkercad and create a hole with it to create an imprint. The file will be downloaded into a form suitable for 3D printing. After the imprints have been made, students will do a "gallery walk" to each of the leaves and use their dichotomous chart to identify each leaf. Materials Needed 3D Printer Computer for each student with internet access Student accounts for Tinkercad Dichotomous charts for each group of students Life-size images of leaves (preferably black and white) Duration of Lesson The designing and identifying should only require 1 45-minute class, but the printing will take much longer depending on the number of models and the print capacity. It is recommended that one day be spent creating the model, then have this revisited once the prints are complete to use the dichotomous key to identify the models. Rubric and Assessment Students will be graded on the accuracy of their model and their ability to identify the models of others. References http://static.nsta.org/files/PB233Xweb.pdf http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/Documents/U78_FE1.pdf