Ocean Floor Explorers

thingiverse

Students in a 5th grade classroom learned about the different geographic features of the ocean floor. Students had to be able to identify the following features: Continental shelf, Continental slope, Continental rise, abyssal floor, seamounts, mid-Atlantic ridge, and trench. Once students were familiar with these features, they worked to create a replica of the ocean floor including each of the important features. Students used MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) printers to print their ocean floor models. Before printing, it's essential to go through each student's design to ensure that their creations are printable. For example, students often created seamounts with parts "floating" above the ocean floor instead of being connected. A quick check will help when it comes down to printing. Students also printed multiple ocean floors on a build plate at a time, cutting down on printing time and allowing the printer to run all day. Students worked on TinkerCAD to create their layers of the ocean floor. By the end of the project, students should have designed the bottom of the ocean floor including its important features. Students will get full credit if they ensure that their ocean floor contains each of the features and they are correctly placed. Objectives: - Students should be able to identify the different geologic features of the ocean floor: Continental shelf, Continental slope, Continental rise, abyssal floor, seamounts, mid-Atlantic ridge, and trench. - Students should be able to design the ocean floor with the correct geographic features in terms of spacing and proportion. Standards: Virginia SOL: Standard Science SOL 5.6a The student will investigate and understand characteristics of the ocean environment. Key concepts include: a) Geological characteristics (continental shelf, slope, rise) Skills Learned (Standards): Common Core: http://coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/1425/6_EarthWaterPlanet.pdf Lesson Plan and Activity In class, students learn about the geography of the ocean floor unit. Throughout the unit, students identify and understand the different geologic features of the ocean floor. Students log onto TinkerCAD and learn the basics of 3D design such as grouping, layering, and creating holes. Then, they create a drawn draft of what they want to create and how they are going to include each feature into their ocean floor. After the student's draft is approved by the teacher, they may begin working in TinkerCAD. Students use TinkerCAD and begin creating their model of the ocean floor. Once students finish, the teacher needs to ensure that the creation has all of the components and is ready for printing. Duration of Lesson: After students started learning about the ocean floor unit in class, the actual 3D modeling and creating part took the students about an hour to complete. Preparation: Before beginning in TinkerCAD, students need to understand the geography of the ocean floor. They must be able to identify the different geologic features of the ocean floor: Continental shelf, Continental slope, Continental rise, abyssal floor, seamounts, mid-Atlantic ridge, and trench. Rubric and Assessment: By the end of the project, students should have designed the bottom of the ocean floor including its important features. Students will get full credit if they ensure that their ocean floor contains each of the features and they are correctly placed.