Summer is over, and school is back in session! Here is a series of resources to encourage your students to engage in 3D printing in the classroom.
In this special back-to-school lesson:
● Get tips on how to introduce digital fabrication techniques into your curriculum.
● Learn how to easily implement 3D design and 3D printing in your classroom with our teacher-tested lesson plans.
● Access a selection of the best useful tools you can print in your own classroom to make lessons more efficient.
● Watch helpful videos that will tell you how to use a 3D printer.
● Get a chance to win an Ultimaker 3D printer for your school.
Tips for Teachers
At Ultimaker, we are committed to making 3D printing as accessible as possible in the classroom, and our classroom resources are designed to make 3D printing in the classroom as easy as possible for educators.
Classroom Management. Tips on how to organize 3D printing tools in your classroom.
Prints for Your Classroom. Ideal objects to print for your classroom.
Lesson Starters. Great ways to introduce 3D printing lessons.
Introducing 3D Printing
Suitable for primary and secondary school students, this easy introduction to 3D printing will give your students an impression and inspiration. Small and simple objects have shorter print times, so everyone in the class can take a turn creating 3D objects. If necessary, you can divide the lesson into several projects.
Dedicate one lesson to designing, another to slicing, and another to printing.
Design and print your own keychain
• Time: 1 hour
• Suitable for: Beginners (Grade 3 and up)
Learning outcomes:
• Basic 2D and 3D design skills
• Learn to create additive design features
• Practice and introduction to digital fabrication
Students design and 3D print keychains of their school mascot. This lesson uses Rhino with preset vector images, but it can easily be adapted to use online CAD tools like Tinkercad. This lesson was provided by our pioneer, Marilyn Proctor-Givens. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
3D Printed Bag Tags
• Time: 1 hour
• Suitable for: Beginners (Grade 3 and up)
Learning outcomes:
• Basic 2D and 3D design skills
• Learn to create additive design features
• Practice and introduction to digital fabrication
• Use 3D printing to create practical objects
In this lesson, students design and print their own luggage tags. They can create different shapes and add their names to the design, letting everyone know whose luggage belongs to whom.
Showcase the potential of 3D printing with practical objects while also educating students. This lesson was provided by our pioneers, Sarah Rolle and Rurik Nackerud. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
3D Printing for STEAM Education
STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) is more important than ever, and 3D printing offers a powerful tool that can help with STEAM-based curricula.
Reverse Engineering LEGO
• Time: 2 to 3 weeks
• Suitable for: Engineering students
Learning outcomes:
• Introduction to the value of reverse engineering
• Learn design skills, such as measuring important features and designing suitable parts
In this lesson, create LEGO-compatible shapes and introduce the concept of reverse engineering to create custom objects.
This lesson was provided by our pioneer, Brian Yarborough. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
Designing Collaborative Parts
• Time: 1 to 2 weeks
• Suitable for: Engineering students
Learning outcomes:
• Learn basic engineering design principles
Through this lesson, students can learn about appropriate fit, tolerances, and other engineering and physical concepts in design.
This lesson was contributed by our pioneer, Adam Schaeffer. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
Make Your Own Fidget Spinner
• Time: 1 to 2 hours
• Suitable for: Industrial Technology students (Grade 8 and up)
Learning outcomes:
• CAD design skills
• Basic mechanical principles and parts such as bearings
• Physical principles such as center of gravity, momentum, etc.
Become the coolest teacher on the playground by teaching students how to design and make their own fidget spinners. This lesson was provided by our pioneer, Tim Cooper. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
3D Printed Pattern Stamps
• Time: 1 to 2 hours
• Suitable for: Middle school to Grade 8
Learning outcomes:
• Understand historical printing methods
• Understand repetitive patterns
Design and print pattern stamps that can be used to decorate clay boxes. This lesson was contributed by our pioneer, Young Kim. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
Block Printing and Mold Making
• Time: 3 hours
• Suitable for: Grade 3 and up
Learning outcomes:
• 2D and 3D design skills
• Learn early woodblock printing methods
Start with a 2D drawing, then turn it into a mold, and then reproduce it. It's a fun and engaging craft project! This lesson was provided by our pioneer, Lizabeth Arum. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
Create an Interactive Night Light
• Time: 1 week
• Suitable for: Middle school
Learning outcomes:
• 3D design skills
• Electronic design
Students design, create, and plan 3D printed computer-controlled night lights. This lesson was contributed by our pioneer, David Held. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
3D Printed Puzzles
Provide students with design challenges to improve their logic and design skills.
3D Print a Puzzle
• Time: 3 hours
• Suitable for: Intermediate designers and high school students
Learning outcomes:
• CAD design skills - precision, tolerance, etc.
• Logical thinking skills
Once all the puzzle pieces are made, you can have your students exchange them and see how they can complete each other's.
The plan to adapt this lesson is to make simple puzzles for younger students. This lesson was provided by Brian Wetzel. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
Design a Penny Trap
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Suitable for: High school students
Learning outcomes:
• Learn basic design skills
• Develop logical skills
• Learn programming principles to create geometric shapes
Design a puzzle that will only cost you a little money. This lesson can be expanded to use several CAD tools, making it suitable for middle and higher education.
Extended projects can use OpenSCAD, which is a free and open-source based design tool.
Using this software is a great way to teach programming principles to express geometric shapes. These lessons were contributed by our pioneer mathematicians.
Design with Tinkercad
Design with OpenSCAD
Creating Quadric Surfaces with Maple
• Time: 1 week
• Suitable for: High school students
Learning outcomes:
• Mathematical principles
• Algorithms
• Design
• Geometry
This project uses the mathematical software program Maple to introduce students to 3D printed model parts, drawing several quadric surfaces in implicit and parametric forms. Students will learn how to export Maple code to STL files, which can then be uploaded to Cura for 3D printing. This lesson was provided by our pioneer, Kristen Schreck. The lesson plan can be viewed here.
3D Printing Tools for Teachers
Print practical 3D printing tools for the classroom on your 3D printer whenever possible.
DIY Whiteboard Eraser and Marker Holder. Keep your whiteboard supplies tidy with this handy 3D printed box.
Balance Scale. A printable scale for science and math lessons.
Stationery. Students forgot their stationery? No more excuses - you can print new ones!
Science Demonstration Models. Create differential teaching concept models for engineering students. Clearly demonstrates concepts with the best educational potential.
Biology Demonstration Models. Clearly demonstrates biological concepts with attractive models for optimal educational potential.
Engineering Demonstration Models. Introduce engineering principles like gear ratios.
Construction Kit. Construction kit to demonstrate concepts to children.
Bookmarks. 3D printed bookmarks for the library.
Unipolar Motor. Create a working unipolar motor that clearly demonstrates concepts. Suitable for physics lessons.
Trapezoidal Drawing Tool. Suitable for music lessons - use this handy tool to easily draw a staff on the whiteboard.
3D Printing Video Resources
Use these videos to demonstrate the 3D printing workflow or to justify your school or college purchasing a 3D printer.
How to use 3D printing. This video shows the 3D printing workflow from idea to object.
Cura 2.7 Quick Start Guide. Cura is the most powerful slicing software. Best of all, it's free! Learn how to slice 3D models with our quick start guide.
Pioneer Announcement
Ultimaker Education Challenge
Calling all educators! You still have time to enter our competition for a chance to win a 3D printer for your school!
The new Ultimaker Education Challenge is your opportunity to develop lesson plans that incorporate 3D printing, enhance learning outcomes, and win a 3D printer for your school.
In addition, winners will be invited to join Ultimaker's Pioneer Program, and winning projects will be uploaded to our education platform to inspire and support other teachers worldwide.
Read more about this challenge here.
Deadline - October 30, 2017!
Please note: This competition is limited to the following countries: Australia, India, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/50988-back-to-school-round-up