Dremel DigiLab 3D Lesson Plans (20)

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  • Elementary School
  • Middle School
  • High School

Elementary Level Lesson Plans (3rd - 5th)

Modular Frame

Grade Level: 3

Est. Class Time: Seven 45-minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time: 3 - 4 Hours

This lesson presents an opportunity for students to design modular picture frames that can be clicked together and can have decorations added or removed to suit the item in the frame. It also presents an opportunity for students to practice measurement skills, as well as many design and engineering skills.

Memento

Grade Level: 4

Estimated Class TimeFour 45-minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time60 Minutes per Project

By 3D designing and printing a particularly important object or symbol to accompany a personal narrative, student writers have an opportunity to learn about narrowing their focus to the most important elements of the story and student readers or listeners gain a physical anchor to help interpret their classmates’ stories.

Sextant

Grade Level: 4

Estimated Class TimeEleven 45-60 minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time: Varies

Through modeling their own sextant designs in 3D and then 3D printing them, students can gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of developing accurate and precise 


Artifact

Grade Level: 5

Estimated Class Time:

Six 45- to 60-minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time: 1 Hour

Studying civilizations throughout the ancient world is an exciting project-based activity that many classrooms participate in inventing their own class “civilization” with “seven characteristics of civilization” and artifacts from the invented civilization.

By incorporating 3D design and printing, students can create sturdier, more detailed artifacts that include more consistent common motifs. This lesson includes an archaeological dig!

Topographic Map

Grade Level: 5

Estimated Class TimeFive 45-minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time: 1 Hour per Project

Students learn how to read topographic maps and how to recognize different landforms. In this 3D design activity, students use a paper 2D topographic map to create a

3D model of a fictional geographic area. After printing their geographic areas, they label parts of the models with the types of landforms that can be seen in the model.

Middle School Level Lesson Plans (6th - 8th)

LED Accessory

Grade Level: 6

Estimated Class Time: Eight 45-minute Class Periods

Est. Print Time: 8 Hours

3D design and simple circuitry design are both engineering skills that can be applied to solve a wide range of problems. This design

challenge introduces students to both 3D design and simple circuitry, while also providing an opportunity for personal creativity and identity development. Students design a personal logo representing at least one core value and then incorporate that design into an LED-illuminated accessory such as a patch, bracelet, cuff, lapel pin, or keychain.

Passive Speaker

Grade Level: 6

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 8 Hours

People of all ages have long enjoyed taking their music and other recorded audio content with them, whether to the beach or someplace else. For this challenge, students work in teams to design a passive speaker for a cell phone—today’s transistor radio!

Sunglasses Frame

Grade Level: 6

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 2 Hours

Sunglasses have long been a key element of personal style and their design possibilities are seemingly endless. However, their practical purpose has become more and more important as our understanding of atmospheric changes and the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays increases.  This challenge gives students an opportunity to create a fashion element that also protects the human eye from harmful radiation.

Wind Power

Grade Level: 6

Estimated Class Time: Seven 45- to 60-minute Class Periods 

Estimated Printing Time: Four Hours per Object/Team Companion

By designing a blade and hub for a windmill or turbine capable of lifting a load a specified height from the floor, this challenge encourages students to explore the harnessing the wind to do work or generate electricity through a project focused on designing windmill or turbine blades.

Balloon Car

Grade Level: 7

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 8 Hours per Project

In this challenge, students design a car that is powered by a balloon. The lesson reinforces concepts central to Newton’s laws of motion and forces that affect motion.

Boat Propeller

Grade Level: 7

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time50 Min. per Project 

This challenge gives students an opportunity to explore the core scientific and engineering principles associated with propellers by designing, 3D printing, and testing their own boat propeller components.

Cell Receptors & Antigens

Grade Level: 7

Estimated Class Time: Seven 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 20 Minutes

In this lesson, students will be presented with an example of a hypothetical simplified cell surface, and will create and 3D print viruses with antigens that could allow the virus to enter that cell. Students will then exchange viruses to invent and 3D print immune system antibodies that could recognize those viruses to mount an immune response.

Unfair Math Game

Grade Level: 7

Estimated Class Time: Eight 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 3 Hours per Project 

Students will calculate the statistical outcomes of several typical casino games, and then invent and create slightly modified versions of the games to change the statistics.


Seed Dispersion

Grade Level: 7

Estimated Class Time: Nine 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 1 Hour per Project

By applying their understanding of adaptations and known seed dispersal mechanisms to designing a new mechanism for a plant in a specific environment, in this

lesson, students draw a random selection of characteristics for a hypothetical habitat and 3D design and print a seed and a seed dispersal mechanism that would be ideal for a plant in that habitat.

Plant Tower

Grade Level: 8

Estimated Class Time: Seven 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 18.5 Hours per Team

In this challenge, students work in teams to collaboratively design a plant tower with limited or no outdoor space for a garden to grow.

High School Level Lesson Plans (9th-12th)

Emergency Water Filter

Grade Level: 9

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: Varies

In this design challenge, students create a reusable water filter that can be used as a first step toward making water safe to drink.

Fossil

Grade Level: 10

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 2 Hours per Object

In this design challenge, students create

models of fossils that might help visualize the appearance of fossil remains of animals that might have evolved from Tiktaalik.

Nerve Cell

Grade Level: 10

Estimated Class Time: Five 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 2 Hours per Project

Models that provide a visual representation of basic concepts can be a valuable addition to these efforts. In this design challenge, students will create models that can help members of the public visualize the basic structure of nerve cells.

CubeSat

Grade Level: 11

Estimated Class Time: Five 45-minute ClassPeriods 

Est. Print Time2 Hours

In this design challenge, students create models of a CubeSat enclosure. Such models are an early step in CubeSat projects, since they can be used to design other components so that they will meet the requirements for standard CubeSat dimensions. In addition, these models can be used to help build interest and support for citizen space projects.

Scotch Yoke

Grade Level: 12

Estimated Class Time: Six 45-minute Class Periods 

Est. Print Time: 2 Hours

The Scotch yoke mechanism has been around a long time and was used in the steam engines that powered the Industrial Revolution. Old mechanisms can be the heart of new inventions that are very relevant to the needs of the 21st century. In this design challenge, students will create models of the Scotch yoke to demonstrate the basic operation of this mechanism.

MyStemKits Lesson Plans (10)

Download all 10 Lessons

Dremel Partners with MyStemKits.com to bring you 10 standards aligned lesson plans.  Created by Florida State University, written by actual teachers and subject matter experts these lesson plans are aligned to common core, NGSS and FL State standards.  Educators can integrate into classroom learning right out of the box since these printable files are already ready to print.  


All of the specially designed lesson plans come with 3D model files,  Teacher guide, Student hand out, Instruction guide.

Pencil Catapult Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Physical Science

Build a catapult out of pencils and apply the law of conservation of energy to determine the total mechanical energy of the projectile.

Pythagorean Proof Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Math

Work with a tangible model to further explore a proof of the Pythagorean theorem and the area of a square formed by right triangle sides.

Punnett Square Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Life Science

In this lesson, students will explore mathematical models used to describe genetic inheritance patterns resulting from monohybrid crosses.

Measurements Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Natural Science, Math

In this lesson, students will measure identical objects with three rulers that each have different levels of precision. Students will then make calculations using those measurements.

Coriolis Effect Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Natural Science

In this activity, students will explore an underlying principal associated with the Coriolis Effect.

Loaded Dice Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Math

In this lesson, students will explore theoretical probability and sampling methods to make inferences and conclusions about basic claims.

Ballista Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Math

In this lesson, students will explore classroom-generated bivariate data and scatter plots for analyzing ballista projectile flight results.

Moths Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Life Science, Math

In this lesson, students will explore sampling techniques and will collect data to examine adaptive characteristics of the moths.

Cell Transformation Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Life Science

Recognize and explore the impact of biotechnology (cloning, genetic engineering) on the individual, society and the environment.

Quadrat Method Kit

Grades: 6 - 8

Math

You will explore statistical sampling methods, specifically the quadrant method, and how well it produces samples similar to the population.