Formlabs’ Innovate & Educate Challenge invited educators across the country to develop and share lesson plans that encourage creative thinking and hands-on learning through 3D printing. Thanks to those who submitted, we’re able to share free resources with a wider learning community dedicated to inspiring students with rich, immersive experiences.

Somerville High School (the second place winner of the challenge!) submitted a lesson plan that creates ties between the familiar Cartesian coordinate system and modeling objects in three-dimensions with computer-based software.

The activities in the plan challenge how students think about everyday objects by distilling them first into planar projections. Students will experience a complete design cycle, from brainstorming and taking measurements, to modeling, 3D printing, and analyzing their products. This lesson will equipped students with hands-on foundations of CAD, 3D printing, and design for manufacturing.

Objectives include:

• Learn about mathematical frameworks for modeling objects in two dimensions and in three dimensions
  
• Learn how to model objects using CAD
  
• Learn about design for manufacturing