Project: Make Your Own Country with Tinkercad

thingiverse

This project, found in MakerBot in The Classroom (http://www.makerbot.com/education), focuses on creating geographical tiles using primitive shapes in Tinkercad. In this project, your students will learn how to use a free program called Tinkercad. Using Tinkercad students will design basic geographical tiles to represent various environments. When the tiles are combined, students can create a country and learn about geography and colonialism. Overview and Background Your students will take on the role of being a new world explorer. They’ll participate in creating 3D printed biome tiles that can be assembled into a new and uncharted territory. Once the tiles are assembled, the students can break into groups and develop settlements by surveying the land and discovering its natural resources. Supply and demand can be simulated by encouraging the groups to engage in trade with their neighbors. There are many factors that go into setting up a new town in a new world. Objectives During this project, students should: Explore the history of colonialism Research the geography of different regions Understand the importance of natural resources Learn basic principles of economics (supply and demand) Create 3D printed visuals for the classroom Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. Lesson Plan and Activity The entire lesson is laid out with pictures in the .PDF downloadable in the Thing Files. Step 1: Introduction Lesson Have your students research the different biomes either in pairs or alone. And ask these questions What defines the biomes? Where are these biomes located? What makes each biome difficult to live in? What resources are abundant in each of the biomes? Have an open discussion about the resources your students use daily. A resource is a supply from which benefit is produced. Have the students write down their favorite resource, and have them explain why. Have the students research which resources come from which biomes. The students should research how people use these biomes. Step 2: Design Water Tile See video below and download project_tinkercad.pdf from the Thing Files Use Shape Generator Use Ruler Tool Step 3: Design Forest Tile See video below and download project_tinkercad.pdf from the Thing Files Create the ground terrain Create a tree trunk and tree top Align and group the tree components Place and size your tree Duplicate your tree to make a forest Step 4: Design Mountain Tile See video below and download project_tinkercad.pdf from the Thing Files Create the ground terrain Create some tall mountain ranges Arrange the mountain ranges on your tile Cut off the bottom of the tile using the Hole Tool Step 2: Design Water Tile Step 3: Design Forest Tile Step 4: Design Mountain Tile Duration of Lesson 1-2 class periods (3-4 if you want to include the extension activity) - Each student prints 1-2 tiles (20 - 40 min print time each) - Groups of 4 to 7 Preparation To prepare for this lesson you will need the following supplies: Tinkercad login Chromebook or Computer per student Chrome or Firefox installed Make Your Own Country handouts (in Thing Files) Rubric and Assessment Knowledge Checks What are the benefits of modeling small, separate pieces for printing? What tools do you use to build objects in Tinkercad? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Tinkercad? How do you navigate in Tinkercad? When building the mountain tiles, why was it important to use the Hole tool to cut off the base of the tile? What are the benefits of plating multiple prints at a time? References https://catanuniverse.com/en - a board game with similar material management