MakerBot Frog Dissection Kit

The MakerBot Frog Dissection Kit is the first 3D printable curriculum unit for teachers and their students to download and 3D print in the classroom. This kit allows educators to teach students about basic anatomy without the unpleasant aspect of dissecting a real frog!

This kit includes:

• Lesson plan for teachers;
• Digital files to 3D print a large, life-sized frog body;
• Six 3D printed organs that fit together like puzzle pieces.

Download the files and check the Instructions tab for a sample lesson plan!

Printing Settings:

• Grades: 6-8;
• Class periods: 3-5;
• Objectives: Understand the importance of frogs in local ecosystems, adaptation, and natural selection.

Students will research their frog, conduct dissections, record observations, and critically think about the relationship between anatomy and habitat. They will then communicate their findings with diagrams.

Materials:

• One computer with Internet access;
• One MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer;
• Five Frog Dissection Kits (Frog_Body.stl, Organs_Combined.stl);
• Handouts (Frog_Dissection_Kit.pdf);
• Paper, pencils, poster boards, markers.

Procedure:

This lesson is designed to complement units on human anatomy and to assess students' knowledge of non-human animals. Students will engage in conducting dissections of their 3D printed frog specimens and gather data about local frog species.

DAY 1: Introduction

Introduce the concept of adaptation and explain how organisms best suited to their environment tend to have more offspring, resulting in population changes over time. Ask students what they believe will happen to the environment.