Using 3D Printing and Modeling to Enhance a Green Roof Lesson

Source:
Ryan Francis Cain
PS 3 The Bedford Village School
Brooklyn, NY
17 July 2012
Second-Fourth Grade



Lesson Purpose: Students will use model buildings to compare runoff between a control building without a green roof and the experimental roof that has soil and has been seeded with grass seed. Second grade students will practice measuring liquids with a graduated cylinder.

Lesson Behavioral Objectives: Students will be able to measure a difference in runoff water between the control and the experimental. Hopefully they will see the benefits of preventing storm runoff from going into the sewer system

Relationship to Erosion Lesson: In previous lessons we learned about soil's ability to adsorb rain water. We learned how different soils have different rates of permeability. When we cover the soil with buildings, roads, and sidewalks the soil looses its permeability.

Materials Needed: Grass seed, potting soil, 20mL graduated cylinder, container to catch runoff, and model buildings. The buildings can be printed by downloading the file from Thingiverse.




Sequence of Lesson:
Motivation: Ask children, where does the rain go after it hits the ground? Also, where does the water go when we flush the toilet or take a shower, is it ok for our toilet water to go into the ocean? Explain how water needs to be treated so it is not nasty before going into the ocean and that treatment plants can be overwhelmed in a rainstorm since all the water goes to the same place. I never go to the beach the day after it rains because toilet stuff is in the sea.

Steps for this Lesson:
Day 1-Give the explanation of the motivation above. Demonstrate to the children how to use a graduated cylinder. Model filling the graduated cylinder to 10mL and how to collect runoff. Have students create a chart in their notebooks to record water in and water out. The children will need a whole period to practice using the materials.

Day 2-Review the procedure for the experiment. Remind children that a valid experiment must be repeatable. A scientist will always repeat at test at least five times. This is the reason why we are repeating this process a second day. This also will help the students who struggled the first day. Students should answer the following question in their notebooks, why is it helpful for a building in an urban area to have a green roof and how does your data support your answer. Each table should collaborate to share the answer with the class.

Assesment: Use the following rubric to score the student notebooks; 1-Novice




Getting started-No or little understanding, 2-Apprentice Almost-Student has some understanding, 3-Practitioner Got it!-Strong understanding-Meets the standard, 4-Expert Wow, awesome!-Exceptional understanding-Exceeds the standard.

Extensions: If you have time for the students to work on tinkercad.com, have them design their own planters to place in their windows at home. Here is one that I made based on the buildings used in the lesson. You can download this planter from: Thingiverse





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