Teacher Experience:”Veterinarian: Animal Prosthetics” Task for 7th-8th Grade Students

A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:
Sarah Williams
Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Gateway to Tech and STEM Teacher
Milton Somers Middle School (MD)

Performance Task:
Veterinarian: Animal Prosthetics

Here’s What We Did:
For this task, students acted as veterinarians with the goal of opening a new clinic designed to help animals who have lost limbs. Students used the 3D printer to create prosthetics for a wide range of animals. For the project, students had to research a variety of prosthetics for many different species. Students had to sketch their models to scale before using the printer. After conducting research, students created three products using the 3D printer, and worked in pairs to complete the assignment over five weeks.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:
During this task, students were very excited about getting hands-on and using the 3D printer to bring their models to life. Students were less interested in the planning, reading, and writing skills, but understood the importance of the “big picture” and how they’ll use cross-curricular skills to complete the project. Defined STEM works in my classroom because tasks flow very well with engineering and the use of computers in the classroom.