Substitute Teacher Guide • Grade 10 • Unit 6: Intro to 3D Design

3D Modeling with TinkerCAD: Designing & Printing a Keychain — Day 1 of 3

Today's focus: Sketch & Set Up

✅ Before Students Arrive

Materials needed today:
- Paper and ruler (for the design sketch, in millimeters)
- Computer with internet access
- TinkerCAD account (school Google login)
- 3D printer + slicer software (Cura)
- Filament
Most students keep their class notebook at its usual spot in the room and use it every day (see routine below) -- but it's each student's own notebook, so a few may bring theirs from home instead. Either way, everyone should have one out.
Write today's Do Now on the board before the bell rings (see below).

📓 Daily Notebook Routine (students already know this)

Keep this going every day, in your class notebook: date today's entry, jot your Do Now response, add any new vocabulary word(s) from today's Key Vocabulary section (word + a quick picture + a simple definition in your own words), and take 60 seconds to sketch something connected to today's topic. This notebook is yours to study from, reference on projects, and pull evidence from later for your portfolio.

📁 Portfolio Update Reminder

Once a week, add your best finished or in-progress piece to your portfolio (the Google Drive folder you started in Grade 9, becoming your Google Sites portfolio in Lesson 10) with a 1-2 sentence caption: what it is, what tool/skill it used, and one thing you learned. Keep it current -- don't save it all for the portfolio-website lesson.

🗣️ Opening: Do Now

Write or project this, and have students start immediately:

“Sketch initial shape ideas for your keychain on paper.”

📋 Class Plan (step by step)

Step 1 — 5 min

🗣️ Say: "Today we're looking at ___." Then walk through the point(s) below at the front of the room.

📋 Mini-lesson (5 min): what makes a good 3D-printable design (size limits, sturdiness).
Step 2 — 20 min

🗣️ Say: "Now it's your turn -- work on your own (or with your table) on the following."

📋 Independent sketching (20 min): finalize your keychain sketch with exact measurements in millimeters, using a ruler.
Step 3 — 10 min

🗣️ Say: "Let's do the first one together, then you'll try the rest on your own."

📋 Guided account setup (10 min): create your TinkerCAD account and join the class.
Step 4 — 5 min

🗣️ Say: "Let's hear from a few people before we move on."

📋 Share (5 min): show a neighbor your sketch and get one piece of feedback.

🔑 Vocabulary Introduced Today

TinkerCAD: A free, browser-based 3D design tool commonly used to introduce CAD (Computer-Aided Design).
Solid / Hole (Negative Shape): A solid shape adds material; a hole (negative) shape cuts material away when combined with a solid.

✅ Wrap-Up: Exit Ticket

A few minutes before the bell, say: "Time to finish your exit ticket."

“Why is it important to sketch and measure a design on paper before building it digitally?”

Collect exit tickets (or have students leave them in the usual spot) for the regular teacher to review.

⏳ If You're Short on Time

Protect the Do Now and the Exit Ticket above all else -- those are how the regular teacher tracks daily progress. If a step above is optional/homework, or is a "share out"/discussion step, shorten or skip it first.

⏳ If Students Finish Early

Have them keep working in their notebook: add extra detail to today's vocabulary sketch, review previous vocabulary, or -- if this is a portfolio update week for this class -- work on their portfolio. Early finishers should never be idle or distracting to classmates still working.

📝 For the Regular Teacher (fill in ahead of time)

Regular teacher's name / how to reach them: ______________________________
Where finished work / exit tickets go: ______________________________
Front office extension / emergency contact: ______________________________
Anything else this class needs to know today: ______________________________