Lesson Plan - How 3-D Printers Are Changing The World

Watch a Video: Dream It, Print It! 

Discuss: What uses of 3-D printing do you think are most exciting? Explain. 

Preview Words to Know 

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• manufacturing
• complex 

Set a Purpose for Reading 

As students read, have them find three new ways 3-D printing is being used. 

1. What is the author’s purpose in the first three paragraphs? The author’s purpose is to present a 3-D printed school in Malawi as an example of how 3-D printing helps solve problems.

^{(RI.4.5 AUTHOR’S CRAFT)}

2. How does the article support the idea that 3-D printers have advantages over traditional manufacturing? The article supports the idea with examples of advantages. It shows that 3-D printing lets people make things as they need them, saving time and money. It also shows that 3-D printing reduces waste and can create more complex shapes than regular machines can.

^{(RI.4.8 REASONS AND EVIDENCE)}

3. Based on the article, why is 3-D printing not used to make everything we see at the store? It would cost too much to 3-D print everything. The article says, “For now, it’s still cheaper to produce large quantities of items in factories.”

^{(RI.4.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)}

FEATURED SKILL: Vocabulary

Use the skill builder “Use Your Words” to have students explore challenging words from the article. 

^{(RI.4.4 VOCABULARY)}