This collection features lessons that embed digital fabrication technologies into hands-on design activities that center STEM careers. Students can combine real-world problem-solving scenarios and the engineering design process while learning through this transformative toolset about different STEM careers.
Airplane Mechanic
This lesson highlights an example of “Everyday in the life of an Airplane Mechanic”. What kind of work might an Airplane Mechanic do? Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines…
Wearable Device Designer
The teacher will guide students through the design and engineering process by supporting an environment that allows for trial and error, and celebrates iteration. The series is designed for 6th…
Biomedical Engineer
This lesson reflects on “Everyday in the life of a Biomedical Engineer” What does a Biomedical Engineer do? Biomedical Engineer Conduct research, along with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists,…
STEM Career Pathways
There are many different pathways to STEM careers, and students who explore these possibilities through hands-on digital fabrication lessons can more easily imagine themselves as career professionals. Along with exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers, students participating in these lessons will develop STEM skills essential to all careers including creativity, problem-solving, artistic expression, design thinking, collaboration, and resource management.
If you have a career-focused lesson integrating digital fabrication tools, please share it with the community.
LATEST COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTED LESSONS
Clay Bells + Electronics
Student will learn to design and construct clay bells that are enhanced with electronics
April 3, 2025
Scratch Coding + Advertising Technique Analysis
In this lesson, 4th-grade students will integrate their Scratch coding skills with media literacy concepts. Students will analyze a print advertisement by identifying persuasive techniques and create an interactive Scratch…
April 1, 2025
Pulse Monitoring with RGB LED and Microcontroller
In this lesson, students will explore the relationship between heart rate, physical activity, and emotions using a pulse sensor and an RGB LED. By integrating biology, physics, and programming, students…
March 31, 2025
Sustainable Solutions: Building a Smart Greenwall for Urban Environments
The “Sustainable Solutions: Building a Smart Greenwall for Urban Environments” project integrates renewable energy and urban greening to enhance sustainability education. Students will collaborate across disciplines to design and construct…
March 31, 2025
Growing plants with the help of technology
Working together with the Science area, students will build a model of a greenhouse and include in the model automation systems to handle some of the tasks associated with it.…
March 31, 2025
Finch Olympics
In this lesson, students use robots to explore physics, coding, and engineering. They calculate kinetic energy by measuring their robot’s speed and mass while completing a maze. Then, they program…
March 30, 2025
Structure and Function of a WiFi Lamp
This series of lessons focuses on developing a battery-operated Wi-Fi lamp. The focus is on developing the program mode, particularly controlling an LED strip, and the basics of HTML programming.
March 29, 2025
Lie Detector
For their skills class, students have been learning that in the real world, you often need to connect multiple disciplines to solve problems, which culminates in a CSI unit trying…
March 28, 2025
VIsualizing music
This lesson connects music, visual arts, art history, physics, and programming, During the lesson students will be encouraged active listening and creative expression through abstraction and light painting. Students will…
March 28, 2025
Robotics Race – Measuring Distance, Conversion and Coding
Students will demonstrate an understanding of measuring distance (using and converting EU and/or US measurement systems) while also writing a code that will effectively move their robot. This lesson…
March 23, 2025
Learning the IPO principle through a house automation model
This lesson is based on Studio 5’s “Eco House” model. Available at: https://www.scopesdf.org/scopesdf_lesson/eco-house/ Students learn about the IPO principle and how some new electronic components work. Using this knowledge,…
February 16, 2025
SEQUENCE using Scratch
Sequencing In the early years students must develop sequencing skills. These skills help young learners to logically structure language and writing. It’s essential to effective oral and written communication. …
February 16, 2025
Light it Up
Design Challenge: Design and build a lamp/light with non-addressable LEDs and an on/off switch. Constraints: Design and laser cut the body of the lamp Use a non-addressable LED light strip,…
February 12, 2025
Station learning electronics
In station learning, learners can experimentally explore the essential fundamentals of electronics using a self-learning process. You will learn about diodes, light-emitting diodes, capacitors and transistors. The circuits are simulated…
February 9, 2025
Talking Trash Bin: Interactive Electronics and Programming Project
In this lesson, students will embark on a self-directed learning journey to design and implement a technical project focused on environmental conservation and sustainable resource use. The project aims to…
February 9, 2025STANDARDS-ALIGNED
Community contributed lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer formal educators innovative pathways to teaching content knowledge. The Fab I Can Statements are a resource to develop technology-literate learning progressions to align with content standards.
FAB TESTED
Periodically lessons are adapted and tested by the Fab Foundation team based on a call for submissions from fabbers, educators, and makers. Our inaugural set of lessons for the SCOPES-DF project were Fab Tested in 2016 and are tagged Fab Tested on the website.
OPEN-SOURCE VALUES
Lessons are distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC license, that permits free use and re-purposing by others.