This collection of lessons from Intermediate Unit One combines elements of digital fabrication with mental health wellness supports for all students.

INTERMEDIATE UNIT ONE COLLECTION

Mini LED Flashlight

Students will design and fabricate their very own mini LED flashlights! Students will create a case that fits all of the internal components of the flashlight. This can be done using…

REMIX: MP3 SPEAKER + MENTAL HEALTH

Students will be given an amplifier/speaker kit to assemble and solder. Students will also create a casing for this circuit system. This can be achieved by using the step-by-step tutorial…

Personalized Rally Towels

Students will create a personalized rally towel that contains at least one image and a name. This can be done using the step-by-step tutorial design that follows, or by creating their…

IN THIS COLLECTION

Intermediate Unit One is committed to improving the educational outcomes of children and adolescents who experience mental health needs by providing both targeted and general mental health wellness activities in classrooms, including FabLab classrooms.

General mental health supports are provided in each lesson so that any digital fabrication instructor can incorporate mental wellness strategies.

about intermediate unit one

Intermediate Unit One (IU1) is a regional education service agency that strives to provide educational support to students, parents, educators, administrators, and communities throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. IU1 operates two campus schools which house digital fabrication labs designed to serve students with severe mental health needs. IU1 is committed to providing the highest level of emotional health care through unique social work opportunities within their fabrication labs.

Mental health wellness and DIGITAL FABRICATION

Good mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. The World Health Organization states that worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders. Neuropsychiatric conditions are the leading cause of disability in young people in all regions. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Visit the World Health Organization for more: https://www.who.int/mental_health/en/

RECENT COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTED LESSONS

Virtual Hispanic Art Gallery

The “Exploring Hispanic Artists from the US” project is designed for middle school students to delve into the world of Hispanic art and culture by researching and creating virtual art…

October 15, 2023

Exploring Innovation and Invention

In this lesson, the students will learn the history of innovations through fun and play. The files for stickers or laser cutting will the attached to this lesson which the…

September 26, 2023

MakeyMakey Inventor Biography Bottle

Students will choose a scientist or inventor from the past or present to research in order to write an informational report.  While the students are progressing through the writing…

September 7, 2023

Introduction to 3D Designing with a 3D Pen and Sketchbook

Students will learn the basics of 3D designing and geometry through hands-on activities using a 3D pen and a 3D sketchbook (or folded square papers). They will create simple 3D…

August 14, 2023

A- Frame level for contour Farming

This lesson introduces students to agriculture practices and its benefits. Students will learn about contour farming and vegetable cultivation. When studying contour farming for vegetables, students will gain specific insights…

July 21, 2023

FLA Week 3 – Universal Design and Sustainability

On YouTube, I’ve watched several ways how to make good-sounding drums, and with biomaterials, I’ve tried to make a surface that will boost the sound of the bucket and make…

July 19, 2023

Asking Questions – Developing Inquiry Skills by using Grammar Wheel

In the lesson “Asking Questions – Developing Inquiry Skills,” intermediate-level students learn to formulate different types of questions, identify question words, and effectively gather information. The lesson begins with a…

June 30, 2023

Cooking our own Fab Lab biomaterials

Within the study of plastic, the students will cook different bioplastics with different recipes and proportions of ingredients to study the mechanical properties of the material. With a laser cutter,…

June 30, 2023

FLA Week6: A wavy line that connects

Explore waves in our environment and the characteristics of sinusoidal waves—amplitude, frequency, and wavelength.    Students will go through the 4 phases of Engage – Explore – Explanation – Extension…

June 30, 2023

FLA Week3: Biomaterials

Creative possibilities cooking biomaterials.

June 29, 2023

FLA Week4: Classroom tool design

Creative possibilities of the laser cutter.

June 29, 2023

FLA Week2: Vinyl Cut Sticker

Creative possibilities with the vinyl cutter.   The process described takes action in an action plan called “Fab Lab Club” where a group of students is building a maker community…

June 29, 2023

Create a model in Wood using Laser Cutter

Use the existing design of a box from box maker to import and explore the use of laser cutter to cut the design out.  

June 29, 2023

Design and make a logo using Inkscape software and Vinyl Printing machine respectively

Students can design and make an interesting logo using Inkscape and Vinyl cutter. At the end of the lesson, Students can: Use some unique features of Inkscape to create a…

June 29, 2023

STANDARDS-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.