3rd Grade Bird Beaks

Third grade STEMgineers are on a mission to design prosthetic bird beaks strong enough to pick up and crush a grape. Science teacher Max Firke developed the project after hearing the story of Karl, a hornbill living at the National Zoo who was missing a large segment of his beak. To begin, students read the book Karl's New Beak and learned about the iterative process that scientists undertook to create a prosthetic beak for Karl, first by sculpting it in acrylic and then by creating a 3-D printed version based off of scanned skeletons from Smithsonian collections. Students also researched how bird beaks vary and are adapted to each bird’s dietary needs.

 

Students are now revising their designs based on data gathered from tests using their prototype. At this stage of the project, students have the opportunity to choose to continue sculpting their projects using clay and aluminum as their building materials, or to design their prostheses using TinkerCAD, which allows students to create digital models that are then printed using our 3-D printers in the Innovation Studio. This choice allows for differentiation, as students are empowered to choose the medium that will allow them to most readily express and create their ideas.

 

Students will be visiting the National Zoo on Friday, March 6th for a variety of activities, including a visit to Karl’s habitat.

 

Third graders’ prototypes, as well as opportunities for hands-on exploration related to beak adaptations, will be on display at this year’s STEMfest on Saturday, March 14. You won’t want to miss it!