The Design Process - Solving Problems Like an Engineer

Design Process Study Guide

Design Thinking: Solving Problems Like Engineers

This lesson plan is designed for middle school students to introduce them to the Design Process using the provided study guide as a foundation. The culminating activity is creating a Slide Deck to demonstrate their understanding of each step.

Part 1: Introduction and Exploration (20 Minutes)

• Objective: Students will be able to define the Design Process and identify the main steps.

1. Warm-up: What is a Problem? (5 mins)

   • Ask students: "What's a problem you've faced recently, and how did you solve it?" (e.g., a messy locker, a lost item, a broken toy).

   • Explain that engineers, inventors, and creative thinkers use a special step-by-step process called the Design Process to turn ideas into solutions.

2. Guided Reading & Step Identification (10 mins)

   • Distribute the study guide or project it.

   • Have students quickly read Pages 1 and 2, focusing on "What is the Design Process?"

   • Lead a brief class discussion to identify the core steps (Ask, Imagine, Plan & Build, Test & Improve, Share). Write these on the board.

3. Real-World Context: Robot Keychains (5 mins)

   • Introduce the Robot Keychain example from the guide (Page 3 and 9)

   • Ask: "If the problem is designing a fun, durable robot keychain, what kind of questions would you Ask first?" (e.g., What materials are durable? What's a fun design?) 

Part 2: Deep Dive into the Steps (30 Minutes)

• Objective: Students will explore the purpose and key actions within each step of the Design Process.

Step-by-Step Focus (15 mins)

1. • Divide the class into five small groups, assigning one of the five core steps to each group (Ask, Imagine, Plan & Build, Test & Improve, Share).

   • Each group reviews their assigned section in the study guide (Pages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). They must identify the key action and purpose of their step.

Part 3: Slide Deck Project (45 Minutes)

• Objective: Students will apply their knowledge by creating a presentation that explains the Design Process.

1. Project Setup (5 mins)

   • Tell students they will now act as Design Consultants and create a 5-slide presentation to teach the Design Process to a younger student (or another class). This presentation is their opportunity to show what they have learned.

   • Tool: Students can use Google Slides, PowerPoint, or even create a poster/infographic if technology is limited.

2. Slide Deck Requirements (40 mins)

   • Students can work individually or in pairs. The slide deck must contain the following five slides:

Conclusion & Next Steps (5 Minutes)

• Wrap-up: Briefly discuss the skills they used during the lesson (critical thinking, teamwork, creativity)

• Next Step: Ask students: "Can you think of a new everyday problem (other than a robot keychain) that you could solve using this 5-step process?"