3Doodler Global Engineering Design Challenge - Step 1

10-15 Minute Activity - If I Built A Car Read Aloud Story

Read aloud the story “If I Built a Car” to your class. Engage students in large or small groups with active conversations based on the following questions:

1. “If you could design and build a new self-driving electric car, what must it include in today’s world and why?

2. How will it meet the needs of today’s Generation Z workforce and individuals with special needs?

3. Will your new car design be green friendly and safe for our environment, if so how and why?

Next, have students individually sketchnote and design a prototype of car of their brainstormed visual ideas. For younger students you can use a car template similar to this for students to color, or have them add additional features with free hand drawing options.

Then have students partner up into "tranformative trio" groups and share their design ideas and explain their why addressing the questions mentioned earlier, and using their sketchnote picture to explain their reasoning . Come back to large group and have a student spokesperson from each group summarize the students group shares and innovative ideas shared.

5-10 Minute Activity - Six Brick LEGO Challenge (Optional)

This simple activity is a quick and yet powerful way to engage the brain with creative thinking and learning. It showcases the power of hands on learning, thinking with parameters, and to revisit the power of being a kid again. Provide each person with the same 6 LEGO bricks and one LEGO person figurine. The only directions you provide are the following:

VERBAL PROMPT: "You will be given 60 seconds to make the best car build you can. There is no right or wrong car build, only to have creative design fun with this challenge! Are you ready to do some visual thinking and creative making with your hands? Put on your thinking hats and let the designing fun begin ....GO!"

TEACHER TIP: Set a visual timer, and all hands-up verbal signal when 60 seconds expires.

DISCUSSION: Two-minute "Think-Pair-Share" with a student "dynamic duo" friend, and share your design strategies. Compare and contrast how your build may be similar and different to a classmates.

BACK CHANEL CHAT TEAM DUO REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Choose a question or two from the list below to pose to your students, and have them reflect on their learning with a "dynamic duo" classmate within the back channel chat space. Have students take a picture of their cars and themselves as a collaborative team.

What skills are used to make a LEGO car?
Are any cars the same?
What lessons did you learn?
What would you try next time?
How else could we document this thinking and leanring process?

TEACHER TIP: Using Padlet is a great way to model an online student back channel chat. It allows students to reflect on their thinking and learning, and the ability to upload their car pictures as a digital asset to compliment their reflections with their classmate.

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10-15 Minute Activity - If I Built A Car Read Aloud Story

5-10 Minute Activity - Six Brick LEGO Challenge (Optional)

Naomi Harm ~ Innovative Educator Consulting ~ 2021