Mini Project

In the beginning, you will be working in your groups to:

1. Identify a problem

2. Research the problem to ensure it is actually a problem

3. Create a problem statement

4. Refine the problem statement

5. Look at past solutions to the problem

6. Create a model or product that addresses and solves the problem

Step 1: Identify a Problem

In this step, you will identify the problem! You did this through thinking about the problems that you encounter in everyday life. We will start with a, "Don't you hate it when..." activity and then narrow down our problem to one per group.

We will be picking groups based on our problem that is selected.

Step 2: Research the Problem

It's important that we're not just creating a solution to a problem that only you may have or a few people may have. It won't sell!

As a result, we will research to try and determine and understand whether this is actually a problem by identifying articles, forums, discussion boards, peer-reviewed research, and other solutions. The more products that are out there for a specific problem with a large number of reviews, the more likely that this is a problem that people need solved!

The research will be placed on a Google Document that will act as your "digital notebook".

Step 3: Create a Problem Statement

After you finish your research and have determined that this is actually a problem, you're going to create a new problem statement that is more detailed. It will fall under a, "Don't you hate it when..." format that includes detailed research and numbers/statistics to justify the problem.

Step 4: Refine the Problem Statement

The problem statement isn't good enough. The first draft never is! Refine the problem statement to make it more concise and put together. Refer to my.pltw.org to understand how to create a detailed problem statement.