7th Grade Gateway Wheel
Meet the Maker: Devin McKinnon & Dana McLaren
Maker culture is important because this helps students become problem solvers. Students need to gain an understanding of issues in today’s world and to comprehend complex situations. Problem solving skills can be applied to many possible solutions and help students develop action plans. Making is for all students to ask questions, seek solutions, and create their ideas with unique tools and capacities.
Maker Plan: Gateway Wheel 7 for Design Process and Applied Physics
Provocation / Challenge:
Following the design process, you will work with your design team to create a toy for a client of your choice. You will use your understanding of design tools, technology, and teamwork to communicate ideas and collaborate with your design team.
Your team must identify a design opportunity for which you will create a toy. You may choose to modify an existing toy you dissected. Your team’s design must incorporate universal design—accessible and appropriate for use by all children, but must also specifically address your clients needs.
What we are making, Why we are Making, Who we are Making for:
Maker Skill Builders & Highlights
Laser Engraving : The following link are the student resources for laser engraving.
3D Printing: The following link are the student resources for 3D Printing.
Student Product Samples:
The following artifacts are completed maker solutions. You will see the students documented all of their work on a google site.
Additional Teacher Resources & Reproducibles:
The following link is the directions for students and the template they are given.
Must know tips for Teachers:
- When you do a skill builder make sure the students know they are building their skills that they will need to use later. I have students list the skills they have learned in the course so they know what they can use on the final project.
- Embed Making. Use design thinking throughout the school year. Many assignments can be applied to design thinking. Use the same process. As part of the skill builder, you could just practice part of the design thinking process. Just make sure the students know they are doing it.
- Use student to help you develop other student’s skills.
- Let students fail forward (safely). Students learn the best from fixing their mistakes and learning/teaching moments you can learn from them.
- Only allow students to start the physical making when they have a plan and a list of materials they are going to use. This will help reduce the amount of wasted materials.