Applied Design Skills Unit Plan

This unit plan is designed for grades 4-7 teachers with a focus on the ADST curriculum. It focuses on the Applied Design Skills of the Curriculum as well as some cross curricular connections to Art, Science, Social Studies and of course the Core Competencies.

Learning Goals

Students can...

• Understanding of the Engineering Design Process:
  • Goal: Students will demonstrate a solid understanding of the steps involved in the Engineering Design Process, including asking, brainstorming, planning, creating, testing, and improving and sharing.
• Problem Identification:
  • Goal: Students will be able to identify and define a problem or need, considering real-world contexts, and who it is being designed for and communicate the problem clearly. They will be able to understand the specific constraints and criteria that they are measuring.
• Brainstorming and Idea Generation:
  • Goal: Students will engage in creative thinking, generate a variety of ideas, and collaborate with peers to explore different solutions to a given problem.
• Planning and Designing:
  • Goal: Students will develop planning and design skills, including creating sketches, diagrams, or online softwares to illustrate their proposed solutions.
• Material Selection and Use:
  • Goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of materials and their properties, the life cycle of products and waste, making informed decisions about the selection and use of materials in the design process.
• Building and Creating:
  • Goal: Students will apply practical skills to build and create prototypes or models based on their designs, following the established plans and incorporating feedback.
• Testing and Evaluation:
  • Goal: Students will conduct tests on their prototypes, gather data, and evaluate the performance of their designs against specific criteria and constraints.
• Iterative Improvement:
  • Goal: Students will engage in an iterative process of improvement, using feedback from testing to make adjustments and refinements to their designs.
• Communication of Design Solutions:
  • Goal: Students will effectively communicate their design solutions through oral, written, or visual means, clearly articulating the problem, the design process, and the rationale behind their final solutions.
• Collaboration and Teamwork:
  • Goal: Students will collaborate effectively with team members, sharing responsibilities, contributing ideas, and working together to achieve common goals during the engineering design process.
• Time Management:
  • Goal: Students will develop time management skills by organizing and allocating time effectively throughout the various stages of the engineering design process.

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Lessons

Lesson 1: Spaghetti Towers Design Challenge

Use this Design Challenge as an intro to the design cycle and as a pre-assessment to gather info of areas where students need improvement the most.  Students will run through parts of the design cycle - with a focus on planning, creating and testing. They will use 25 pieces of spaghetti and 50cm of tape to build the tallest tower that can hold the most amount of weight.

Lesson 2: Newspaper Shoe Design Challenge

This design challenge is intended to introduce more steps of the design challenge. This one has a focus on the ask phase: Who are they designing for? What are the needs of the client? Can they empathize with the client? Can they keep this all in mind while planning, creating and testing?

Lesson 3: Wigwam Design Challenge

Use this Design Challenge to help with the Research phase. Students will spend time learning about different tribes native to their area and in Canada. They will research how they used to live and what kinds of houses they used to build and why. This can be done online, or we have also created some research packs for a no tech option. Students will then build a model example of an old home as accurate as possible that is also weather resistant!

Lesson 4: Sustainable Future Cities

Students will have the opportunity to explore what it means to be a sustainable city, and then design and construct their own sustainable city using TinkerCAD, a 3D modelling software. This activity focuses on the planning and drafting phases.

Lesson 5: Design an App

Often when we do design challenges, students are very focused on the building portion, and rightfully so! It's the most fun! But this activity focuses on all the beginning phases, to make sure they are really solidified. In this activity, students won’t be building an app, to keep the focus on the beginning phases. Students work to brainstorm ideas for apps that help solve a problem in the world. Students will ask, research, imagine, and come up with a plan.

Lesson 6: Sustainable Fashion Design Challenge

In this activity, students work to transform old clothing and fabrics into new creations using the engineering design cycle and inquiry-based learning. Through the exploration of materials and textures, participants engineer innovative ways to repurpose and mend garments in a fun and interactive manner. This activity integrates art concepts into STEM, providing a holistic approach that combines creativity with engineering principles. The activity not only imparts practical skills but also educates students on the broader issues of upcycling, fast fashion, and environmental sustainability.

Lesson 7: Soundproof Homes Design Challenge

In this activity students will use their knowledge of sound to engineer the most effective sound proof homes. They will spend some time researching and experimenting with a variety of materials to find the most effective ones for their build. This activity focuses on testing and improving phases as students as there is an aspect of measuring the final outcome, so students are wanting to improve their final outcome. Students are given plenty of opportunity to test the effectiveness of their build and go back and make adjustments and improvements

Lesson 8: Paper Sculptures STEAM Challenge

In this activity, you will teach students about Newton’s laws of motion and balanced and unbalanced forces. Students will then use the engineering design process and their knowledge of physics to construct an aesthetically pleasing sculpture that satisfies the building requirements.

Lesson 9: FREE INVENT

Students harness their grasp of the engineering design cycle to embark on a journey of freeform innovation and self-expression. After a quick review of the design cycle's stages, students pose a question aligned with their personal interests, sparking curiosity. From addressing real-world problems to exploring hobbies, students are given the liberty to focus on specific design stages according to their strengths, whether immersing in research, coding, or crafting prototypes. The teacher serves as a guide, fostering a collaborative environment where students showcase their diverse creations, sharing the challenges, triumphs, and iterative improvements made throughout the process. This lesson not only cultivates tangible outcomes but also instills a profound appreciation for the engineering design cycle as a versatile tool for problem-solving and creative expression, nurturing a lifelong enthusiasm for innovation and equipping students with skills extending beyond the classroom.

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