Unit Overview

In Mosa Mack’s Design Thinking unit, students discover the steps of the Design Thinking process, and then use that process to design and build a product to rescue a stranded sloth.

• Next Generation Science Standards

  MS-ETS1-2

  Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

• Inquiry Scale
  • Each lesson in the unit has an Inquiry Scale that provides directions on how to implement the lesson at the level that works best for you and your students.
  • “Level 1” is the most teacher-driven, and recommended for students in 4th-5th grades. “Level 4” is the most student-driven, and recommended for students in 7th-8th grades.
  • For differentiation within the same grade or class, use different inquiry levels for different groups of students who may require additional support or an extra challenge.
• Common Misconceptions
  • Students may not realize that prototypes need to use proper proportions and should be designed from similar materials to that of the actual engineered product to test efficiency of materials.
  • Students may believe that Design Thinking is only used by engineers, but in fact this process is used in many areas and across many industries.
  • Learners may believe that since the steps of Design Thinking are presented in a specific order they must always follow them exactly as shown. Reinforce to students that Design Thinking is a creative process that may take different paths.
  • Students may initially think that a prototype should only be tested once. Emphasize to students that prototypes typically need to be tested and the design needs to be refined and retested a number of times before a final engineered product is produced. Through multiple tests, multiple variables can be identified and tested to make a more successful product.
  • Learners may be inclined to go with the first idea they come up with. Reinforce that brainstorming is a very important component to the process, and encourage students to be open to many ideas.
• Vocabulary
  • • Design Thinking
    • Ideate
    • Brainstorm
    • Prototype
    • Test
    • Refine
    • Retest
• Content Expert
  • Susie Wise
    Director of K12 Lab Stanford d.school