Ready for action?
Resources
Tangible Resources
Materials for prototyping, e.g. pen, paper, pencils, card, board, scissors, glue, tape, toothpicks, wire, gauze, elastic
Human Resources
Adults to support technical prototyping, guests for presentation.
Preparation
Arrange local community/parent/guardian makers to be involved in the second technical prototyping stage, prepare materials and teaching space for practical activities.
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- Students will create their own solutions to lower pollution.
- Students will understand how to create prototypes of design ideas.
Specific messages
- People are using filtering in imaginative ways to reduce pollution/the effects of pollution.
- Prototyping is used to help create and improve design ideas.
Main terms
- prototype
- sketch model
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Analysing and interpreting data
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions
- Developing and using models
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
Soft skills
- Empathy
- Dealing with uncertainty
- Learning failure is a part of learning
- Teamwork and collaboration
Management skills
- Planning
- Use of resources
Course of activity
step 1
In this final unit the students will design a prototype to help either reduce pollution, or help live with existing pollution without suffering as much.
- They will decide which approach they will take to dealing with air pollution and on what scale.
- They will then create a sketch model of a solution to their chosen problem (e.g. air filter buggy cover, special filters, innovative wearable air purifiers, etc.). Creativity and innovation should be praised.
step 2
First prototype: They will make a rapid prototype of their solution to test their concept.
- Students will evaluate the success of the first prototype
- They will then plan improvements and carry them out to fix problems
step 3
Second prototype: They will make a bigger (shoe box size, or ergonomic size if wearable) technical prototype with more details. Makers from the community/parents will support students in making their technical prototypes.
step 4
Students will present their design ideas in an exhibition for the rest of the school.