Unit 12 — Design Challenges and Innovation
Description
Students engage in open-ended design challenges that may include creating inventions, designing for specific users, or solving community problems. They apply all previously learned STEM skills in creative and authentic ways. Projects may include entrepreneurial thinking, where students create products, plan marketing, and present innovations.
Essential Questions
- How do innovators identify problems worth solving?
- What makes a design solution valuable and marketable?
- How do we bring ideas from concept to reality?
Learning Objectives
- Identify real-world problems and design solutions
- Apply the complete engineering design process independently
- Combine materials and ideas in creative ways
- Evaluate multiple design solutions and trade-offs
- Present innovations and explain their value
- Demonstrate persistence in solving complex challenges
- Reflect on the innovation process and learning
Supplemental Resources
- Chart paper for brainstorming and planning
- Markers and colored pencils for design visualization
- Recyclables and craft materials for prototyping
- Index cards for idea cards and specifications
- Sticky notes for feedback and iteration notes
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Physical Sciences
Engineering Design
Interaction of Technology and Humans
Nature of Technology
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Digital Literacy
Measurement
Number and Operations in Base Ten
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Science and Engineering Practices
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students engage in scientific and technical writing throughout STEM investigations. They document observations, create digital reports of findings, communicate design solutions, and record data using word processing and presentation tools. Students develop vocabulary through exploration of natural and engineered systems.
Students apply mathematical skills to analyze and interpret data from STEM investigations. They measure distances, record heights of plants, create graphs and line plots, calculate area and perimeter of structures, and use mathematical reasoning to solve design problems. Students employ data collection strategies and statistical analysis.
Students examine environmental challenges, climate change impacts, and sustainability through design projects. They investigate how communities address problems, propose solutions to local and global issues, and understand the relationship between human activity and the environment. Design challenges connect to civics, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurship.
Formative Assessments
- Problem identification and brainstorming notes
- Design sketches and iterations
- Prototype testing and feedback from peers
- Data or observations supporting design choices
- Presentations of work-in-progress designs
Summative Assessment
Completed innovation or invention with functioning prototype; presentation of design process, problem solved, and how design meets user needs; reflection on engineering thinking and entrepreneurship
Benchmark Assessment
A design challenge task in which students identify a real-world problem, sketch a solution, and explain how their design meets the user's needs. This assesses their ability to apply the engineering design process and creative problem-solving skills developed throughout the unit.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate their design solution through a physical model, verbal explanation of their problem and solution, or a simplified design poster with teacher support. Visual aids such as step-by-step design process cards or sentence stems may be provided to organize and communicate their thinking.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During open-ended design challenges, students with IEPs benefit from structured scaffolds that break the engineering design process into clearly defined, sequential steps with visual checklists or graphic organizers to track progress. Teachers should allow flexible output modes for presenting innovations—such as oral explanations, recorded demonstrations, or annotated sketches—so that students can communicate their thinking without being limited by writing demands. Providing sentence frames for reflection and brainstorming notes, along with frequent check-ins during prototyping and iteration, supports both processing and persistence through the complexity of multi-week projects.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be provided extended time during design, building, and presentation phases, as well as a workspace that minimizes distractions during focused prototyping or peer feedback sessions. Preferential seating near materials and the teacher during whole-group instruction or project introductions supports access to directions, and printed copies of any multi-step task expectations help students stay organized across the three-week unit.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from visual supports throughout the design challenge, including illustrated process charts that depict each stage of the engineering design cycle and labeled diagrams of materials and tools. Teachers should simplify oral and written directions using clear, concise language and pair verbal instructions with physical demonstrations when introducing new phases of the project. Encouraging students to brainstorm ideas and record observations in their home language before translating key vocabulary into English supports deeper engagement with entrepreneurial thinking and problem-solving.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be connected to familiar, community-based problems as entry points for identifying design challenges, helping them ground abstract innovation concepts in personally meaningful contexts. Teachers can reduce the complexity of the initial design scope—focusing on one user need and one design constraint at a time—while still maintaining high expectations for creative thinking and iteration. Providing partially completed brainstorming templates and modeling how to move from a problem statement to a first design sketch gives students a concrete starting point and builds confidence across the project.
Gifted & Talented
Gifted students should be challenged to consider systemic or community-wide implications of their designs, moving beyond a single-user solution to explore how their innovation might scale or create broader impact. They can be encouraged to research real-world entrepreneurship or engineering constraints—such as cost, sustainability, or equity of access—and integrate those considerations into their design trade-off analysis. Presenting their innovation to an authentic audience beyond the classroom, or developing a persuasive pitch that includes market research and user feedback cycles, extends their engagement with the full scope of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking.