Students are expected to use the learning standards for Curricular Competencies from Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 4-5 in combination with grade-level content from other areas of learning in cross-curricular activities to develop foundational mindsets and skills in design thinking and making.

Students are expected to be able to do the following:

Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Designs can be improved with prototyping and testing.
Skills are developed through practice, effort, and action.
The choice of technology and tools depends on the task.

Curricular Competency

Learning Standards

Curricular Competency

Applied Design

Understanding context

  • Gather information about or from potential users

    may include self, peers, younger children, family or community members, customers, plants, or animals

Defining

  • Choose a design opportunity
  • Identify key features or user requirements
  • Identify the main objective for the design and any constraints

    limiting factors such as task or user requirements, materials, expense, environmental impact, issues of appropriation, and knowledge that is considered sacred

Ideating

  • Generate potential ideas and add to others’ ideas
  • Screen ideas against the objective and constraints
  • Choose an idea to pursue

Prototyping

  • Outline a general plan, identifying tools and materials
  • Construct a first version of the product

    for example, a physical product, a process, a system, a service, or a designed environment

    , making changes to tools, materials, and procedures as needed
  • Record iterations

    repetitions of a process with the aim of approaching a desired result

    of prototyping

Testing

  • Test the product
  • Gather peer feedback and inspiration
  • Make changes and test again, repeating until satisfied with the product

Making

  • Construct the final product, incorporating planned changes

Sharing

  • Decide on how and with whom to share

    may include showing to others, use by others, giving away, or marketing and selling

    their product
  • Demonstrate their product and describe their process
  • Determine whether their product meets the objective and contributes to the individual, family, community, and/or environment
  • Reflect on their design thinking and processes, and their ability to work effectively both as individuals and collaboratively in a group, including their ability to share and maintain a co-operative work space
  • Identify new design issues

Applied Skills

Use materials, tools, and technologies

things that extend human capabilities 

in a safe manner, and with an awareness of the safety of others, in both physical and digital environments

Identify the skills required for a task and develop those skills as needed

Applied Technologies

Use familiar tools and technologies to extend their capabilities when completing a task

Choose appropriate technologies to use for specific tasks 

Demonstrate a willingness to learn new technologies as needed