Lesson Plan 9 and 10

Making a Plan

  • Objective:

To help students create a plan for making their prototype

  • Time: 2 Periods of 90--120 min total
  • Planning (50 min):
  1. Once the sketches have been approved by the teacher,  have students create a plan for their Maker Projects.
  2. Ask students to consider the materials and tools they will need, as well as the steps they will need to take to complete their project.
  3. If there are materials difficult to procure, go back to the ideation stage and give them 10 more minutes to substitute an easily available material.
  4. Encourage students to break down the project into manageable steps and to set realistic timelines for completion.
Stages /time
Ideation
Parts/ resource Procurement
Assembly
Define
Day 1
Day 8
Day 15
Locate
Day 2
Day 9
Day 16
Assemble
Day 3
Day 10
Day 17
Execute
Day 4
Day 11
Day 18
Test
Day 5
Day 12
Day 19
Modify
Day 6
Day 13
Day 20
Conclude
Day 7
Day 14
Day 21

Write dates in each box. Students can rename the columns based on the steps required for their project. Here is another template to use (but feel free to use your own)

Name of the Student
What is this person responsible for?
By when will they complete their responsibility?
Which team member will hold them accountable?

Additionally, ask students to think about the following questions:

  1. How will you ensure smooth communication throughout the process?
  2. How will you ensure OTHER team members are doing their bit as promised?
  3. How will you resolve conflicts e.g., major disagreement on how much to spend, how many trials to do during prototyping, what resources to use, falling behind on time, etc.
  • Conclusion (10 min):
  1. Encourage students to continue to think creatively and innovatively as they work on their Maker Projects.
  2. Remind students to keep their plans and sketches in a safe place as they will need them in the next session.
  • Tips:
    1. Emphasize the importance of creating a realistic plan that takes into account the time and resources needed to complete the project.
    2. Provide guidance and support to students who may be struggling to create a concrete plan for their Maker Projects.
    3. Meet with students one on one to provide feedback
    4. Definitely let students explore different materials AS THEY ARE PLANNING (see optional session plans)

Optional Lessons

Working with Materials