Designing for the Future

Overview

This 50-minute lesson integrates the Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies (ACTDEK030) for Year 6 students, which focuses on developing knowledge, understanding, and skills to design solutions with practicality and creativity in mind. Students will explore sustainability and learn how to create innovative designs for a problem-solving challenge centred on reusing materials. This hands-on, collaborative session will encourage critical and creative thinking.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Identify sustainable design principles.
• Collaborate to design a creative solution for a real-world problem.
• Present their design concept and justify their choices.

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Materials Needed

• Recycled materials (e.g. cardboard, bottles, newspaper, fabric scraps, etc.)
• Scissors, tape, and glue
• Butcher's paper or A3 sheets for brainstorming
• Whiteboard and markers
• Stopwatch or timer

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Warm-Up Discussion (5 minutes)

Ask students:

1. What does sustainability mean?
2. Why is sustainability important for the future?
3. Can you think of an everyday item that could be designed more sustainably?

Teachers should write keywords and ideas on the board (e.g., "reduce waste," "reuse," "eco-friendly materials").

Design Challenge Brief (5 minutes)

Introduce the challenge:
"You are a product designer working for a company that creates toys. Your goal is to design an eco-friendly game or toy for kids, using only recycled materials."

Explain the steps: brainstorm ideas, sketch designs, and construct a prototype using teamwork. Emphasise that their designs should consider sustainability, practicality, and creativity.

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2. Brainstorm & Plan (15 minutes)

Group Formation (2 minutes)

Divide students into groups of 4-5, ensuring a mix of skills and perspectives.

Idea Generation (6 minutes)

Provide each group with butcher's paper to brainstorm toy/game ideas. Encourage them to sketch their initial concepts and annotate it with materials they could use for construction. Each group should aim for originality and focus on reusability.

Prompts to guide brainstorming:

• What age group is this toy for?
• How is it fun or engaging?
• How does it use recycled materials effectively?

Finalise Design Plan (7 minutes)

Ask groups to pick one idea and refine their plan. Each group should assign roles (e.g., who will sketch, who will build, who will present).

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3. Construct Prototype (20 minutes)

Students use the materials provided to construct a rough prototype of their toy or game. The teacher circulates around the room to:

• Provide feedback on designs.
• Challenge students to justify their choices ("Why this material? How does this support sustainability?").

Encourage collaboration and experimentation.

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4. Present & Reflect (5 minutes)

Present Designs

Each group briefly (1-2 minutes) explains their prototype to the class. They should describe:

• The target audience for their design.
• How their toy/game works.
• Why it’s sustainable.

Peer Feedback

Other groups provide one piece of positive feedback ("I like how...") and one suggestion ("Have you thought about...?").

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5. Wrap-Up (Closing Reflection) (5 minutes)

Ask:

1. What was challenging about designing something sustainable?
2. What did they learn about using recycled materials?
3. How could they improve their designs if given more time?

Summarise by linking back to real-world relevance: sustainable design is a growing field, and creative thinkers like them are key to solving global challenges.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observe students’ collaboration and participation in the activity.
• Evaluate final prototypes for creativity, practicality, and sustainability.
• Assess presentations for clarity and justification of design choices.

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Extension Ideas

• Students research existing sustainable products and discuss what makes them successful.
• Create a marketing poster for their toy/game, promoting its sustainability and fun features.
• Students write a reflection on how sustainable designs impact our world.