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Session 1: Design Thinking 💭

Overview

Grades: 3-4 | Duration: 40 minutes | Session: 1 of 17

Students explore human-centered design thinking, learning to understand user needs before creating solutions.

Session 1: Design Thinking

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

  • Understand the design thinking process

  • Practice empathy in problem-solving

  • Complete a user-focused design challenge

  • Connect design thinking to serving others

Session 1: Design Thinking

Materials Needed

  • 📋 Design thinking process poster

  • 📦 Challenge materials (paper, tape, misc supplies)

  • 📓 Engineering journals

  • 📝 User interview cards

Catholic Integration

Saint Connection

St. Isidore of Seville — Patron saint of the internet! He organized knowledge to help others learn.

Scripture

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." — Matthew 7:12

Opening Prayer

Dear God, help us see the world through others' eyes. Give us compassion to understand what people need and creativity to design solutions that truly help. Amen.

Lesson Procedure

Opening Circle (6 minutes)

  1. Design Thinking:
  2. "Starts with understanding PEOPLE, not just problems"
  3. Used by top companies like Apple, Google, IDEO
  4. The Five Steps:
  5. 💗 EMPATHIZE — Understand the user
  6. 🎯 DEFINE — State the problem clearly
  7. 💡 IDEATE — Brainstorm many solutions
  8. 🔧 PROTOTYPE — Build quick models
  9. 🧪 TEST — Get feedback, improve
  10. St. Isidore — Organized information to help people learn
  11. Golden Rule — Design for others as you'd want!

Main Activity: Design Challenge (26 minutes)

Part 1: Empathize & Define (8 minutes)

Challenge: Design something to help a classmate!

Interview Your Partner (4 min):

  • What's something difficult in your day?

  • What frustrates you at school?

  • What would make your life easier?

  • What do you wish you had?

Define the Problem (4 min):

  • Write a problem statement:

  • "[Name] needs a way to [do something] because [reason]"

  • Example: "Maria needs a way to keep her desk organized because she loses her pencils"

Part 2: Ideate (5 minutes)

  • Sketch 3+ different solution ideas

  • Wild ideas welcome!

  • Don't judge yet—just generate!

  • Share ideas with partner

Part 3: Prototype (10 minutes)

  • Choose your best idea

  • Build a quick model using available materials

  • Doesn't need to be perfect—just enough to show the idea

  • Label important features

Part 4: Test & Feedback (3 minutes)

  • Show prototype to your partner

  • Get feedback:

  • What works?
  • What could be better?
  • Does it solve their problem?

Engineering Journal (5 minutes)

  1. Write your partner's problem statement
  2. Sketch your solution idea
  3. Write: "Design thinking starts with..."
  4. Write: "The feedback I received was..."

Closing Circle (3 minutes)

  1. Empathy Reflection — "What did you learn about your partner?"
  2. Serving Others — "How does understanding people help us serve?"
  3. Closing Prayer — "God, thank you for helping us see others' needs. May we always design with love. Amen."

Assessment

Observation Checklist:

  • Conducted empathetic interview

  • Created clear problem statement

  • Generated multiple ideas

  • Built testable prototype

Differentiation

For Students Who Need Support

  • Provided problem to solve

  • Partner support

  • Simplified prototype

For Advanced Students

  • More detailed prototype

  • Multiple iterations

  • User testing documentation

Wonder at Home 🏠

Family Activity: Use design thinking at home! Interview a family member about a problem. Brainstorm solutions together. Build a prototype from household materials. Test and improve!

Teacher Notes

  • Post design thinking process in classroom

  • This framework is used throughout the year

  • Encourage genuine empathy in interviews

  • Prototypes should be rough—that's the point!

Next: Session 2 — Ozobot Coding