Kick off your school year with a ready-to-teach, process-focused design unit!
This free 5-lesson mini-unit introduces middle school students to the Design Thinking Cycle through real-world, hands-on challenges. Perfect for MYP Design, STEM, or STEAM classrooms, it helps students build empathy, define meaningful problems, brainstorm creative ideas, test paper prototypes, and reflect on their learning — all with minimal prep.

This unit includes interactive teaching slides, scaffolded graphic organizers, student readings, reflection prompts, and a process-based rubric, so teachers can confidently introduce the design cycle from day one.

💡 What’s Included

• 5 ready-to-use lessons aligned to the MYP Design Criteria A–D and NGSS Engineering Practices
  
• Teacher prep checklist with materials and setup tips
  
• Interactive mini-lessons with visuals, examples, and clear teaching cues
  
• Student article: Empathy and Problem Definition
  
• Sentence stems & scaffolds for emerging writers
  
• Paper prototype feedback form
  
• Reflection & Design Pitch mini-lesson
  
• Process-focused rubric emphasizing iteration, testing, and reflection
  

🧠 Skills Students Build

• Understanding the Design Thinking Process (Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Reflect)
  
• Applying empathy and user-centered design
  
• Developing and testing creative solutions
  
• Giving and receiving constructive peer feedback
  
• Communicating ideas through reflection and presentation
  

🎯 Perfect For

• MYP Design teachers introducing Criterion A–D
  
• Middle school STEM or Engineering teachers starting the year
  
• Advisory or enrichment programs focused on innovation and creativity
  
• Teachers seeking a low-prep, high-impact design thinking introduction