“My Magnificent Thing”
A Design Thinking project based on the book,
The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires.
Thank you for downloading this resource! This is a project that uses the
Design Thinking process to build empathy and creativity in students. It’s a
great one to use at the beginning of the year, and it goes along really well
with lessons about growth mindset and perseverance. Here’s how it works:
1. Read the book,The Most Magnificent Thing.Talk about how the main
character keeps trying to make an invention that will solve one of her
problems (her dog can’t keep up when she rides her scooter). The more
her invention doesn’t work, the more frustrated she gets, until she finally
explodes. See if students can relate to that feeling! Next you can introduce
the Design Thinking process.You can find lots of resources online to give
you more info about it. Students can use page 2 in their packet to draw
pictures representing each part of the process.
2. On day 2, ask students to think of the magnificent thing they would
want to create for themselves and draw a picture of it. This will get them
thinking about what kinds of things might solve problems for them.
3. On day 3, tell students that they won’t actually be making a magnificent
thing for themselves. Instead they’ll work with a partner and figure out
what they could invent for their partner. Use the 4th page in their packets
for Empathy Interviews. Model how to ask a partner questions and listen
carefully to their answers, taking notes as you go. The note-taking may be
a challenge for some of them, but they can do it if they take their time.
4. On day 4 they’ll define the problem, choosing one issue that they hear
from their partner on day 3. It may be that their partner has an annoying
younger sibling, they don’t have enough time to eat breakfast in the
morning, they have trouble getting their homework done at night- the
problems could be anything! I encourage you not to interfere at this
point. It’s tempting to push them towards a problem that will be easier
to solve, but I was impressed by the creative ideas they had about the
problems they chose. At the end of day 4 they should start ideatingideating just means brainstorming. They should go for quantity of ideas,
not quality. Remind them that our first ideas are not always our best
ideas, and bad ideas can lead to good ones. Give them about 10 minutes
to jot down as many ideas as they can.
5. On day 5 they should choose one of their ideas, or combine a few of
them, and sketch a prototype of their invention. It should include labels
and color. Then they should list the materials that they’ll need to make it.
At this stage it’s tempting for them to design something that THEY want,
so redirect them to think about their partner’s problem, and challenge
them to incorporate their partner’s interests. They should feel free to go
back to their partner to ask follow-up questions throughout this process.
One of my students was designing something to distract an annoying
sibling so that his partner could get her homework done, and as he
sketched his prototype he went to her to ask how old her sibling was,
and what kinds of things he enjoyed.
6. Now you have 2 choices- you can have the students present their
prototype sketches to their partners and to the class for feedback, or you
can give them materials and some time to build in class, and then they can
present their final projects for feedback at the end. I loved letting my kids
build their prototypes, but it depends on the time and materials that you
have.
7. Last, but certainly not least: Students should reflect on this process.
Hopefully this is just the first of many design thinking projects or PBLs
that you’ll do, so get them thinking about how it went!
My Magnificent Thing
A Design Thinking Project by
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The Design Thinking Process
Empathize
Define the Problem
Prototype
Ideate
Test
What magnificent thing will you
make to solve a problem?
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Why do you want it?
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Draw a picture of it:
Empathy Interview
What problems does my partner have?
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What does my partner like or want?
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Define the Problem
I interviewed _____________. Her/his
problem is that
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He/she needs a way to
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Ideate
Jot down your ideas:
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Prototype
Draw what you’re going to make:
List the materials you’ll need:
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Feedback
Suggestions from my partner:
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Suggestions from my class:
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Reflect
What was the hardest part of this
process?
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Did you design solve your partner’s
problem?
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What was your favorite part of this
process?
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