Standard 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Level III. 1. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., electronic texts; textbooks; biographical sketches; directions; essays; primary source historical documents, including letters and diaries; print media, including editorials, news stories, periodicals, and magazines; consumer, workplace, and public documents, including catalogs,technical directions, procedures, and bus routes)

Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Level III. 5. Uses content, style, and structure (e.g., formal or informal language, genre, organization) appropriate for specific audiences (e.g., public, private) and purposes (e.g., to entertain, to influence, to inform)

Standard 1. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts
Level III. Benchmark 2. Knows how the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes can be used to enhance communication of experiences and ideas 

Activity One: Introducing Design Concepts
The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an introduction to design concepts.

1. Tell the students that they are going to learn about the world of design and design education. To provide some basic introductory information about design and design learning, share the following paragraphs with the class:

•      Learning through design invites students to be active and reflective learners. Students gain an increased awareness of design in diverse areas of their everyday lives. They may notice how the color, lights, and fabrics in their room create a mood, or how their community was planned with an array of parks, grocery stores, and offices. They may look more closely at the everyday products that surround them, and question the design of a computer mouse, a picture frame, a flower garden, or a pair of sneakers. They may notice the spatial arrangement of windows in a downtown building, the symmetry of a Web page, or the ornamental detail on a balcony. They may think about the structure of buildings, bridges, and walkways across rivers. Design-based learning helps students develop observational skills, and question the way things are created. 
•       Creativity is at the heart of design. Design-based learning invites students to solve problems, take risks, support their ideas, critique and evaluate their work, reflect on their learning process, and think about the world in new ways.

 
As a class, view the video entitled “Cardboard Chair Challenge” at https://ditc.missouri.edu/designTasks/cChair/index.html

2. Tell the class that there are three major components of design. Explain each area of design to your students using the chart (attached).

Activity Two: Design Graphic Organizers
The purpose of this activity is to help students learn about the three components of design: space and design, graphic and visual communication, and products and things.

1. Divide the class into groups of three students. Tell the students that each group is going to construct a graphic organizer. A graphic organizer is a visuo-spatial representation of information. Give each group a copy of the “Design Graphic Organizer” handout (attached).

2.  After completing the graphic organizers, ask each group to share its work with the entire class. Discuss the different categories of design and the students’ choices from the People’s Design Award Web site (www.peoplesdesignaward.org).

3. Introduce the following steps of the design process to the class:
• STEP ONE: Identify the problem. Brainstorm ideas.
• STEP TWO: Analyze the elements you will need to solve the problem.
• STEP THREE: Create your design plan and presentation.
• STEP FOUR: Evaluate your design. Share your design and ask for feedback and discuss how you might make changes and improvements to your design.
• STEP FIVE: Communicate. Share your design plan.
As a class, visit the People’s Design Award Web site. Find an example of an entry and try to apply how you think the designer used the steps of the design process.

1. Divide the class into groups of five students. Tell the students that they are going to research a specific area of design, and create a presentation to share what they learn with their classmates. Provide the following list of design topics and ask each group to choose one. Try to ensure that each group selects a different topic. Allow students to choose to investigate areas of design that may be of interest to them that are not included in the list below.

• Interior Design
• Landscape Design
• Automotive Design
• Lighting Design
• Fashion Design
• Theater Design
• Sound Design
• Industrial Design
• Graphic Design
• Jewelry Design
• Fabric Design
• Ceramic Design

Have your students conduct additional research about the world of design. Create a class Web site with annotated references of Web sites, books, videos, and articles about design.