Design Detectives
The Design Detectives worksheet encourages students to analyse everyday objects and their purpose. Using a cut-and-paste activity, students match products to the people they benefit and justify why they were designed. This hands-on task helps develop students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and design awareness, supporting early learning in design thinking and human-centred solutions.
• Introduction to Design Thinking: Engage students in identifying product purposes in their environment.
• Classroom Discussion Starter: Use this activity to discuss why different objects are created and how they help society.
• Small Group Collaboration: Students can work together to discuss and match designs to their intended use.
Learning goals
- We are learning to explore how familiar products, services and environments are designed by people.
- We are learning to generate, communicate and evaluate design ideas.
- We are learning to identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments to meet personal and community needs.
- We are learning to use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions.
- We are learning to use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and solutions, including their care for the environment.
- We are learning to generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling.
Curriculum alignment
Explore how familiar products, services and environments are designed by people
AC9TDEFP01 9Generate, communicate and evaluate design ideas, and use materials, equipment and steps to safely make a solution for a purpose
ACTDEK001 8.4Identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments and consider sustainability to meet personal and local community needs
ACTDEP007 8.4Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions
ACTDEP008 8.4Use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and solutions including their care for environment
ACTDEP006 8.4Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling
Australian Curriculum covers QLD / SA / WA / NT / TAS / ACT.
Differentiation
Modifications
• Provide pre-cut images for younger students or those needing additional support.
• Allow students to draw instead of cut-and-paste for accessibility.
Extensions
• Encourage students to design their own product to solve a problem in their school or home.
• Ask students to interview family members about an item they use daily and why it helps them.