Engineering and making as writing — document a build from first sketch to finished product.
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Intro to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind ch. 1–3; what makes engineering writing compelling? Reading |
| Tue | Read a real engineering field notebook page; analyze structure and purpose Reading |
| Wed | Write a "day one" entry: describe how something you own works, step by step Writing |
| Thu | Type and format your entry with headings, numbered steps, and a diagram description Computer |
| Fri | Choose your build project (LEGO set, original model, or electronic circuit) Kinesthetic |
Choose an everyday object (a pencil, a door hinge, a zipper). Write a technical explanation of how it works — as if explaining it to someone who has never seen one. Use precise vocabulary, numbered steps, and at least one labeled diagram description.
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Kamkwamba ch. 4–7; how does he describe failure and iteration? Reading |
| Tue | What is iteration? Design thinking: problem → sketch → build → test → revise Reading |
| Wed | Write a design brief for your build: goal, materials, constraints, success criteria Writing |
| Thu | Create a digital design brief in Google Docs with proper headings and formatting Computer |
| Fri | Begin the physical build; photograph stage 1; kinesthetic hands-on session Kinesthetic |
Write a design brief for your project. Include: (1) the problem or goal, (2) materials list with quantities, (3) constraints (time, cost, size), (4) how you will know when it's done. Use clear, precise language — someone else should be able to start the project from your brief.
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Finish Kamkwamba; discuss how he uses storytelling inside technical explanation Reading |
| Tue | Writing workshop: clear step-by-step instructions — active verbs, no ambiguity Writing |
| Wed | Write steps 1–10 of your build process with technical precision Writing |
| Thu | Continue building; photograph each major stage; upload photos to doc Kinesthetic |
| Fri | Peer review: follow each other's written instructions — do they actually work? Kinesthetic |
Write the first half of your build log: steps 1–10. Each step should be a clear action in the imperative voice ("Attach the cross-brace to the base using two 2×4 plates."). After every 3–4 steps, add a "checkpoint" note: what should the build look like at this point?
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Read: How Pixar writes technical story documents; engineer's design rationale Reading |
| Tue | Writing workshop: expository explanation of WHY — rationale, cause and effect Writing |
| Wed | Write a "why I chose this" section: explain 3 key design decisions Writing |
| Thu | Continue build; document setbacks and how you fixed them Kinesthetic |
| Fri | Mid-project share: show your build and read your design rationale aloud Discussion |
Write a "Design Rationale" section for your build log. Choose three major decisions you made (a material, a structure, a method) and explain why you made each choice. What alternatives did you consider? Why did you reject them? Use clear cause-and-effect reasoning.
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Read: excerpts from engineering post-mortems and failure analysis reports Reading |
| Tue | Writing about failure honestly — what went wrong, what did you learn? Writing |
| Wed | Write your "Problems & Solutions" section: at least 2 failures and how you fixed them Writing |
| Thu | Finalize the build; take final photos; compile full photo set Kinesthetic |
| Fri | Full build log draft review — check clarity, completeness, and formatting Discussion |
Write a "Failure Log": document at least two things that went wrong during your build. For each, describe (1) what you expected to happen, (2) what actually happened, (3) why you think it failed, and (4) what you changed. Good engineers write about failure honestly — it's how knowledge advances.
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Mon | Final revision of full build log: intro, steps, rationale, failures, conclusion Computer |
| Tue | Format the complete document professionally: headings, photos, page numbers Computer |
| Wed | Write a conclusion: what did you build, what did you learn, what would you do differently? Writing |
| Thu | Prepare 4-minute presentation: walk audience through the build log Kinesthetic |
| Fri | SHOWCASE: Present your build and build log documentation Showcase |
Write the conclusion of your build log: (1) What did you set out to build? (2) Did it meet your success criteria? (3) What was the most important thing you learned? (4) If you had two more weeks, what would you improve? Write it in a way that a future engineer reading this log could learn from your experience.
A complete technical document in Google Docs: design brief, step-by-step instructions with photos, design rationale, failure log, and conclusion. The physical build is presented alongside. Presented in a 4-minute walk-through for family audience.