Design= Curriculum Kit

Built for Beginners

Free Forever

Edit on Google Drive

Add more creativity to your classroom

Use the Design= Curriculum Kit to build creative problem solving and design thinking skills. Help your students discover the potential of a creative career in design.

Get the Kit

Join the 2000+ students learning creative skills with the Design= Curriculum Kit.

"This sample quote will be replaced by the content below when published using the Testimonial CMS Collection."

Name Surname

Position, Company name

“The students were really engaged and excited, they didn’t want it to end!”

Morgyn Y.

Director of School District Programming, Sunrise of Philadelphia

“It captivated the students! They were using many soft skills from creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and reflective thinking.”

Kenyatta H.

Principal, Grand Rapids Public Schools

“Not only was the content high quality but it was scaffolded. As a result, students were challenged to think more critically.”

Cherise K.

Coordinator, Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Green Corps

“The students were happy down to their cores after participating in a semester-long design challenge and culminating field trip to Amazon Studios that encouraged students to think and collaborate like professional designers.”

Alexis R.

Film II Teacher, Culver City High School

“It was fun, creative, high-energy, and insightful. The kids really enjoyed it.”

Erica R.

Program Director, Art House Cleveland

“The district is immeasurably grateful that our creative neighbors are so generous with their resources and talent as we collaborate in preparing CCUSD graduates for the expansive career world that they will face.”

Kelly K.

President, CCUSD School Board

“What is most impressive about this collaboration with DxD and Amazon is that both are committed to helping all students see a potential career in design, and not just the students who already define themselves as ‘creative’.”

Susana F.

Arts & Culture Teacher, Culver City High School

WHY TEACH DESIGN?

Build critical skills for the 21st century

Design skills like creativity, innovation, complex problem-solving, and critical thinking are top skills for the future according to the World Economic Forum. Take your students on a creative problem solving journey to help them build those skills and explore creative careers that will help them learn to create the things around them.

Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

Benchmarking

Sketching

Careers

Interviewing

Ideation

Reflection

Analysis

Portfolios

Prototyping

Research

Testing

Question Identifcation

Storyboarding

Professional Skills

Presentation Skills

Idea Refinement

Inspiration Searching

Feedback

Synthesis

Creativity

Design Process

Group Discussion

Exploration

CASE STUDIES

Explore how others are using the kit

Get the Kit

Classroom Deployment

CEDAR HILLS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Four CTE educators use the kit for their project-based learning unit.

Students from four STEM classes, ranging in topics from engineering to nursing, used the challenges in the curriculum kit to explore the methods and skills of creative problem solving.

Lessons were modified using guidance in the curriculum kit to enable students to finish their project in two weeks using a block schedule

Students worked with classmates studying in different disciplines to foster more interdisciplinary collaboration

Students presented their final solutions to school district leadership and staff

After-school Program

ART HOUSE CLEVELAND

Activities from the kit empower volunteer educators to move quickly.

To help make the most of the time Art House volunteer educators have with students from the surrounding school districts, the organization used the lessons and activities in the kit and coordinated with our team to bring mentors to classrooms.

Shorter sessions and inconsistent student attendance required activities that could be completed in just 45 minutes in some cases

Volunteer educators were able to get up to speed with the lessons from the kit in short order, sometimes just minutes before starting the lesson

Professional designers joined the students virtually to answer questions about their jobs and inspire the students

Summer Program

YWCA NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA

Plug-and-play programming for a career-focused summer camp.

The Curriculum Kit was used by the YWCA National Capital Area chapter to quickly plug into their 6-week summer program. Contracted educators used the curriculum kit to facilitate students as they worked through challenges.

Design= connect program leadership with professional designers to speak with students and provide feedback

Student completed two lessons each day and finished the week with a presentation of their solutions

Culminated in a field trip to AWS Center for final presentations to Amazon Designers

Classroom Deployment

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Two art teachers created a custom challenge for their students.

Students at Hyde Park Academy completed three challenges, two from the kit and one their teacher's created custom to align with the district learning goals. Each time, following the lessons and activities in the kit.

Students worked in collaborative groups to tackle challenges

Professional designers joined virtually to provide feedback during the final week of class

Teachers adapted curriculum to suite a block schedule and 50-minute class periods across 9 weeks

After-school Program

BREAKTHROUGH CINCINNATI

College design students facilitate for a middle-school summer program.

Breakthrough Cincinnati deployed the curriculum with multiple student groups with design students studying at the nearby University of Cincinnati working the facilitators.

Local designers joined the classroom to talk about their jobs and how they got started as designers

Student showcased their designs to parents and community as part of a walkthrough at the end of summer camp.

Design= helped train college student facilitators with a short preparation meeting to acquaint them with the curriculum and key facilitation notes

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Take a peek inside the kit

Get the Kit

Lesson Plans

Step-by-step guidance to help you deliver the lessons, including facilitation instructions and tips.

Slides

Google Slide decks that include visual instructions that make it easier for you to get started with the lesson.

Videos

Curated videos of professional designers speaking about their careers, pathways to design, and advice for students.

Worksheets

Editable, printable activities designed to help engage your students and guide their work.

Watch this 4-minute walkthrough!

Dive into the lessons

Take your students on a journey that starts with a challenge and ends with creative confidence.

During the 9-lesson program, students take on a design challenge and learn skills like brainstorming, creative problem solving, prototyping, interviewing, and more. The lessons scaffold their learning to help them explore the ways designers work in an approachable way.

Get the Kit

Get to Know Your Design Mentor

In this lesson, students meet the mentor they will work with during the program during a live Q&A.

Interview Skills

Careers

Group Discussion

Note: This lesson is optional and may be skipped if you do not have a Design Mentor joining your group.

Step 1: Challenge

In this lesson, students explore the many design disciplines and begin work on their challenge by selecting the audience they plan to work with.

Problem Identification

Ideation

Sketching

Step 2: Research

In this lesson students research their challenge to uncover existing solutions and better understand the needs of the people they are designing for. Students will gather visual inspiration, conduct interviews and look at secondary sources to find inspiration for their ideas.

Interviewing

Research

Benchmarking

Inspiration Searching

Step 3: Ideation

In this lesson, students brainstorm ideas to solve their challenge, exploring many options in order to get to a great solution. Students will also work together to select the solution they want to move forward with.

Ideation

Feedback

Step 4: Prototyping

In this lesson, students will build a prototype that helps them to share and test their idea with others. Prototyping will help them work out details for their solution.

Prototyping

Interview Planning

Testing

Step 5: Iteration

In this lesson, students test their prototypes with peers to learn more about their solution. They will discuss what they learned and make improvements to their prototype.

Interviewing

Critical Thinking

Analysis

Synthesis

Step 6: Presentation

In this lesson, students will build a storyboard that helps them explain how their solution works and what makes it great.

Idea Refinement

Design Process

Storyboarding

Step 7: Reflection

In this lesson, students will reflect on what they have learned so far and consider how they might use things going forward.

Presentation Skills

Reflection

Celebration!

In this lesson, students will present their solutions and celebrate each other's hard work during the program. In addition, they will share feedback about their experience.

Reflection

Presentation Skills

Celebration

Note: This lesson is optional but highly encouraged!

Challenges

UX/UI Design

Design an app that helps students learn and study.

Service Design

Redesign the lunch line at your school.

Industrial Design

Design a toy or game to help build friendships.

Interior Design/Architecture

Redesign a space in your school to improve mental health.

Fashion Design

Design shoes your favorite superhero can use for work.

Visual Design

Design a poster to take a stand on a social issue.

Meet the coalition powering the Design= Curriculum Kit.

Diversify by Design (D×D) is working to build a diverse and inclusive design profession, which requires support along a designer's journey—including at the very beginning. We know a critical inroad can be made by introducing historically excluded youth to design.

Explore D×D’s Purpose ↗︎

DESIGN MENTORS

Bring pros Into your Classroom

We can help match professional designers with student groups around the country to join in person or virtually.

Get the Kit

Are you a professional designer? Become a Mentor

“I was fortunate as a Latinx youth to be exposed to design when I was 14 years old. This education allowed me to see myself in a career that I didn’t think was possible. It’s very important to me to pay this forward and spark that curiosity in Black, Latinx, and Indigenous youth. Seeing the students come alive while exploring design thinking methodologies was very rewarding, and I look forward to participating in future DxD sessions.”

Chantel P., Designer at Amazon

“I really enjoyed this experience, and it was simply the fact that I’ve been able to be a part of these kids’ design journey, even if my individual contribution was so small or indirect. But after I’ve seen what other designers like me are doing to contribute, I can see that my participation is part of a larger whole that has a huge impact, which feels awesome to be a part of.”

Alex M., Designer at Amazon

← JOIN JESSIE AS A MENTOR

Become a Design Mentor and help students on their design journey.

We help match professional designers to educators and their student groups around the country. Become a mentor in your own community or join a classroom remotely.

Become a Mentor

LET'S CHAT

We CAN HELP you make a plan for your students.

Schedule a call with us to talk about how to get started.
Like the curriculum kit, it's free!

🗓️ Schedule a Free Planning Call

Get the Kit

📬 Know someone who could use the kit? Share with our email template or social media kit.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Interested in joining us as a partner? Learn more about what our partnerships look like.

By using this website, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.

Preferences

Deny

Accept All