Lesson 09 — Plan, Make, and Choose
Learners put planning and choosing together into one flow: plan a making task, make it, compare two ways, and choose the better one, explaining why. Making is a flow you can travel again and again.
Objectives
Objectives
- D07.S4.02.01 Plan a making task by choosing materials and saying the steps before starting.
- D07.S4.02.02 Compare two ways to solve a making problem and choose one, explaining why.
Essential question
How do I plan a making task, compare two ways, and choose the better one — all in one flow?
Key vocabulary
Materials
Standard materials
- A full set of making materials · per learner or pair Paper, cloth, string, tape, boxes, sticks, cups — enough to plan, make, and compare two ways
- A simple flow chart · 1 Three boxes in a line — plan, make, compare and choose — with arrows between them
Low-tech / no-cost
- Found materials and the ground Sticks, stones, leaves, mud, sand — everything needed to plan, make, and compare
- A flow drawn in the dirt Draw the three boxes with a stick and mark each step as you go
Enriched / lab & device
- A picture of a real maker's flow · 1 set A potter, a weaver, or a boat-builder moving from plan to make to choosing between ways
- A simple timer · 1 per group To spend a set time on each part of the flow
Works in different contexts
- large-group Walk one shared flow as a whole class — plan aloud, make, compare two ways, choose — then let small groups run their own flow
- multi-age Older learners narrate the flow while younger learners do it, then switch who narrates and who makes
- self-directed A learner plans, makes, compares two ways, and chooses one, then tells a grown-up or recording what happened at each step
- level-grouped Some learners run the flow with one simple make; others run two flows and compare them; match the challenge
- outdoor-only Run the whole flow outside with nature's materials, marking each step on the ground as you go
Lesson 9 — Plan, Make, and Choose
Summary
Learners put the last two lessons together into one flow: they plan a making task by choosing materials and steps, make it, then compare two ways and choose the better one, explaining why. They discover that making is not one shot but a flow they can travel again and again.
Objectives
- Plan a making task by choosing materials and saying the steps before starting. (D07.S4.02.01)
- Compare two ways to solve a making problem and choose one, explaining why. (D07.S4.02.02)
Connection
Think of a potter shaping a bowl, a weaver choosing a thread, a boat-builder deciding between two joins. Each one does the same flow: plan what to make and how, make it, then compare two ways and choose the one that works better. The flow has no wrong stop on it — every stop teaches you something. Today you will travel the whole flow on one making task.
Materials
- A full set of making materials (paper, cloth, string, tape, boxes, sticks, cups)
- A simple flow chart: plan → make → compare and choose
Preparation
- Set out a full set of materials so learners can plan, make, and try two ways.
- Display or draw the flow chart where everyone can see the three boxes.
Facilitator note
This lesson is written to the learner (“you”) so it works in a classroom and for a self-directed learner. The flow is a skill structure, so model it once — you plan aloud, make, compare two ways, and choose — before learners run it themselves (Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, 2006). Keep the three boxes as pictures or spoken words; reading and writing are not required. Let learners travel the flow at their own speed — some will go once, some several times; both are complete. Treat “choose” as a step that always has a reason, not a search for a single right answer. A learner with limited fine motor narrates and directs while a partner builds — deciding is making. A learner who is blind or has low vision travels the flow by feel and spoken steps; the flow chart can be made tactile (a string line with a stone at each box). A learner who does not speak points to each box as they reach it and to the chosen way. Honor every journey through the flow.
Procedure
- Gather (5 min). Look at the flow chart. These three boxes are a path: plan, make, compare and choose. Makers everywhere travel this path.
- Plan (10 min). Decide what you will make and what it is for. Choose your materials, and say or point to your steps in order. That is the plan box.
- Make (10 min). Build your plan. Let the plan change as you learn — a plan is a guide, not a cage.
- Compare and choose (15 min). If your make has a problem — it sags, tips, or will not join — try two ways to fix it. Set them side by side, compare, and choose the one that works better, saying why. You have now traveled the whole flow once.
- Travel again (10 min). Go through the flow once more — improve one more thing, or plan a new, better make. The flow never has to stop; it is how things keep getting better.
- Close (5 min). Remember: making is a flow, not a single try — plan, make, compare, choose — and you can travel it again and again. Every stop taught you something, and what you made is yours.
Differentiation
- Support: Guide one full flow step by step, saying each box’s name as the learner reaches it (“now compare — which holds better?”).
- Support (fine motor): The learner narrates and decides while a partner builds.
- Support (non-speaking): Point to each box on the chart as the learner reaches it, and to the chosen way.
- Support (blind/low-vision): Travel the flow by feel and spoken steps; use a tactile chart (string line and stones) to mark each box.
- Extension: Invite learners to run the flow on a harder job (a bridge that holds a heavier stone) and tell which box taught them the most.
Assessment
- Formative (observation): Does the learner travel the flow — planning a making task, making it, comparing two ways, and choosing one with a reason?
- Artifact (portfolio): A note, drawing, or photo of the make and the choice made, kept in the portfolio.
Home connection
At home, choose a small making job and travel the flow with a grown-up: plan, make, compare two ways, and choose. Tell them which step was your favorite.