Empathize
Empathize
Students will meet real community members, gather firsthand evidence about snack event needs and budgeting challenges, and create empathy maps grounded in direct quotes and observations to guide their later budget designs.
Days 1 - 3
Define
Define
Students will analyze patterns from their grocery store interviews and empathy maps, identify shared needs for a community snack event, and craft a clear "How Might We" problem statement grounded in real user evidence to guide their budget design work.
Days 4 - 5
Ideate
Ideate
Students will generate many possible ways to design a $20 snack budget for a community event, explore different approaches to adding and subtracting within 20, and select top concepts based on real user needs gathered from grocery store staff and families.
Days 6 - 8
Prototype
Prototype
Students will build and test low- and medium-fidelity versions of their community event budget posters and interactive math stations, gather feedback from real users and peers, and revise their plans to more accurately meet community needs while staying within a $20 budget using addition and subtraction within 20.
Days 9 - 12
Test/Present
Test/Present
Students will validate their refined community snack budget plans with new users, make final revisions based on real feedback, and present their full design journey at the Math in Action Fair, clearly connecting their addition and subtraction strategies to real community needs.
Days 13 - 16
Empathize
Days 1–3
Day 1
π Budget Bonanza Store Visit
Launch
45m
Day 2
π€ Interview Practice & Question Cards
Knowledge/Skill Building
45m
Day 3
π§ Empathy Map with Real Quotes
Deliverable
45m
Define
Days 4–5
Day 4
π§© Snack Needs Pattern Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building
45m
Day 5
β Our Snack Event HMW Question
Deliverable
45m
Ideate
Days 6–8
Day 6
π§ 20 Snack Budget Ideas
Deliverable
45m
Day 7
π¨ Crazy 8s Budget Sketches
Deliverable
45m
Day 8
β
Top 3 Budget Storyboards
Deliverable
45m
Prototype
Days 9–12
Day 9
βοΈ Quick Budget Poster Prototype
Deliverable
45m
Day 10
π Peer Testing with Play Money
Research
45m
Day 11
π Budget Plan Revision Round
Deliverable
45m
Day 12
β
Math Accuracy & User-Ready Check
Assessment
45m
Test/Present
Days 13–16
Day 13
π New Shopper Budget Test
Community Experience
45m
Day 14
π Final Poster Revisions & Feedback Log
Project Work
45m
Day 15
π€ Design Story Practice Circle
Knowledge/Skill Building
45m
Day 16
π Math in Action Fair
Assessment
45m
September 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
28
Day 1
Empathize
π Budget Bonanza Store Visit
29
Day 2
π€ Interview Practice & Question Cards
30
Day 3
π§ Empathy Map with Real Quotes
1
Day 4
Define
π§© Snack Needs Pattern Sort
October 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
5
Day 5
β Our Snack Event HMW Question
6
Day 6
Ideate
π§ 20 Snack Budget Ideas
7
Day 7
π¨ Crazy 8s Budget Sketches
8
Day 8
β
Top 3 Budget Storyboards
12
Day 9
Prototype
βοΈ Quick Budget Poster Prototype
13
Day 10
π Peer Testing with Play Money
14
Day 11
π Budget Plan Revision Round
15
Day 12
β
Math Accuracy & User-Ready Check
19
Day 13
Test/Present
π New Shopper Budget Test
20
Day 14
π Final Poster Revisions & Feedback Log
21
Day 15
π€ Design Story Practice Circle
22
Day 16
π Math in Action Fair