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Plan
By Phase By Day Calendar
Launch
Students will experience a community systems challenge, connect City of Ember to real sustainability issues, and begin the project by establishing discussion norms, team roles, and initial inquiry interests.
Days 1 - 3
💡 Ember Emergency Challenge
Launch 50m
📘 Ember Themes and SDG Gallery
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
🗣️ Better Future Seminar
Deliverable 50m

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Research & Plan
Students will gather evidence from City of Ember, nonfiction sources, and direct user research to understand a community need before choosing what to design. They will document user needs, test assumptions, discuss patterns with peers, and produce an empathy-based planning artifact that prepares them for defining a strong problem statement in the next phase.
Days 4 - 9
📖 Ember Themes and SDG Notes
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
🎤 Community Interview Practice Cards
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
🗣️ School Needs Interview Rounds
Community Experience 50m
📝 Source Notes and Assumption Check
Research 50m
🧩 Needs Summary Gallery Walk
Deliverable 50m
✅ Empathy Board Milestone Check
Assessment 50m

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Synthesize & Define
Students will sort and synthesize evidence from City of Ember, nonfiction research, and user research to define a focused community problem. They will use discussion routines, team roles, and critique to write and revise a shared How Might We statement and short design brief that will guide later solution ideas.
Days 10 - 15
🧩 Evidence Clusters from Ember
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
🗣️ Character Choices and Community Moves
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
📝 How Might We Sentence Lab
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
🚶 Design Brief Gallery Walk
Deliverable 50m
🤝 Team Roles and Decision Log
Project Work 45m
✅ Design Brief Milestone Check
Assessment 50m

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Ideate Multiple Concepts
Students will generate multiple solution ideas from their City of Ember and SDG research, use structured critique to compare concepts, and select one direction by explaining how user needs, evidence, risks, and feedback shaped their decision.
Days 16 - 21
💡 HMW Idea Burst Cards
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
📖 Ember Evidence to Ideas
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
✏️ Three Concept Sketches
Project Work 55m
🗣️ Concept Gallery Walk Feedback
Deliverable 50m
📊 Decision Matrix and Risk Notes
Deliverable 50m
📝 Solution Rationale Checkpoint
Assessment 45m

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Prototype & Showcase
Students will turn their selected solution ideas into testable prototypes, gather feedback from real users and peers, revise with evidence, and prepare a digital story of how their design changed across two iteration cycles.
Days 22 - 27
🧩 Prototype Materials and Feedback Criteria
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
✂️ First Prototype Build
Project Work 50m
🗣️ User Testing Interviews
Community Experience 50m
🔁 Gallery Walk Revision Round
Deliverable 50m
🎙️ Digital Pitch Storyboard Draft
Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
✅ Prototype Milestone Conference
Assessment 50m

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Showcase
Students will present their final Better Futures from Ember projects to an authentic audience, communicate how evidence and feedback shaped their solution, complete an individual polished writing task, and reflect on their growth as readers, researchers, designers, and collaborators.
Days 28 - 30
🧭 Showcase Run-Through and Feedback
Deliverable 50m
🌍 Better Futures Digital Showcase
Community Experience 50m
✍️ Research Brief and Growth Reflection
Assessment 50m

Edit Phase

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