Education and Early Childhood Learning

Young Designers: Picture Book Engineering

Use empathy and invention to help the main character(s) of a story.

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A Kindergarten teacher was getting to know her young learners and spent time each day sharing books through read-alouds that she knew her learners would love, while engaging them in thoughtful discussions with prompts, before, during, and after reading. As the year progressed, she wanted to layer in new tasks related to the stories they were sharing each day.

As a next step, the teacher decided to introduce the idea of picture book engineering, which encourages readers to start from a place of empathy, focusing on what the main character in the story desires or needs as the reader works to find ways to help.

Novel (or picture book) engineering is an innovative approach to integrating engineering and literacy across all grades. Learners use literature (stories, novels, or expository texts) to inspire an engineering design challenge that allows them to identify problems, design solutions, and engage in the design thinking process (or creative process) while using their literacy skills. Learner thinking is driven by a lens of empathy as they aspire to support the character(s) in their text with their problem or goal, and work to produce a solution.

The teacher decided to use the book Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, one of the learners’ favourite authors. Knuffle Bunny is the story of Trixie, who accidently leaves her favourite stuffed animal behind at the laundromat. She is very distraught, but because she can’t talk yet, she can’t explain to her dad why she is so upset or why she needs to go back to the laundromat.

After reading the first part of the story to the class, the teacher paused and asked the learners to describe Trixie (including both physical and traits and characteristics) as they created a character profile and the teacher recorded it. Next, she asked the learners to describe Trixie’s problem in the story. The learners decided that Trixie’s problem was that she had lost her favourite stuffed animal but she couldn’t tell her dad.

After that, the teacher asked the learners to come up with ideas to help Trixie. She began to walk them through the stages of the design thinking process, using the TMI Robot (Think Make Improve) from Invent to Learn by Stager and Martinez. First, the teacher had them Think and brainstorm for possible solutions to Trixie’s problems as she recorded their creative thinking, using both words and pictures on the board.

The learners’ suggestions in the Think phase included ideas such as the following:

• inventing an app that allowed Trixie’s dad to read her mind
• a time machine that goes back in time and allows Trixie to remember to take Knuffle Bunny with her
• a portable art belt that would let Trixie communicate using pictures
• a magic potion that would let Knuffle Bunny magically appear anywhere Trixie wanted

In the next phase of the lesson, the learners were asked to choose one idea they thought was best and were tasked with building or designing it using classroom supplies, including both art and building materials. In this Make phase, learners worked together to share ideas, work through differences, and complete their design idea as a team.

When the learners were done designing and building, they met as a class and talked through some of their classmates’ example creations, offering feedback on how they might Improve their design or solution to Trixie’s problem. They then met in small groups with adult support to talk through some more of the examples, to ask questions, and to offer their thinking.

To end, the learners had the opportunity to hear how the story ended and compare it to their imaginative solutions. They were relieved to see Knuffle Bunny and Trixie be reunited!

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Dimensions of Global Competencies in Action

Creativity

• Learners use strategies to generate innovative ideas, solve problems, and/or make a difference.
• Learners enhance new ideas by building on ideas of others.
• Learners create plans and adjust them as needed to meet a goal.
• Learners test and adapt ideas or plans, and persevere through obstacles to improve.
• Learners reflect on their process, and seek and use feedback from others.

Collaboration

• Learners welcome and seek to understand diverse perspectives, voices, and ideas.
• Learners understand that building on others’ ideas deepens thinking.
• Learners value and put trust in others’ contributions.
• Learners practise active listening and asking questions of themselves and others.
• Learners work through differences and show a willingness to compromise or change perspective when appropriate.
• Learners co-construct meaning with others.
• Learners contribute equitably to the collective purpose or common goal.