Grade 5 · Science · Lesson 33

Design process: ask-imagine-plan

Engineers solve problems by following a process. The engineering design process is a loop, not a straight line — engineers ask questions, imagine ideas, plan a solution, build a prototype, then improve it. In this project lesson you will focus on the first three stages: Ask, Imagine, and Plan. Getting these stages right makes every later step easier.

What this lesson teaches

1Name the steps of the engineering design process in order
2Explain what engineers do during the Ask, Imagine, and Plan stages
3Identify the kinds of questions engineers ask to define a problem
4Justify why planning before building leads to better prototypes

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