Maker capstone: your own invention lesson plan
Invent a gadget of your own and take it from a blank page to a shared demo: find an idea, plan it, prototype, iterate, make it robust, document it and share it, each milestone practiced on real gallery builds first.
Objectives and materials
By the end, students can
- What makes a build worth sharing, ten ideas of your own, and a plan you could hand to a friend.
- The smallest thing that works end to end, then field tests that change one thing at a time.
- Survive real life, write it down so others can trust it, and put your demo out into the world.
Materials for the whole unit
- Arduino Uno R3
- Battery: AA, coin cell, LiPo
- Character LCD with I2C backpack
- DC motor
- Four-digit display, TM1637
- Half breadboard
- Piezo speaker
- Pushbutton
- Relay module
- Soil moisture sensor, capacitive
- Traffic light module
- Ultrasonic ranger
- Water level sensor
Every part is already on the simulator’s bench, so there is nothing to buy or hand out. The counts are the most any one lesson uses, if you build it on real breadboards too.
Spark: find an idea and plan it
What makes a build worth sharing, ten ideas of your own, and a plan you could hand to a friend.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| Find an ideaWhat makes a build worth showing off: a real problem, a clear input and output, and one moment that makes people grin. Studied on a zombie tripwire, then applied to ten ideas of your own. | 60 min |
|
| Sketch and planTurn a pitch into a plan you can build: a block diagram, a pin map, a parts and power list, and the numbers each block passes along. Read off the tripwire, then drawn for your own idea. | 60 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Four-digit display, TM1637
- Piezo speaker
- Traffic light module
- Ultrasonic ranger
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Sketch and plan" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Chapter quiz: predict the light".
Build: prototype and iterate
The smallest thing that works end to end, then field tests that change one thing at a time.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| PrototypeBuild the smallest thing that works end to end: smoke test one block at a time, then join them. Practiced on the tripwire's sensor, display and siren, then done for your own invention. | 60 min |
|
| IterateTest like a skeptic, change one thing at a time, and write down what happened. Field bugs on the tripwire (a ghost at power-up, a wobbling beam, a hot attic and a cold garage), then a test log for your own build. | 60 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Four-digit display, TM1637
- Piezo speaker
- Traffic light module
- Ultrasonic ranger
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Iterate" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Chapter quiz: predict the siren".
Ship: robust, documented, shared
Survive real life, write it down so others can trust it, and put your demo out into the world.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| Make it robustA gadget that works on your desk is not done until it survives real life: defaults that fail safe, bouncing buttons, sagging batteries and sensors that lie. Practiced on an automatic plant waterer. | 70 min |
|
| DocumentWrite it down so someone else can build, fix or trust it: evidence from a full run, measured numbers, a wiring table and a README. Practiced on the plant waterer, then written for your own invention. | 60 min |
|
| Share itScript a short demo, share the project with a Mokxi link, credit everyone you built on, and ship your write-up. Rehearsed on the tripwire, then done for your own invention. | 60 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Battery: AA, coin cell, LiPo
- Character LCD with I2C backpack
- DC motor
- Four-digit display, TM1637
- Half breadboard
- Piezo speaker
- Pushbutton
- Relay module
- Soil moisture sensor, capacitive
- Traffic light module
- Ultrasonic ranger
- Water level sensor
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Share it" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Ship it: your demo and write-up".
Teach this unit as a class
Start a class from this course and its 7 lessons are assigned in one go, in order. Students join with a six-character code or printed login cards, and each one’s work comes back to you.
The class tools are free for 30 days for one class of up to 20 students, with no card. The lessons themselves are free either way.