ROLE: You are an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating hands-on, real-world learning experiences rooted in project-based and deeper learning principles.

You are designing activities for ONE PHASE of a project-based learning journey. FOLLOW THESE RULES EXACTLY:

- Aim for 6-10 activities for phases in projects 4+ weeks long.

Before developing activities, review learning goals and products to determine the most effective activities to elicit performance of learning goals and development of products.  Then, begin designing.

===== PRIMARY FOCUS =====
- Design activities that elicit performance of one or more learning goals. 

===== ACTIVITY MIX =====
- Each phase should ideally have 2-3 "knowledge_building" activities.
- Aim for ~30% of activities to be "knowledge_building" type.
- Balance "project_work" + "deliverable" - no more than ~40% combined.
- Follow a TEACH -> APPLY rhythm: knowledge_building first, then project_work/deliverable.
- Build on skills from previous phases - form progressive sequences.
- "community_experience" is ONLY for connections with people OUTSIDE the classroom.
- MAXIMUM 1-2 "assessment" activities. Assessments are milestone checkpoints, NOT reflections.

===== ACTIVITY TYPES =====
Use these EXACT values:
- "launch": Entry event - introduce driving question, hook students
- "deliverable": Formative work product - checkpoint, draft, or preliminary work that feeds into summative assessment
- "assessment": Summative evaluation - traditional (quiz/test) or performance-based (major product with rubric)
- "knowledge_building": Direct instruction, guided practice, and skill-building sessions
- "project_work": Hands-on work time for prototyping, creating, building, and applying skills
- "research": Student-driven investigation — reading articles, analyzing informational text, conducting research, and presenting findings.
- "community_experience": Community connections — site visits, buddy visits, expert panels, interviews, and real-world encounters that ground the project in authentic context.

===== PEDAGOGICAL QUALITY =====
- PEER FEEDBACK: Include peer feedback rounds where students "give feedback to 2 peers, receive feedback, and revise."
- MILESTONE GATES: Use grading_required: true for demonstrated competency that gates progression.
- ITERATION LOOPS: students produce work -> get feedback -> revise -> get feedback again.
- JUST-IN-TIME SKILLS: Teach technical skills immediately before students need them.
- DURATION: Each class period is 45 minutes. Vary durations realistically - NOT every activity should be the same length. Every activity MUST have a duration field in minutes.
- CROSS-DISCIPLINARY: Weave in relevant subject areas naturally.

===== TITLE RULES =====
- Every title MUST name specific content, tools, or artifacts from THIS project
- NEVER prefix with activity type labels - the activity_type field already provides this
- Prepend a relevant emoji to each title
- Keep titles SHORT (3-8 words after the emoji). Put details in the description, NOT the title.
- NEVER add parenthetical clarifications like "(Individual Draft)" or "(Give feedback to 2 peers)"

===== DESCRIPTION RULES =====
- Scale depth to complexity. Simple reflection = 1 sentence. Multi-step build = 3-4 sentences.
- Name specific materials, tools, techniques, and expected outputs.
- Do NOT repeat phrases from other phases.

===== SUCCESS CRITERIA RULES =====
- Specific and measurable. Include quantities, formats, or observable evidence.


LEARNING GOAL DISTRIBUTION:
Distribute these across activities so EVERY learning goal appears on at least one activity in this phase OR in another phase.
For each activity, list the uuids of the goals it scaffolds toward in the "learning_goal_uuids" array.
Goals (use these uuids):
[{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to explain thermal energy transfer in outdoor materials and structures to identify why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective surfaces change surface temperature in a heat island."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to measure and compare surface temperatures of campus locations to identify heat island patterns and justify which conditions reduce heat most effectively."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to generate and evaluate multiple passive cooling concepts for a scale seating-area model using criteria, constraints, and trade-off reasoning."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to create a detailed scale plan for a 1:10 passive cooling structure that includes sustainable materials, shade, airflow paths, and usable seating space."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to construct and test a passive cooling prototype to reduce model surface temperature by at least 5°C using data from repeated trials."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to modify a design based on expert, peer, and test feedback to improve cooling effectiveness, usability, and sustainability."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to communicate and defend a final engineering solution using temperature data, design log evidence, and a comparison of trade-offs and limitations."}]

PROJECT CONTEXT:
Ideas should take the following user-provided context into consideration:
  - Initial User Ideas: The Scenario:
Your city is experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Densely packed neighborhoods with lots of asphalt and concrete are becoming "Heat Islands," staying up to 10°F warmer than nearby parks. The local community center needs a way to keep its outdoor seating area cool without using electricity for massive fans or AC units.

The Task:
Design and build a Passive Cooling Structure for a 1:10 scale model of the seating area. Your goal is to use engineering principles to lower the "ground" temperature of your model by at least 5°C using only sustainable materials and clever design.
  - Grade Level(s): ["7th Grade"]
  - Project Timeframe: 4 weeks, 5 days per week, 45 minutes per day
  - Standards that should be met: [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.
  - Competencies that should be met: 
    Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    Description: I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    Description: I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    Description: I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    Description: I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    

    Mathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    Description: How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    
  
  
REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS:
1. Community Partners - 
  (1) A city parks and recreation staff member can review student prototypes and share how public spaces use benches, canopies, and plantings to stay cooler in summer.
(2) A landscape architect can meet with small teams to give feedback on airflow, shade angles, and material choices for the passive cooling structure.
2. Essential Question - 
  How can we design a passive cooling structure for a community seating area that lowers temperature while still feeling welcoming and usable for people?
3. Reflection - 
  (1) After testing each prototype with temperature readings, have teams write a quick design log entry comparing what worked, what failed, and what they would change next.
(2) Use a mid-project gallery walk where students leave sticky-note feedback on other teams’ models and then revise their own plans based on shade, airflow, and usability observations.
(3) After the city parks and recreation staff member visit, hold a short team discussion in which students identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they need to improve.
4. Assessment - 
  (1) Use a prototype challenge rubric to assess each team’s final model, temperature drop data, sustainable material choices, and how well the design keeps the seating area usable and welcoming.
(2) Have teams present a brief design review to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, explaining how their structure manages shade, airflow, and community use while answering feedback questions.
(3) Score a mid-project gallery walk using sticky-note comments that show how teams identify strengths, notice problems, and revise plans based on peer observations about cooling and usability.
5. Exhibition - 
  Cool Court Showcase: Students present their passive cooling models to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then invite families and classmates to vote on the most welcoming design after a live temperature-drop demonstration.
6. Project Launch - 
  Heat Island Hunt: Students map the hottest and coolest spots around campus, then connect those patterns to the question of how a seating area can stay cool and welcoming.
7. Core Content - 
  (1) Explore heat transfer, thermal energy, and temperature measurement through campus heat mapping, model testing, and comparing how shade, airflow, and materials change surface temperatures.
(2) Practice the engineering design process by defining the cooling challenge, brainstorming solutions, building scale prototypes, testing them with data, and revising based on results and peer feedback.
(3) Investigate how different sustainable materials and surface textures absorb, reflect, or block heat by selecting and comparing cardboard, fabric, recycled plastics, foil, and plant-based materials in model builds.
(4) Use evidence-based communication skills to record design logs, interpret temperature data, present findings to community partners, and revise claims using feedback from a gallery walk and final review.
8. Product - 
  A revised public-space model featuring shade structures, airflow channels, and eco-friendly materials that teams can present to community partners and family judges after live testing.
9. Critique and Revision - 
  (1) Build in a test-and-revise cycle every week where teams measure model temperatures, record one success and one problem in a design log, and make one specific change before the next test.
(2) Schedule a mid-project gallery walk so students leave sticky-note feedback on shade, airflow, and seating comfort, then use the comments to revise their next prototype.
(3) Invite the city parks and recreation staff member to review prototypes and have each team note one feature to keep and one public-use issue to improve before rebuilding.

PROJECT OVERVIEW (1-Pager):
{"launch":"Start with a Heat Island Hunt around campus: teams use infrared thermometers to measure and map the hottest and coolest surfaces, comparing asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded benches, and building edges. Back in class, students analyze the temperature patterns, discuss why some spaces feel more welcoming than others, and connect their findings to the question of how to cool a community seating area without electricity. Then reveal the design challenge with photos or a simple model of the community center seating space, and have students do a quick sketch-and-share of one passive cooling idea they want to test.","purpose":"Students investigate how heat transfer affects public spaces and use the engineering design process to create a passive cooling solution for a community seating area. They apply temperature data, material testing, and scale-model design to build a structure that reduces surface heat while staying welcoming and usable for people. Through feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, peers, and family audiences, students revise their ideas and defend their final design with evidence.","products":"Students will create a sequence of products: a campus heat map from the launch investigation, annotated sketches and scale plans, weekly prototype versions, temperature-data tables and graphs, and design log entries documenting each test-and-revise cycle. Midway through, teams will produce a gallery-walk display with their current model, cooling evidence, and revision notes based on sticky-note feedback about shade, airflow, and usability. The final product is a revised 1:10 passive cooling model of the seating area that uses sustainable materials, lowers surface temperature by at least 5°C, and includes features that keep the space welcoming and usable. Teams will also create a short design review presentation for the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then present the model again at the Cool Court Showcase with a live temperature-drop demonstration for families and classmates.","standards":"[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.","exhibition":"Host a “Cool Court Showcase” where teams present their revised scale models to the city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, families, and classmates. Each team gives a brief design review explaining how their structure uses shade, airflow, and sustainable materials, then demonstrates its impact with a live temperature-drop test and shares design log evidence from revisions. Guests use a simple feedback ballot to vote on the most welcoming and usable design while community partners ask questions and offer final comments. Display heat-mapping visuals, prototype iterations, and data tables around the room so visitors can see how each team tested, revised, and defended its solution.","competencies":"Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.\n\nMathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?","learning_goals":"Students will apply scientific principles of thermal energy transfer to plan, build, test, and revise a scale passive cooling structure that reduces surface temperature while keeping a seating area usable and welcoming. They will investigate how shade, airflow, surface texture, and sustainable materials affect heat absorption and cooling, using temperature measurements and model data to improve their designs. Students will generate and compare possible solutions, seek and use feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, and peers, and document revisions in design logs. They will communicate and defend their final design with evidence from prototype tests, material choices, and usability considerations during a public design review and showcase."}

PRODUCTS (what students are building toward):
{"individual":{"scope":"individual","title":"Passive Cooling Design Notebook with Concept Sketches and Decision Matrix","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Each student will produce an original design notebook showing multiple solution concepts, annotated sketches, a decision matrix, and a brief justification for the chosen idea. This proves individual mastery of the science ideas, planning, and evidence-based decision making before team construction begins.","learning_goal_ids":[0,1,2,3,6]},"team":{"scope":"team","title":"Revised 1:10 Passive Cooling Model with Test Data Poster and Design Review Presentation","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Teams will build and revise a functional scale model that meets the cooling challenge, then present evidence of performance, trade-offs, and limitations. The model must show at least one revision based on data and feedback, and it must include a live temperature-drop demonstration.","learning_goal_ids":[1,2,3,4,5,6]},"coverage_map":{"0":["individual"],"1":["individual","team"],"2":["individual","team"],"3":["individual","team"],"6":["individual","team"],"4":["team"],"5":["team"]}}

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[{"criteria":["Accurately describes how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection, and radiation in outdoor surfaces and structures.","Explains why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective materials affect heat retention or cooling.","Uses correct science vocabulary in a written or oral explanation.","Connects at least two material or design features to observed temperature differences."],"learning_goal_id":0},{"criteria":["Collects surface temperature data from multiple campus locations using an infrared thermometer or equivalent tool.","Records measurements clearly in a table or map with labeled locations and units.","Compares hottest and coolest surfaces using quantitative evidence.","Justifies which conditions reduce heat most effectively based on the data."],"learning_goal_id":1},{"criteria":["Generates at least three different passive cooling ideas.","Compares each idea against the design criteria and constraints.","Uses a decision matrix or similar tool with evidence-based ratings.","Explains trade-offs for at least two ideas before selecting a direction."],"learning_goal_id":2},{"criteria":["Creates a scale drawing or plan with accurate dimensions for the 1:10 model.","Includes required design features such as shade, airflow paths, sustainable materials, and usable seating space.","Uses labeled annotations to explain how each feature supports cooling.","Plan is detailed enough that another person could build the model from it."],"learning_goal_id":3},{"criteria":["Builds a prototype or model that matches the approved plan closely enough to test.","Conducts repeated temperature trials and records results with units.","Shows evidence that the prototype reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C or explains how close it came.","Uses test data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design."],"learning_goal_id":4},{"criteria":["Makes at least one clear revision based on data or feedback from experts or peers.","Explains how the revision improved cooling, usability, or sustainability.","Documents the original version, feedback received, and final change in the design log.","Uses evidence to justify why the revision was chosen over other possible changes."],"learning_goal_id":5},{"criteria":["Presents a clear claim about how well the design solved the problem.","Uses temperature data, design log evidence, and material choices to support the claim.","Explains at least one trade-off or limitation of the final design.","Answers questions by referring to evidence rather than opinion."],"learning_goal_id":6}]

THINKING LENS: Engineering Design
Use this template for projects where students must solve a technical problem by designing, building, testing, and improving a device, system, structure, process, or computational prototype. Prioritize engineering discipline: define the problem in terms of measurable criteria and constraints before proposing solutions, compare multiple concepts systematically, and make decisions based on evidence rather than preference. This template is the right fit when success depends on trade-off analysis, prototype performance, and iteration driven by test data.

ACTIVITY GUIDANCE:
Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like "it works" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan.

Grade Adjustment: Use this template in a highly scaffolded form with clear models for design briefs, concept sketches, decision matrices, and test plans. Emphasize quantitative comparison, authentic constraints, and the idea that failure data helps improve the design.

Discipline Focus:
Science: In Engineering Design for science, students build content knowledge in the scientific principles that govern the problem space—such as forces, energy transfer, ecosystems, chemical interactions, or Earth systems—along with engineering vocabulary like criteria, constraints, optimization, trade-offs, reliability, and system performance. They need to understand how quantitative specifications can be derived from science ideas and how social, environmental, and safety impacts shape design decisions. Knowledge-building activities typically include investigating relevant phenomena, analyzing scientific data sets, reading technical diagrams or short scientific texts, building mathematical or computational models, and conducting controlled tests of prototypes or simulations. Evidence of learning includes an engineering design report that uses scientific reasoning and test data, a prototype or model evaluated against prioritized criteria, a trade-off matrix comparing possible solutions, and a technical presentation explaining how evidence from testing led to iteration.
Cte: Knowledge-building activities should develop industry-standard engineering practices: following professional design processes, applying codes and standards, using industry-standard tools and software, and meeting professional quality benchmarks. Include activities where students work with real engineering standards, use professional CAD or simulation tools, and produce work that meets industry specifications. Evidence types include professional-quality drawings, specifications documents, standards compliance reports, and industry-standard deliverables.
Math: Knowledge-building activities should apply mathematical modeling and analysis to engineering challenges: using geometry for spatial reasoning, applying algebra for constraint optimization, performing calculations for structural or system analysis, and using statistics for quality control. Include activities where students create mathematical models of engineering problems, perform calculations to validate designs, and use data analysis to improve solutions. Evidence types include engineering calculations, mathematical models, optimization analyses, and statistical quality reports.
GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (Grades 6-8):
- Balance collaborative and independent work
- Students can handle multi-step instructions
- Written reflections and analysis appropriate
- Peer feedback activities work well at this level


PROJECT ARC (5 phases total — you are designing Phase 1):
  Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2) ◀ THIS PHASE
  Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8)
  Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13)
  Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18)
  Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20)

SKILL PROGRESSION ACROSS PHASES:
  - Earlier phases should teach foundational skills; later phases build on them
  - Do NOT include final presentations or exhibitions unless this is the last phase
  - Phase 1 should include the project launch/kickoff activity


HARD TIME BUDGET — NEVER EXCEED THIS:
- This phase has 2 days × 45 min/day = 90 min TOTAL.
- Generate AT MOST 2 activities for this phase (roughly 1 per day).
- The SUM of ALL activity durations MUST BE ≤ 90 minutes.
- BEFORE returning, add up all durations and verify the total is within budget. If over, REMOVE activities until within budget.

GENERATE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PHASE ONLY (Phase 1):
## Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2)



DISCIPLINE GUIDANCE:
"Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like \"it works\" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan."


ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
- Make sure to prioritize and directly integrate ALL Required Instructional Elements

- Ensure all ideas are grade level appropriate
- Ensure all ideas are achievable within the given timeframe
- Prioritize ideas that allow all students to meaningfully participate and succeed
- Prioritize project-based, experiential ideas and avoid traditional worksheets or lectures.
- Provide actionable ideas based on the context provided without including explanations of the task or reasoning process.
- Avoid terms like "empower" that imply giving or granting agency to students. Rather, use direct, active language that recognizes students' existing capabilities.
- Do not repeat or restate details from the prompt in your response.
- Each activity needs realistic duration in minutes and a specific day number within days 1-2
- student_grouping_type must be: individual, pair, small_group, or whole_class
- LAUNCH activities go near the BEGINNING of the phase
- ASSESSMENT activities go toward the END of the phase
- Omit student_instructions to save space.

Return JSON:
{
  "description": "Students will...",
  "activities": [
    { "title": "🔬 ...", "description": "...",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 30, "day": 1,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual|pair|small_group|whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": ["...", "..."],
      "learning_goal_uuids": ["<uuid of a goal this activity scaffolds>"] }
Standards and competencies are derived from the assigned goals — do NOT return them per activity.
  ]
}

{
  "description": "Students will launch the passive cooling challenge by gathering firsthand heat island data around campus, connecting those observations to thermal energy transfer, and sketching an initial evidence-based idea for a welcoming cooling structure.",
  "activities": [
    {
      "title": "🌡️ Campus Heat Island Hunt",
      "description": "Students use infrared thermometers, a simple campus map, and a shared data table to measure surface temperatures at contrasting locations such as asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded seating, and building edges. In small groups, they record at least one reading per location with units, note shade and airflow conditions, and mark hot and cool zones on the map. The class closes by comparing patterns and naming which site conditions appear to lower heat most.",
      "activity_type": "launch",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 1,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Records temperature measurements for at least 5 campus locations with labeled units in °C.",
        "Marks each measured location clearly on a campus heat map.",
        "Identifies the hottest and coolest measured surfaces using numerical evidence.",
        "States at least 2 observed conditions, such as shade or surface type, linked to lower temperature readings."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🛠️ Cooling Sketch and Criteria Start",
      "description": "Using the heat map evidence from day 1, students examine short teacher-provided visuals of shade structures, reflective surfaces, and airflow features, then discuss how conduction, convection, and radiation may be acting in outdoor spaces. Each student creates a quick annotated sketch for a 1:10 seating-area cooling idea and writes a brief design note explaining how at least two features could reduce heat while keeping the space usable. Students end by sharing sketches with a partner and revising one annotation based on feedback before the teacher introduces upcoming project products and milestones.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 2,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Creates 1 annotated sketch for a passive cooling structure idea for the seating area.",
        "Labels at least 2 cooling features such as shade, reflective material, airflow path, or surface covering.",
        "Uses at least 3 correct science terms, including one of conduction, convection, or radiation, in the design note or annotations.",
        "Revises at least 1 part of the sketch or annotation after partner feedback."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    }
  ]
}

ROLE: You are an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating hands-on, real-world learning experiences rooted in project-based and deeper learning principles.

You are designing activities for ONE PHASE of a project-based learning journey. FOLLOW THESE RULES EXACTLY:

- Aim for 6-10 activities for phases in projects 4+ weeks long.

Before developing activities, review learning goals and products to determine the most effective activities to elicit performance of learning goals and development of products.  Then, begin designing.

===== PRIMARY FOCUS =====
- Design activities that elicit performance of one or more learning goals. 

===== ACTIVITY MIX =====
- Each phase should ideally have 2-3 "knowledge_building" activities.
- Aim for ~30% of activities to be "knowledge_building" type.
- Balance "project_work" + "deliverable" - no more than ~40% combined.
- Follow a TEACH -> APPLY rhythm: knowledge_building first, then project_work/deliverable.
- Build on skills from previous phases - form progressive sequences.
- "community_experience" is ONLY for connections with people OUTSIDE the classroom.
- MAXIMUM 1-2 "assessment" activities. Assessments are milestone checkpoints, NOT reflections.

===== ACTIVITY TYPES =====
Use these EXACT values:
- "launch": Entry event - introduce driving question, hook students
- "deliverable": Formative work product - checkpoint, draft, or preliminary work that feeds into summative assessment
- "assessment": Summative evaluation - traditional (quiz/test) or performance-based (major product with rubric)
- "knowledge_building": Direct instruction, guided practice, and skill-building sessions
- "project_work": Hands-on work time for prototyping, creating, building, and applying skills
- "research": Student-driven investigation — reading articles, analyzing informational text, conducting research, and presenting findings.
- "community_experience": Community connections — site visits, buddy visits, expert panels, interviews, and real-world encounters that ground the project in authentic context.

===== PEDAGOGICAL QUALITY =====
- PEER FEEDBACK: Include peer feedback rounds where students "give feedback to 2 peers, receive feedback, and revise."
- MILESTONE GATES: Use grading_required: true for demonstrated competency that gates progression.
- ITERATION LOOPS: students produce work -> get feedback -> revise -> get feedback again.
- JUST-IN-TIME SKILLS: Teach technical skills immediately before students need them.
- DURATION: Each class period is 45 minutes. Vary durations realistically - NOT every activity should be the same length. Every activity MUST have a duration field in minutes.
- CROSS-DISCIPLINARY: Weave in relevant subject areas naturally.

===== TITLE RULES =====
- Every title MUST name specific content, tools, or artifacts from THIS project
- NEVER prefix with activity type labels - the activity_type field already provides this
- Prepend a relevant emoji to each title
- Keep titles SHORT (3-8 words after the emoji). Put details in the description, NOT the title.
- NEVER add parenthetical clarifications like "(Individual Draft)" or "(Give feedback to 2 peers)"

===== DESCRIPTION RULES =====
- Scale depth to complexity. Simple reflection = 1 sentence. Multi-step build = 3-4 sentences.
- Name specific materials, tools, techniques, and expected outputs.
- Do NOT repeat phrases from other phases.

===== SUCCESS CRITERIA RULES =====
- Specific and measurable. Include quantities, formats, or observable evidence.


LEARNING GOAL DISTRIBUTION:
Distribute these across activities so EVERY learning goal appears on at least one activity in this phase OR in another phase.
For each activity, list the uuids of the goals it scaffolds toward in the "learning_goal_uuids" array.
Goals (use these uuids):
[{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to explain thermal energy transfer in outdoor materials and structures to identify why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective surfaces change surface temperature in a heat island."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to measure and compare surface temperatures of campus locations to identify heat island patterns and justify which conditions reduce heat most effectively."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to generate and evaluate multiple passive cooling concepts for a scale seating-area model using criteria, constraints, and trade-off reasoning."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to create a detailed scale plan for a 1:10 passive cooling structure that includes sustainable materials, shade, airflow paths, and usable seating space."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to construct and test a passive cooling prototype to reduce model surface temperature by at least 5°C using data from repeated trials."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to modify a design based on expert, peer, and test feedback to improve cooling effectiveness, usability, and sustainability."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to communicate and defend a final engineering solution using temperature data, design log evidence, and a comparison of trade-offs and limitations."}]

PROJECT CONTEXT:
Ideas should take the following user-provided context into consideration:
  - Initial User Ideas: The Scenario:
Your city is experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Densely packed neighborhoods with lots of asphalt and concrete are becoming "Heat Islands," staying up to 10°F warmer than nearby parks. The local community center needs a way to keep its outdoor seating area cool without using electricity for massive fans or AC units.

The Task:
Design and build a Passive Cooling Structure for a 1:10 scale model of the seating area. Your goal is to use engineering principles to lower the "ground" temperature of your model by at least 5°C using only sustainable materials and clever design.
  - Grade Level(s): ["7th Grade"]
  - Project Timeframe: 4 weeks, 5 days per week, 45 minutes per day
  - Standards that should be met: [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.
  - Competencies that should be met: 
    Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    Description: I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    Description: I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    Description: I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    Description: I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    

    Mathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    Description: How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    
  
  
REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS:
1. Community Partners - 
  (1) A city parks and recreation staff member can review student prototypes and share how public spaces use benches, canopies, and plantings to stay cooler in summer.
(2) A landscape architect can meet with small teams to give feedback on airflow, shade angles, and material choices for the passive cooling structure.
2. Essential Question - 
  How can we design a passive cooling structure for a community seating area that lowers temperature while still feeling welcoming and usable for people?
3. Reflection - 
  (1) After testing each prototype with temperature readings, have teams write a quick design log entry comparing what worked, what failed, and what they would change next.
(2) Use a mid-project gallery walk where students leave sticky-note feedback on other teams’ models and then revise their own plans based on shade, airflow, and usability observations.
(3) After the city parks and recreation staff member visit, hold a short team discussion in which students identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they need to improve.
4. Assessment - 
  (1) Use a prototype challenge rubric to assess each team’s final model, temperature drop data, sustainable material choices, and how well the design keeps the seating area usable and welcoming.
(2) Have teams present a brief design review to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, explaining how their structure manages shade, airflow, and community use while answering feedback questions.
(3) Score a mid-project gallery walk using sticky-note comments that show how teams identify strengths, notice problems, and revise plans based on peer observations about cooling and usability.
5. Exhibition - 
  Cool Court Showcase: Students present their passive cooling models to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then invite families and classmates to vote on the most welcoming design after a live temperature-drop demonstration.
6. Project Launch - 
  Heat Island Hunt: Students map the hottest and coolest spots around campus, then connect those patterns to the question of how a seating area can stay cool and welcoming.
7. Core Content - 
  (1) Explore heat transfer, thermal energy, and temperature measurement through campus heat mapping, model testing, and comparing how shade, airflow, and materials change surface temperatures.
(2) Practice the engineering design process by defining the cooling challenge, brainstorming solutions, building scale prototypes, testing them with data, and revising based on results and peer feedback.
(3) Investigate how different sustainable materials and surface textures absorb, reflect, or block heat by selecting and comparing cardboard, fabric, recycled plastics, foil, and plant-based materials in model builds.
(4) Use evidence-based communication skills to record design logs, interpret temperature data, present findings to community partners, and revise claims using feedback from a gallery walk and final review.
8. Product - 
  A revised public-space model featuring shade structures, airflow channels, and eco-friendly materials that teams can present to community partners and family judges after live testing.
9. Critique and Revision - 
  (1) Build in a test-and-revise cycle every week where teams measure model temperatures, record one success and one problem in a design log, and make one specific change before the next test.
(2) Schedule a mid-project gallery walk so students leave sticky-note feedback on shade, airflow, and seating comfort, then use the comments to revise their next prototype.
(3) Invite the city parks and recreation staff member to review prototypes and have each team note one feature to keep and one public-use issue to improve before rebuilding.

PROJECT OVERVIEW (1-Pager):
{"launch":"Start with a Heat Island Hunt around campus: teams use infrared thermometers to measure and map the hottest and coolest surfaces, comparing asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded benches, and building edges. Back in class, students analyze the temperature patterns, discuss why some spaces feel more welcoming than others, and connect their findings to the question of how to cool a community seating area without electricity. Then reveal the design challenge with photos or a simple model of the community center seating space, and have students do a quick sketch-and-share of one passive cooling idea they want to test.","purpose":"Students investigate how heat transfer affects public spaces and use the engineering design process to create a passive cooling solution for a community seating area. They apply temperature data, material testing, and scale-model design to build a structure that reduces surface heat while staying welcoming and usable for people. Through feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, peers, and family audiences, students revise their ideas and defend their final design with evidence.","products":"Students will create a sequence of products: a campus heat map from the launch investigation, annotated sketches and scale plans, weekly prototype versions, temperature-data tables and graphs, and design log entries documenting each test-and-revise cycle. Midway through, teams will produce a gallery-walk display with their current model, cooling evidence, and revision notes based on sticky-note feedback about shade, airflow, and usability. The final product is a revised 1:10 passive cooling model of the seating area that uses sustainable materials, lowers surface temperature by at least 5°C, and includes features that keep the space welcoming and usable. Teams will also create a short design review presentation for the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then present the model again at the Cool Court Showcase with a live temperature-drop demonstration for families and classmates.","standards":"[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.","exhibition":"Host a “Cool Court Showcase” where teams present their revised scale models to the city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, families, and classmates. Each team gives a brief design review explaining how their structure uses shade, airflow, and sustainable materials, then demonstrates its impact with a live temperature-drop test and shares design log evidence from revisions. Guests use a simple feedback ballot to vote on the most welcoming and usable design while community partners ask questions and offer final comments. Display heat-mapping visuals, prototype iterations, and data tables around the room so visitors can see how each team tested, revised, and defended its solution.","competencies":"Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.\n\nMathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?","learning_goals":"Students will apply scientific principles of thermal energy transfer to plan, build, test, and revise a scale passive cooling structure that reduces surface temperature while keeping a seating area usable and welcoming. They will investigate how shade, airflow, surface texture, and sustainable materials affect heat absorption and cooling, using temperature measurements and model data to improve their designs. Students will generate and compare possible solutions, seek and use feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, and peers, and document revisions in design logs. They will communicate and defend their final design with evidence from prototype tests, material choices, and usability considerations during a public design review and showcase."}

PRODUCTS (what students are building toward):
{"individual":{"scope":"individual","title":"Passive Cooling Design Notebook with Concept Sketches and Decision Matrix","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Each student will produce an original design notebook showing multiple solution concepts, annotated sketches, a decision matrix, and a brief justification for the chosen idea. This proves individual mastery of the science ideas, planning, and evidence-based decision making before team construction begins.","learning_goal_ids":[0,1,2,3,6]},"team":{"scope":"team","title":"Revised 1:10 Passive Cooling Model with Test Data Poster and Design Review Presentation","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Teams will build and revise a functional scale model that meets the cooling challenge, then present evidence of performance, trade-offs, and limitations. The model must show at least one revision based on data and feedback, and it must include a live temperature-drop demonstration.","learning_goal_ids":[1,2,3,4,5,6]},"coverage_map":{"0":["individual"],"1":["individual","team"],"2":["individual","team"],"3":["individual","team"],"6":["individual","team"],"4":["team"],"5":["team"]}}

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[{"criteria":["Accurately describes how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection, and radiation in outdoor surfaces and structures.","Explains why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective materials affect heat retention or cooling.","Uses correct science vocabulary in a written or oral explanation.","Connects at least two material or design features to observed temperature differences."],"learning_goal_id":0},{"criteria":["Collects surface temperature data from multiple campus locations using an infrared thermometer or equivalent tool.","Records measurements clearly in a table or map with labeled locations and units.","Compares hottest and coolest surfaces using quantitative evidence.","Justifies which conditions reduce heat most effectively based on the data."],"learning_goal_id":1},{"criteria":["Generates at least three different passive cooling ideas.","Compares each idea against the design criteria and constraints.","Uses a decision matrix or similar tool with evidence-based ratings.","Explains trade-offs for at least two ideas before selecting a direction."],"learning_goal_id":2},{"criteria":["Creates a scale drawing or plan with accurate dimensions for the 1:10 model.","Includes required design features such as shade, airflow paths, sustainable materials, and usable seating space.","Uses labeled annotations to explain how each feature supports cooling.","Plan is detailed enough that another person could build the model from it."],"learning_goal_id":3},{"criteria":["Builds a prototype or model that matches the approved plan closely enough to test.","Conducts repeated temperature trials and records results with units.","Shows evidence that the prototype reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C or explains how close it came.","Uses test data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design."],"learning_goal_id":4},{"criteria":["Makes at least one clear revision based on data or feedback from experts or peers.","Explains how the revision improved cooling, usability, or sustainability.","Documents the original version, feedback received, and final change in the design log.","Uses evidence to justify why the revision was chosen over other possible changes."],"learning_goal_id":5},{"criteria":["Presents a clear claim about how well the design solved the problem.","Uses temperature data, design log evidence, and material choices to support the claim.","Explains at least one trade-off or limitation of the final design.","Answers questions by referring to evidence rather than opinion."],"learning_goal_id":6}]

THINKING LENS: Engineering Design
Use this template for projects where students must solve a technical problem by designing, building, testing, and improving a device, system, structure, process, or computational prototype. Prioritize engineering discipline: define the problem in terms of measurable criteria and constraints before proposing solutions, compare multiple concepts systematically, and make decisions based on evidence rather than preference. This template is the right fit when success depends on trade-off analysis, prototype performance, and iteration driven by test data.

ACTIVITY GUIDANCE:
Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like "it works" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan.

Grade Adjustment: Use this template in a highly scaffolded form with clear models for design briefs, concept sketches, decision matrices, and test plans. Emphasize quantitative comparison, authentic constraints, and the idea that failure data helps improve the design.

Discipline Focus:
Science: In Engineering Design for science, students build content knowledge in the scientific principles that govern the problem space—such as forces, energy transfer, ecosystems, chemical interactions, or Earth systems—along with engineering vocabulary like criteria, constraints, optimization, trade-offs, reliability, and system performance. They need to understand how quantitative specifications can be derived from science ideas and how social, environmental, and safety impacts shape design decisions. Knowledge-building activities typically include investigating relevant phenomena, analyzing scientific data sets, reading technical diagrams or short scientific texts, building mathematical or computational models, and conducting controlled tests of prototypes or simulations. Evidence of learning includes an engineering design report that uses scientific reasoning and test data, a prototype or model evaluated against prioritized criteria, a trade-off matrix comparing possible solutions, and a technical presentation explaining how evidence from testing led to iteration.
Cte: Knowledge-building activities should develop industry-standard engineering practices: following professional design processes, applying codes and standards, using industry-standard tools and software, and meeting professional quality benchmarks. Include activities where students work with real engineering standards, use professional CAD or simulation tools, and produce work that meets industry specifications. Evidence types include professional-quality drawings, specifications documents, standards compliance reports, and industry-standard deliverables.
Math: Knowledge-building activities should apply mathematical modeling and analysis to engineering challenges: using geometry for spatial reasoning, applying algebra for constraint optimization, performing calculations for structural or system analysis, and using statistics for quality control. Include activities where students create mathematical models of engineering problems, perform calculations to validate designs, and use data analysis to improve solutions. Evidence types include engineering calculations, mathematical models, optimization analyses, and statistical quality reports.
GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (Grades 6-8):
- Balance collaborative and independent work
- Students can handle multi-step instructions
- Written reflections and analysis appropriate
- Peer feedback activities work well at this level


PROJECT ARC (5 phases total — you are designing Phase 2):
  Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2)
  Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8) ◀ THIS PHASE
  Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13)
  Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18)
  Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20)

SKILL PROGRESSION ACROSS PHASES:
  - Earlier phases should teach foundational skills; later phases build on them
  - Do NOT teach skills in Phase 2 that belong in earlier phases
  - Do NOT include final presentations or exhibitions unless this is the last phase


HARD TIME BUDGET — NEVER EXCEED THIS:
- This phase has 6 days × 45 min/day = 270 min TOTAL.
- Generate AT MOST 6 activities for this phase (roughly 1 per day).
- The SUM of ALL activity durations MUST BE ≤ 270 minutes.
- BEFORE returning, add up all durations and verify the total is within budget. If over, REMOVE activities until within budget.

GENERATE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PHASE ONLY (Phase 2):
## Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8)



DISCIPLINE GUIDANCE:
"Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like \"it works\" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan."


ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
- Make sure to prioritize and directly integrate ALL Required Instructional Elements

- Ensure all ideas are grade level appropriate
- Ensure all ideas are achievable within the given timeframe
- Prioritize ideas that allow all students to meaningfully participate and succeed
- Prioritize project-based, experiential ideas and avoid traditional worksheets or lectures.
- Provide actionable ideas based on the context provided without including explanations of the task or reasoning process.
- Avoid terms like "empower" that imply giving or granting agency to students. Rather, use direct, active language that recognizes students' existing capabilities.
- Do not repeat or restate details from the prompt in your response.
- Each activity needs realistic duration in minutes and a specific day number within days 3-8
- student_grouping_type must be: individual, pair, small_group, or whole_class
- LAUNCH activities go near the BEGINNING of the phase
- ASSESSMENT activities go toward the END of the phase
- Omit student_instructions to save space.

Return JSON:
{
  "description": "Students will...",
  "activities": [
    { "title": "🔬 ...", "description": "...",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 30, "day": 3,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual|pair|small_group|whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": ["...", "..."],
      "learning_goal_uuids": ["<uuid of a goal this activity scaffolds>"] }
Standards and competencies are derived from the assigned goals — do NOT return them per activity.
  ]
}

{
  "description": "Students will investigate how heat moves in outdoor spaces, collect and analyze campus temperature evidence, study real passive cooling strategies, and turn that evidence into a clear engineering design brief, stakeholder-centered problem statement, and test plan outline for their 1:10 seating-area model.",
  "activities": [
    {
      "title": "🌡️ Campus Heat Map Transect",
      "description": "Teams use infrared thermometers, clipboards, and a campus base map to measure surface temperatures at asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded seating, and building-edge locations. Students record at least two readings per location, note sun or shade conditions, and mark each point on a color-coded map. Back in class, they identify the hottest and coolest zones and begin linking patterns to materials and exposure.",
      "activity_type": "research",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 3,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Records temperature data with units for at least 5 campus locations and 2 readings per location.",
        "Labels each location on a map and notes surface type plus sun/shade condition.",
        "Identifies one hottest and one coolest location using quantitative evidence."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🔥 Heat Transfer in Outdoor Surfaces",
      "description": "Using a short teacher demo with foil, dark paper, mini shade panels, and a lamp, students compare conduction, convection, and radiation in model outdoor surfaces. They build a class anchor chart connecting asphalt, concrete, reflective surfaces, shade, and airflow to thermal energy transfer. Students then write a brief explanation using campus heat-map evidence from the previous day.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 40,
      "day": 4,
      "student_grouping_type": "whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Accurately explains conduction, convection, and radiation in a 4-6 sentence science explanation.",
        "Uses at least 3 correct vocabulary terms from the lesson.",
        "Connects at least 2 outdoor material or design features to observed temperature differences."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🌿 Passive Cooling Strategy Sort",
      "description": "Pairs examine photo cards and short source excerpts about canopies, pergolas, reflective covers, recycled materials, plant-based shade, and airflow channels used in public spaces. Students sort strategies by how they reduce heat, annotate evidence notes, and compare likely benefits and trade-offs for comfort, sustainability, and buildability at 1:10 scale. They finish with a quick share of which approaches seem strongest for the seating-area challenge.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 40,
      "day": 5,
      "student_grouping_type": "pair",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Completes evidence notes for at least 4 passive cooling strategies.",
        "Identifies how each strategy affects shade, airflow, or surface heating.",
        "Names at least 2 trade-offs related to usability, sustainability, or model construction."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🏙️ Parks Feedback Design Brief",
      "description": "A city parks and recreation staff member reviews example seating-area features and discusses what makes outdoor public spaces usable and welcoming in hot weather. Teams ask prepared questions, then draft a design brief that includes user needs, measurable success criteria, constraints, and sustainable material expectations. Each team also writes one idea to keep and one community-use concern to improve after the visit.",
      "activity_type": "community_experience",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 6,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Drafts a design brief with at least 3 measurable criteria and 3 realistic constraints.",
        "Includes at least 2 stakeholder needs connected to comfort, welcome, or usability.",
        "Records 2 or more evidence-based notes from the parks staff member, including one feature to keep and one concern to improve."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "📏 Scale Plan and Test Method",
      "description": "Students learn just-in-time scaling and fair-test procedures for the upcoming model work by converting real seating-area dimensions to 1:10 scale and outlining how surface temperature will be measured consistently. Teams create a first-draft plan page with labeled dimensions, likely shade and airflow zones, and a test method that specifies tool, location, units, and repeated trials. This work becomes the build guide for the next phase.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 7,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Shows correct 1:10 scale conversions for at least 4 dimensions.",
        "Includes labeled plan features for seating area, shade, airflow path, and material choices.",
        "Outlines a test method with measurement tool, exact test location, units, and at least 3 planned trials."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "📝 Design Brief Peer Review",
      "description": "Teams display their design brief, problem statement, and test plan outline for a structured gallery walk. Each team gives feedback to 2 peers using sticky notes focused on criteria clarity, fairness of the test method, and whether the plan addresses shade, airflow, and usability; then teams receive feedback and revise their own documents before submitting a final Phase 2 packet. The teacher uses the revised packet as a milestone gate for moving into concept generation and prototyping.",
      "activity_type": "assessment",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 8,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Provides at least 2 specific sticky-note comments to each of 2 peer teams, including one strength and one actionable suggestion.",
        "Revises the team design brief or test plan in at least 2 places based on peer feedback.",
        "Submits a final packet containing a stakeholder-centered problem statement, measurable criteria and constraints, and a usable test plan outline."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null, null]
    }
  ]
}

ROLE: You are an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating hands-on, real-world learning experiences rooted in project-based and deeper learning principles.

You are designing activities for ONE PHASE of a project-based learning journey. FOLLOW THESE RULES EXACTLY:

- Aim for 6-10 activities for phases in projects 4+ weeks long.

Before developing activities, review learning goals and products to determine the most effective activities to elicit performance of learning goals and development of products.  Then, begin designing.

===== PRIMARY FOCUS =====
- Design activities that elicit performance of one or more learning goals. 

===== ACTIVITY MIX =====
- Each phase should ideally have 2-3 "knowledge_building" activities.
- Aim for ~30% of activities to be "knowledge_building" type.
- Balance "project_work" + "deliverable" - no more than ~40% combined.
- Follow a TEACH -> APPLY rhythm: knowledge_building first, then project_work/deliverable.
- Build on skills from previous phases - form progressive sequences.
- "community_experience" is ONLY for connections with people OUTSIDE the classroom.
- MAXIMUM 1-2 "assessment" activities. Assessments are milestone checkpoints, NOT reflections.

===== ACTIVITY TYPES =====
Use these EXACT values:
- "launch": Entry event - introduce driving question, hook students
- "deliverable": Formative work product - checkpoint, draft, or preliminary work that feeds into summative assessment
- "assessment": Summative evaluation - traditional (quiz/test) or performance-based (major product with rubric)
- "knowledge_building": Direct instruction, guided practice, and skill-building sessions
- "project_work": Hands-on work time for prototyping, creating, building, and applying skills
- "research": Student-driven investigation — reading articles, analyzing informational text, conducting research, and presenting findings.
- "community_experience": Community connections — site visits, buddy visits, expert panels, interviews, and real-world encounters that ground the project in authentic context.

===== PEDAGOGICAL QUALITY =====
- PEER FEEDBACK: Include peer feedback rounds where students "give feedback to 2 peers, receive feedback, and revise."
- MILESTONE GATES: Use grading_required: true for demonstrated competency that gates progression.
- ITERATION LOOPS: students produce work -> get feedback -> revise -> get feedback again.
- JUST-IN-TIME SKILLS: Teach technical skills immediately before students need them.
- DURATION: Each class period is 45 minutes. Vary durations realistically - NOT every activity should be the same length. Every activity MUST have a duration field in minutes.
- CROSS-DISCIPLINARY: Weave in relevant subject areas naturally.

===== TITLE RULES =====
- Every title MUST name specific content, tools, or artifacts from THIS project
- NEVER prefix with activity type labels - the activity_type field already provides this
- Prepend a relevant emoji to each title
- Keep titles SHORT (3-8 words after the emoji). Put details in the description, NOT the title.
- NEVER add parenthetical clarifications like "(Individual Draft)" or "(Give feedback to 2 peers)"

===== DESCRIPTION RULES =====
- Scale depth to complexity. Simple reflection = 1 sentence. Multi-step build = 3-4 sentences.
- Name specific materials, tools, techniques, and expected outputs.
- Do NOT repeat phrases from other phases.

===== SUCCESS CRITERIA RULES =====
- Specific and measurable. Include quantities, formats, or observable evidence.


LEARNING GOAL DISTRIBUTION:
Distribute these across activities so EVERY learning goal appears on at least one activity in this phase OR in another phase.
For each activity, list the uuids of the goals it scaffolds toward in the "learning_goal_uuids" array.
Goals (use these uuids):
[{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to explain thermal energy transfer in outdoor materials and structures to identify why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective surfaces change surface temperature in a heat island."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to measure and compare surface temperatures of campus locations to identify heat island patterns and justify which conditions reduce heat most effectively."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to generate and evaluate multiple passive cooling concepts for a scale seating-area model using criteria, constraints, and trade-off reasoning."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to create a detailed scale plan for a 1:10 passive cooling structure that includes sustainable materials, shade, airflow paths, and usable seating space."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to construct and test a passive cooling prototype to reduce model surface temperature by at least 5°C using data from repeated trials."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to modify a design based on expert, peer, and test feedback to improve cooling effectiveness, usability, and sustainability."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to communicate and defend a final engineering solution using temperature data, design log evidence, and a comparison of trade-offs and limitations."}]

PROJECT CONTEXT:
Ideas should take the following user-provided context into consideration:
  - Initial User Ideas: The Scenario:
Your city is experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Densely packed neighborhoods with lots of asphalt and concrete are becoming "Heat Islands," staying up to 10°F warmer than nearby parks. The local community center needs a way to keep its outdoor seating area cool without using electricity for massive fans or AC units.

The Task:
Design and build a Passive Cooling Structure for a 1:10 scale model of the seating area. Your goal is to use engineering principles to lower the "ground" temperature of your model by at least 5°C using only sustainable materials and clever design.
  - Grade Level(s): ["7th Grade"]
  - Project Timeframe: 4 weeks, 5 days per week, 45 minutes per day
  - Standards that should be met: [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.
  - Competencies that should be met: 
    Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    Description: I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    Description: I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    Description: I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    Description: I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    

    Mathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    Description: How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    
  
  
REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS:
1. Community Partners - 
  (1) A city parks and recreation staff member can review student prototypes and share how public spaces use benches, canopies, and plantings to stay cooler in summer.
(2) A landscape architect can meet with small teams to give feedback on airflow, shade angles, and material choices for the passive cooling structure.
2. Essential Question - 
  How can we design a passive cooling structure for a community seating area that lowers temperature while still feeling welcoming and usable for people?
3. Reflection - 
  (1) After testing each prototype with temperature readings, have teams write a quick design log entry comparing what worked, what failed, and what they would change next.
(2) Use a mid-project gallery walk where students leave sticky-note feedback on other teams’ models and then revise their own plans based on shade, airflow, and usability observations.
(3) After the city parks and recreation staff member visit, hold a short team discussion in which students identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they need to improve.
4. Assessment - 
  (1) Use a prototype challenge rubric to assess each team’s final model, temperature drop data, sustainable material choices, and how well the design keeps the seating area usable and welcoming.
(2) Have teams present a brief design review to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, explaining how their structure manages shade, airflow, and community use while answering feedback questions.
(3) Score a mid-project gallery walk using sticky-note comments that show how teams identify strengths, notice problems, and revise plans based on peer observations about cooling and usability.
5. Exhibition - 
  Cool Court Showcase: Students present their passive cooling models to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then invite families and classmates to vote on the most welcoming design after a live temperature-drop demonstration.
6. Project Launch - 
  Heat Island Hunt: Students map the hottest and coolest spots around campus, then connect those patterns to the question of how a seating area can stay cool and welcoming.
7. Core Content - 
  (1) Explore heat transfer, thermal energy, and temperature measurement through campus heat mapping, model testing, and comparing how shade, airflow, and materials change surface temperatures.
(2) Practice the engineering design process by defining the cooling challenge, brainstorming solutions, building scale prototypes, testing them with data, and revising based on results and peer feedback.
(3) Investigate how different sustainable materials and surface textures absorb, reflect, or block heat by selecting and comparing cardboard, fabric, recycled plastics, foil, and plant-based materials in model builds.
(4) Use evidence-based communication skills to record design logs, interpret temperature data, present findings to community partners, and revise claims using feedback from a gallery walk and final review.
8. Product - 
  A revised public-space model featuring shade structures, airflow channels, and eco-friendly materials that teams can present to community partners and family judges after live testing.
9. Critique and Revision - 
  (1) Build in a test-and-revise cycle every week where teams measure model temperatures, record one success and one problem in a design log, and make one specific change before the next test.
(2) Schedule a mid-project gallery walk so students leave sticky-note feedback on shade, airflow, and seating comfort, then use the comments to revise their next prototype.
(3) Invite the city parks and recreation staff member to review prototypes and have each team note one feature to keep and one public-use issue to improve before rebuilding.

PROJECT OVERVIEW (1-Pager):
{"launch":"Start with a Heat Island Hunt around campus: teams use infrared thermometers to measure and map the hottest and coolest surfaces, comparing asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded benches, and building edges. Back in class, students analyze the temperature patterns, discuss why some spaces feel more welcoming than others, and connect their findings to the question of how to cool a community seating area without electricity. Then reveal the design challenge with photos or a simple model of the community center seating space, and have students do a quick sketch-and-share of one passive cooling idea they want to test.","purpose":"Students investigate how heat transfer affects public spaces and use the engineering design process to create a passive cooling solution for a community seating area. They apply temperature data, material testing, and scale-model design to build a structure that reduces surface heat while staying welcoming and usable for people. Through feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, peers, and family audiences, students revise their ideas and defend their final design with evidence.","products":"Students will create a sequence of products: a campus heat map from the launch investigation, annotated sketches and scale plans, weekly prototype versions, temperature-data tables and graphs, and design log entries documenting each test-and-revise cycle. Midway through, teams will produce a gallery-walk display with their current model, cooling evidence, and revision notes based on sticky-note feedback about shade, airflow, and usability. The final product is a revised 1:10 passive cooling model of the seating area that uses sustainable materials, lowers surface temperature by at least 5°C, and includes features that keep the space welcoming and usable. Teams will also create a short design review presentation for the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then present the model again at the Cool Court Showcase with a live temperature-drop demonstration for families and classmates.","standards":"[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.","exhibition":"Host a “Cool Court Showcase” where teams present their revised scale models to the city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, families, and classmates. Each team gives a brief design review explaining how their structure uses shade, airflow, and sustainable materials, then demonstrates its impact with a live temperature-drop test and shares design log evidence from revisions. Guests use a simple feedback ballot to vote on the most welcoming and usable design while community partners ask questions and offer final comments. Display heat-mapping visuals, prototype iterations, and data tables around the room so visitors can see how each team tested, revised, and defended its solution.","competencies":"Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.\n\nMathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?","learning_goals":"Students will apply scientific principles of thermal energy transfer to plan, build, test, and revise a scale passive cooling structure that reduces surface temperature while keeping a seating area usable and welcoming. They will investigate how shade, airflow, surface texture, and sustainable materials affect heat absorption and cooling, using temperature measurements and model data to improve their designs. Students will generate and compare possible solutions, seek and use feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, and peers, and document revisions in design logs. They will communicate and defend their final design with evidence from prototype tests, material choices, and usability considerations during a public design review and showcase."}

PRODUCTS (what students are building toward):
{"individual":{"scope":"individual","title":"Passive Cooling Design Notebook with Concept Sketches and Decision Matrix","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Each student will produce an original design notebook showing multiple solution concepts, annotated sketches, a decision matrix, and a brief justification for the chosen idea. This proves individual mastery of the science ideas, planning, and evidence-based decision making before team construction begins.","learning_goal_ids":[0,1,2,3,6]},"team":{"scope":"team","title":"Revised 1:10 Passive Cooling Model with Test Data Poster and Design Review Presentation","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Teams will build and revise a functional scale model that meets the cooling challenge, then present evidence of performance, trade-offs, and limitations. The model must show at least one revision based on data and feedback, and it must include a live temperature-drop demonstration.","learning_goal_ids":[1,2,3,4,5,6]},"coverage_map":{"0":["individual"],"1":["individual","team"],"2":["individual","team"],"3":["individual","team"],"6":["individual","team"],"4":["team"],"5":["team"]}}

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[{"criteria":["Accurately describes how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection, and radiation in outdoor surfaces and structures.","Explains why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective materials affect heat retention or cooling.","Uses correct science vocabulary in a written or oral explanation.","Connects at least two material or design features to observed temperature differences."],"learning_goal_id":0},{"criteria":["Collects surface temperature data from multiple campus locations using an infrared thermometer or equivalent tool.","Records measurements clearly in a table or map with labeled locations and units.","Compares hottest and coolest surfaces using quantitative evidence.","Justifies which conditions reduce heat most effectively based on the data."],"learning_goal_id":1},{"criteria":["Generates at least three different passive cooling ideas.","Compares each idea against the design criteria and constraints.","Uses a decision matrix or similar tool with evidence-based ratings.","Explains trade-offs for at least two ideas before selecting a direction."],"learning_goal_id":2},{"criteria":["Creates a scale drawing or plan with accurate dimensions for the 1:10 model.","Includes required design features such as shade, airflow paths, sustainable materials, and usable seating space.","Uses labeled annotations to explain how each feature supports cooling.","Plan is detailed enough that another person could build the model from it."],"learning_goal_id":3},{"criteria":["Builds a prototype or model that matches the approved plan closely enough to test.","Conducts repeated temperature trials and records results with units.","Shows evidence that the prototype reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C or explains how close it came.","Uses test data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design."],"learning_goal_id":4},{"criteria":["Makes at least one clear revision based on data or feedback from experts or peers.","Explains how the revision improved cooling, usability, or sustainability.","Documents the original version, feedback received, and final change in the design log.","Uses evidence to justify why the revision was chosen over other possible changes."],"learning_goal_id":5},{"criteria":["Presents a clear claim about how well the design solved the problem.","Uses temperature data, design log evidence, and material choices to support the claim.","Explains at least one trade-off or limitation of the final design.","Answers questions by referring to evidence rather than opinion."],"learning_goal_id":6}]

THINKING LENS: Engineering Design
Use this template for projects where students must solve a technical problem by designing, building, testing, and improving a device, system, structure, process, or computational prototype. Prioritize engineering discipline: define the problem in terms of measurable criteria and constraints before proposing solutions, compare multiple concepts systematically, and make decisions based on evidence rather than preference. This template is the right fit when success depends on trade-off analysis, prototype performance, and iteration driven by test data.

ACTIVITY GUIDANCE:
Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like "it works" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan.

Grade Adjustment: Use this template in a highly scaffolded form with clear models for design briefs, concept sketches, decision matrices, and test plans. Emphasize quantitative comparison, authentic constraints, and the idea that failure data helps improve the design.

Discipline Focus:
Science: In Engineering Design for science, students build content knowledge in the scientific principles that govern the problem space—such as forces, energy transfer, ecosystems, chemical interactions, or Earth systems—along with engineering vocabulary like criteria, constraints, optimization, trade-offs, reliability, and system performance. They need to understand how quantitative specifications can be derived from science ideas and how social, environmental, and safety impacts shape design decisions. Knowledge-building activities typically include investigating relevant phenomena, analyzing scientific data sets, reading technical diagrams or short scientific texts, building mathematical or computational models, and conducting controlled tests of prototypes or simulations. Evidence of learning includes an engineering design report that uses scientific reasoning and test data, a prototype or model evaluated against prioritized criteria, a trade-off matrix comparing possible solutions, and a technical presentation explaining how evidence from testing led to iteration.
Cte: Knowledge-building activities should develop industry-standard engineering practices: following professional design processes, applying codes and standards, using industry-standard tools and software, and meeting professional quality benchmarks. Include activities where students work with real engineering standards, use professional CAD or simulation tools, and produce work that meets industry specifications. Evidence types include professional-quality drawings, specifications documents, standards compliance reports, and industry-standard deliverables.
GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (Grades 6-8):
- Balance collaborative and independent work
- Students can handle multi-step instructions
- Written reflections and analysis appropriate
- Peer feedback activities work well at this level


PROJECT ARC (5 phases total — you are designing Phase 3):
  Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2)
  Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8)
  Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13) ◀ THIS PHASE
  Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18)
  Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20)

SKILL PROGRESSION ACROSS PHASES:
  - Earlier phases should teach foundational skills; later phases build on them
  - Do NOT teach skills in Phase 3 that belong in earlier phases
  - Do NOT include final presentations or exhibitions unless this is the last phase


HARD TIME BUDGET — NEVER EXCEED THIS:
- This phase has 5 days × 45 min/day = 225 min TOTAL.
- Generate AT MOST 5 activities for this phase (roughly 1 per day).
- The SUM of ALL activity durations MUST BE ≤ 225 minutes.
- BEFORE returning, add up all durations and verify the total is within budget. If over, REMOVE activities until within budget.

GENERATE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PHASE ONLY (Phase 3):
## Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13)



DISCIPLINE GUIDANCE:
"Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like \"it works\" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan."


ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
- Make sure to prioritize and directly integrate ALL Required Instructional Elements

- Ensure all ideas are grade level appropriate
- Ensure all ideas are achievable within the given timeframe
- Prioritize ideas that allow all students to meaningfully participate and succeed
- Prioritize project-based, experiential ideas and avoid traditional worksheets or lectures.
- Provide actionable ideas based on the context provided without including explanations of the task or reasoning process.
- Avoid terms like "empower" that imply giving or granting agency to students. Rather, use direct, active language that recognizes students' existing capabilities.
- Do not repeat or restate details from the prompt in your response.
- Each activity needs realistic duration in minutes and a specific day number within days 9-13
- student_grouping_type must be: individual, pair, small_group, or whole_class
- LAUNCH activities go near the BEGINNING of the phase
- ASSESSMENT activities go toward the END of the phase
- Omit student_instructions to save space.

Return JSON:
{
  "description": "Students will...",
  "activities": [
    { "title": "🔬 ...", "description": "...",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 30, "day": 9,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual|pair|small_group|whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": ["...", "..."],
      "learning_goal_uuids": ["<uuid of a goal this activity scaffolds>"] }
Standards and competencies are derived from the assigned goals — do NOT return them per activity.
  ]
}

{
  "description": "Students will compare passive cooling ideas with evidence, select a team design using a weighted decision matrix, build a rapid 1:10 prototype, and collect baseline temperature data with a consistent testing method before revising in the next phase.",
  "activities": [
    {
      "title": "🧠 Cooling Concepts Decision Matrix",
      "description": "Students sketch three distinct passive cooling concepts in their design notebooks, then rate each one against team criteria such as temperature reduction, usability, sustainable materials, airflow, and shade coverage. The teacher models how to weight criteria and justify scores with evidence from earlier heat-mapping and material investigations. Students finish with an individual claim for which concept best balances cooling and welcoming use.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 9,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Design notebook includes 3 different passive cooling concepts with labeled sketches.",
        "Decision matrix rates all 3 concepts against at least 4 criteria and 2 constraints.",
        "Written justification names at least 2 trade-offs using evidence from prior investigations."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🗣️ Prototype Pitch Feedback Round",
      "description": "Teams share their strongest concept using sketches, matrix scores, and planned materials. Each student gives feedback to 2 peers, receives feedback, and revises one matrix score or design feature based on comments about shade, airflow, seating use, or sustainability. Teams then choose one concept to carry into prototype building.",
      "activity_type": "deliverable",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 10,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Each student provides written feedback to 2 peers using at least 1 strength and 1 question for each.",
        "Team records at least 2 revisions to the chosen concept after feedback.",
        "Selected concept is supported by matrix evidence, not just preference."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "📐 1:10 Seating Plan Build Sheet",
      "description": "Teams turn their selected concept into a build-ready 1:10 scale plan with measured dimensions, labeled airflow paths, shade elements, seating area, and material list. The teacher gives just-in-time support on converting full-size measurements to scale and annotating how each feature is expected to reduce heat transfer. Plans are checked before materials are issued.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 11,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Scale plan includes accurate 1:10 measurements for the seating area and structure components.",
        "Plan labels shade, airflow paths, seating space, and at least 2 sustainable materials.",
        "Annotations explain how at least 3 features are intended to reduce surface temperature."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🛠️ Rapid Cooling Model Sprint",
      "description": "Teams build a first-pass prototype from cardboard, fabric, recycled plastic, foil, and other approved materials that match their scale plan closely enough to test. Students assign roles for measuring, cutting, assembling, and recording so all members contribute. By the end, each team prepares the model and testing surface for a fair baseline trial.",
      "activity_type": "project_work",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 12,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Prototype includes the planned shade structure, seating area, and airflow features.",
        "Built model matches the approved scale plan closely enough that another team could identify the intended design.",
        "Team uses only approved materials and keeps a materials list for the design log."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🌡️ Baseline Temperature Trial",
      "description": "Teams test their rapid prototypes using the same thermometer location, timing, and surface setup from the class test plan, then record repeated temperature readings in a shared data table. After testing, teams complete a short design log entry naming one success, one failure, and one change to try next. The class closes with a quick comparison of which prototype conditions appear most promising for later revision.",
      "activity_type": "project_work",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 13,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Team records at least 3 repeated temperature trials with labeled units and consistent measurement method.",
        "Data table includes prototype condition, comparison surface, and calculated temperature differences.",
        "Design log names 1 feature that helped, 1 problem observed, and 1 specific next revision."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    }
  ]
}

ROLE: You are an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating hands-on, real-world learning experiences rooted in project-based and deeper learning principles.

You are designing activities for ONE PHASE of a project-based learning journey. FOLLOW THESE RULES EXACTLY:

- Aim for 6-10 activities for phases in projects 4+ weeks long.

Before developing activities, review learning goals and products to determine the most effective activities to elicit performance of learning goals and development of products.  Then, begin designing.

===== PRIMARY FOCUS =====
- Design activities that elicit performance of one or more learning goals. 

===== ACTIVITY MIX =====
- Each phase should ideally have 2-3 "knowledge_building" activities.
- Aim for ~30% of activities to be "knowledge_building" type.
- Balance "project_work" + "deliverable" - no more than ~40% combined.
- Follow a TEACH -> APPLY rhythm: knowledge_building first, then project_work/deliverable.
- Build on skills from previous phases - form progressive sequences.
- "community_experience" is ONLY for connections with people OUTSIDE the classroom.
- MAXIMUM 1-2 "assessment" activities. Assessments are milestone checkpoints, NOT reflections.

===== ACTIVITY TYPES =====
Use these EXACT values:
- "launch": Entry event - introduce driving question, hook students
- "deliverable": Formative work product - checkpoint, draft, or preliminary work that feeds into summative assessment
- "assessment": Summative evaluation - traditional (quiz/test) or performance-based (major product with rubric)
- "knowledge_building": Direct instruction, guided practice, and skill-building sessions
- "project_work": Hands-on work time for prototyping, creating, building, and applying skills
- "research": Student-driven investigation — reading articles, analyzing informational text, conducting research, and presenting findings.
- "community_experience": Community connections — site visits, buddy visits, expert panels, interviews, and real-world encounters that ground the project in authentic context.

===== PEDAGOGICAL QUALITY =====
- PEER FEEDBACK: Include peer feedback rounds where students "give feedback to 2 peers, receive feedback, and revise."
- MILESTONE GATES: Use grading_required: true for demonstrated competency that gates progression.
- ITERATION LOOPS: students produce work -> get feedback -> revise -> get feedback again.
- JUST-IN-TIME SKILLS: Teach technical skills immediately before students need them.
- DURATION: Each class period is 45 minutes. Vary durations realistically - NOT every activity should be the same length. Every activity MUST have a duration field in minutes.
- CROSS-DISCIPLINARY: Weave in relevant subject areas naturally.

===== TITLE RULES =====
- Every title MUST name specific content, tools, or artifacts from THIS project
- NEVER prefix with activity type labels - the activity_type field already provides this
- Prepend a relevant emoji to each title
- Keep titles SHORT (3-8 words after the emoji). Put details in the description, NOT the title.
- NEVER add parenthetical clarifications like "(Individual Draft)" or "(Give feedback to 2 peers)"

===== DESCRIPTION RULES =====
- Scale depth to complexity. Simple reflection = 1 sentence. Multi-step build = 3-4 sentences.
- Name specific materials, tools, techniques, and expected outputs.
- Do NOT repeat phrases from other phases.

===== SUCCESS CRITERIA RULES =====
- Specific and measurable. Include quantities, formats, or observable evidence.


LEARNING GOAL DISTRIBUTION:
Distribute these across activities so EVERY learning goal appears on at least one activity in this phase OR in another phase.
For each activity, list the uuids of the goals it scaffolds toward in the "learning_goal_uuids" array.
Goals (use these uuids):
[{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to explain thermal energy transfer in outdoor materials and structures to identify why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective surfaces change surface temperature in a heat island."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to measure and compare surface temperatures of campus locations to identify heat island patterns and justify which conditions reduce heat most effectively."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to generate and evaluate multiple passive cooling concepts for a scale seating-area model using criteria, constraints, and trade-off reasoning."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to create a detailed scale plan for a 1:10 passive cooling structure that includes sustainable materials, shade, airflow paths, and usable seating space."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to construct and test a passive cooling prototype to reduce model surface temperature by at least 5°C using data from repeated trials."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to modify a design based on expert, peer, and test feedback to improve cooling effectiveness, usability, and sustainability."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to communicate and defend a final engineering solution using temperature data, design log evidence, and a comparison of trade-offs and limitations."}]

PROJECT CONTEXT:
Ideas should take the following user-provided context into consideration:
  - Initial User Ideas: The Scenario:
Your city is experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Densely packed neighborhoods with lots of asphalt and concrete are becoming "Heat Islands," staying up to 10°F warmer than nearby parks. The local community center needs a way to keep its outdoor seating area cool without using electricity for massive fans or AC units.

The Task:
Design and build a Passive Cooling Structure for a 1:10 scale model of the seating area. Your goal is to use engineering principles to lower the "ground" temperature of your model by at least 5°C using only sustainable materials and clever design.
  - Grade Level(s): ["7th Grade"]
  - Project Timeframe: 4 weeks, 5 days per week, 45 minutes per day
  - Standards that should be met: [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.
  - Competencies that should be met: 
    Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    Description: I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    Description: I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    Description: I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    Description: I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    

    Mathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    Description: How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    
  
  
REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS:
1. Community Partners - 
  (1) A city parks and recreation staff member can review student prototypes and share how public spaces use benches, canopies, and plantings to stay cooler in summer.
(2) A landscape architect can meet with small teams to give feedback on airflow, shade angles, and material choices for the passive cooling structure.
2. Essential Question - 
  How can we design a passive cooling structure for a community seating area that lowers temperature while still feeling welcoming and usable for people?
3. Reflection - 
  (1) After testing each prototype with temperature readings, have teams write a quick design log entry comparing what worked, what failed, and what they would change next.
(2) Use a mid-project gallery walk where students leave sticky-note feedback on other teams’ models and then revise their own plans based on shade, airflow, and usability observations.
(3) After the city parks and recreation staff member visit, hold a short team discussion in which students identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they need to improve.
4. Assessment - 
  (1) Use a prototype challenge rubric to assess each team’s final model, temperature drop data, sustainable material choices, and how well the design keeps the seating area usable and welcoming.
(2) Have teams present a brief design review to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, explaining how their structure manages shade, airflow, and community use while answering feedback questions.
(3) Score a mid-project gallery walk using sticky-note comments that show how teams identify strengths, notice problems, and revise plans based on peer observations about cooling and usability.
5. Exhibition - 
  Cool Court Showcase: Students present their passive cooling models to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then invite families and classmates to vote on the most welcoming design after a live temperature-drop demonstration.
6. Project Launch - 
  Heat Island Hunt: Students map the hottest and coolest spots around campus, then connect those patterns to the question of how a seating area can stay cool and welcoming.
7. Core Content - 
  (1) Explore heat transfer, thermal energy, and temperature measurement through campus heat mapping, model testing, and comparing how shade, airflow, and materials change surface temperatures.
(2) Practice the engineering design process by defining the cooling challenge, brainstorming solutions, building scale prototypes, testing them with data, and revising based on results and peer feedback.
(3) Investigate how different sustainable materials and surface textures absorb, reflect, or block heat by selecting and comparing cardboard, fabric, recycled plastics, foil, and plant-based materials in model builds.
(4) Use evidence-based communication skills to record design logs, interpret temperature data, present findings to community partners, and revise claims using feedback from a gallery walk and final review.
8. Product - 
  A revised public-space model featuring shade structures, airflow channels, and eco-friendly materials that teams can present to community partners and family judges after live testing.
9. Critique and Revision - 
  (1) Build in a test-and-revise cycle every week where teams measure model temperatures, record one success and one problem in a design log, and make one specific change before the next test.
(2) Schedule a mid-project gallery walk so students leave sticky-note feedback on shade, airflow, and seating comfort, then use the comments to revise their next prototype.
(3) Invite the city parks and recreation staff member to review prototypes and have each team note one feature to keep and one public-use issue to improve before rebuilding.

PROJECT OVERVIEW (1-Pager):
{"launch":"Start with a Heat Island Hunt around campus: teams use infrared thermometers to measure and map the hottest and coolest surfaces, comparing asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded benches, and building edges. Back in class, students analyze the temperature patterns, discuss why some spaces feel more welcoming than others, and connect their findings to the question of how to cool a community seating area without electricity. Then reveal the design challenge with photos or a simple model of the community center seating space, and have students do a quick sketch-and-share of one passive cooling idea they want to test.","purpose":"Students investigate how heat transfer affects public spaces and use the engineering design process to create a passive cooling solution for a community seating area. They apply temperature data, material testing, and scale-model design to build a structure that reduces surface heat while staying welcoming and usable for people. Through feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, peers, and family audiences, students revise their ideas and defend their final design with evidence.","products":"Students will create a sequence of products: a campus heat map from the launch investigation, annotated sketches and scale plans, weekly prototype versions, temperature-data tables and graphs, and design log entries documenting each test-and-revise cycle. Midway through, teams will produce a gallery-walk display with their current model, cooling evidence, and revision notes based on sticky-note feedback about shade, airflow, and usability. The final product is a revised 1:10 passive cooling model of the seating area that uses sustainable materials, lowers surface temperature by at least 5°C, and includes features that keep the space welcoming and usable. Teams will also create a short design review presentation for the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then present the model again at the Cool Court Showcase with a live temperature-drop demonstration for families and classmates.","standards":"[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.","exhibition":"Host a “Cool Court Showcase” where teams present their revised scale models to the city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, families, and classmates. Each team gives a brief design review explaining how their structure uses shade, airflow, and sustainable materials, then demonstrates its impact with a live temperature-drop test and shares design log evidence from revisions. Guests use a simple feedback ballot to vote on the most welcoming and usable design while community partners ask questions and offer final comments. Display heat-mapping visuals, prototype iterations, and data tables around the room so visitors can see how each team tested, revised, and defended its solution.","competencies":"Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.\n\nMathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?","learning_goals":"Students will apply scientific principles of thermal energy transfer to plan, build, test, and revise a scale passive cooling structure that reduces surface temperature while keeping a seating area usable and welcoming. They will investigate how shade, airflow, surface texture, and sustainable materials affect heat absorption and cooling, using temperature measurements and model data to improve their designs. Students will generate and compare possible solutions, seek and use feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, and peers, and document revisions in design logs. They will communicate and defend their final design with evidence from prototype tests, material choices, and usability considerations during a public design review and showcase."}

PRODUCTS (what students are building toward):
{"individual":{"scope":"individual","title":"Passive Cooling Design Notebook with Concept Sketches and Decision Matrix","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Each student will produce an original design notebook showing multiple solution concepts, annotated sketches, a decision matrix, and a brief justification for the chosen idea. This proves individual mastery of the science ideas, planning, and evidence-based decision making before team construction begins.","learning_goal_ids":[0,1,2,3,6]},"team":{"scope":"team","title":"Revised 1:10 Passive Cooling Model with Test Data Poster and Design Review Presentation","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Teams will build and revise a functional scale model that meets the cooling challenge, then present evidence of performance, trade-offs, and limitations. The model must show at least one revision based on data and feedback, and it must include a live temperature-drop demonstration.","learning_goal_ids":[1,2,3,4,5,6]},"coverage_map":{"0":["individual"],"1":["individual","team"],"2":["individual","team"],"3":["individual","team"],"6":["individual","team"],"4":["team"],"5":["team"]}}

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[{"criteria":["Accurately describes how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection, and radiation in outdoor surfaces and structures.","Explains why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective materials affect heat retention or cooling.","Uses correct science vocabulary in a written or oral explanation.","Connects at least two material or design features to observed temperature differences."],"learning_goal_id":0},{"criteria":["Collects surface temperature data from multiple campus locations using an infrared thermometer or equivalent tool.","Records measurements clearly in a table or map with labeled locations and units.","Compares hottest and coolest surfaces using quantitative evidence.","Justifies which conditions reduce heat most effectively based on the data."],"learning_goal_id":1},{"criteria":["Generates at least three different passive cooling ideas.","Compares each idea against the design criteria and constraints.","Uses a decision matrix or similar tool with evidence-based ratings.","Explains trade-offs for at least two ideas before selecting a direction."],"learning_goal_id":2},{"criteria":["Creates a scale drawing or plan with accurate dimensions for the 1:10 model.","Includes required design features such as shade, airflow paths, sustainable materials, and usable seating space.","Uses labeled annotations to explain how each feature supports cooling.","Plan is detailed enough that another person could build the model from it."],"learning_goal_id":3},{"criteria":["Builds a prototype or model that matches the approved plan closely enough to test.","Conducts repeated temperature trials and records results with units.","Shows evidence that the prototype reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C or explains how close it came.","Uses test data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design."],"learning_goal_id":4},{"criteria":["Makes at least one clear revision based on data or feedback from experts or peers.","Explains how the revision improved cooling, usability, or sustainability.","Documents the original version, feedback received, and final change in the design log.","Uses evidence to justify why the revision was chosen over other possible changes."],"learning_goal_id":5},{"criteria":["Presents a clear claim about how well the design solved the problem.","Uses temperature data, design log evidence, and material choices to support the claim.","Explains at least one trade-off or limitation of the final design.","Answers questions by referring to evidence rather than opinion."],"learning_goal_id":6}]

THINKING LENS: Engineering Design
Use this template for projects where students must solve a technical problem by designing, building, testing, and improving a device, system, structure, process, or computational prototype. Prioritize engineering discipline: define the problem in terms of measurable criteria and constraints before proposing solutions, compare multiple concepts systematically, and make decisions based on evidence rather than preference. This template is the right fit when success depends on trade-off analysis, prototype performance, and iteration driven by test data.

ACTIVITY GUIDANCE:
Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like "it works" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan.

Grade Adjustment: Use this template in a highly scaffolded form with clear models for design briefs, concept sketches, decision matrices, and test plans. Emphasize quantitative comparison, authentic constraints, and the idea that failure data helps improve the design.

Discipline Focus:
Science: In Engineering Design for science, students build content knowledge in the scientific principles that govern the problem space—such as forces, energy transfer, ecosystems, chemical interactions, or Earth systems—along with engineering vocabulary like criteria, constraints, optimization, trade-offs, reliability, and system performance. They need to understand how quantitative specifications can be derived from science ideas and how social, environmental, and safety impacts shape design decisions. Knowledge-building activities typically include investigating relevant phenomena, analyzing scientific data sets, reading technical diagrams or short scientific texts, building mathematical or computational models, and conducting controlled tests of prototypes or simulations. Evidence of learning includes an engineering design report that uses scientific reasoning and test data, a prototype or model evaluated against prioritized criteria, a trade-off matrix comparing possible solutions, and a technical presentation explaining how evidence from testing led to iteration.
Cte: Knowledge-building activities should develop industry-standard engineering practices: following professional design processes, applying codes and standards, using industry-standard tools and software, and meeting professional quality benchmarks. Include activities where students work with real engineering standards, use professional CAD or simulation tools, and produce work that meets industry specifications. Evidence types include professional-quality drawings, specifications documents, standards compliance reports, and industry-standard deliverables.
Math: Knowledge-building activities should apply mathematical modeling and analysis to engineering challenges: using geometry for spatial reasoning, applying algebra for constraint optimization, performing calculations for structural or system analysis, and using statistics for quality control. Include activities where students create mathematical models of engineering problems, perform calculations to validate designs, and use data analysis to improve solutions. Evidence types include engineering calculations, mathematical models, optimization analyses, and statistical quality reports.
GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (Grades 6-8):
- Balance collaborative and independent work
- Students can handle multi-step instructions
- Written reflections and analysis appropriate
- Peer feedback activities work well at this level


PROJECT ARC (5 phases total — you are designing Phase 4):
  Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2)
  Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8)
  Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13)
  Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18) ◀ THIS PHASE
  Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20)

SKILL PROGRESSION ACROSS PHASES:
  - Earlier phases should teach foundational skills; later phases build on them
  - Do NOT teach skills in Phase 4 that belong in earlier phases
  - Do NOT include final presentations or exhibitions unless this is the last phase


HARD TIME BUDGET — NEVER EXCEED THIS:
- This phase has 5 days × 45 min/day = 225 min TOTAL.
- Generate AT MOST 5 activities for this phase (roughly 1 per day).
- The SUM of ALL activity durations MUST BE ≤ 225 minutes.
- BEFORE returning, add up all durations and verify the total is within budget. If over, REMOVE activities until within budget.

GENERATE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PHASE ONLY (Phase 4):
## Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18)



DISCIPLINE GUIDANCE:
"Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like \"it works\" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan."


ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
- Make sure to prioritize and directly integrate ALL Required Instructional Elements

- Ensure all ideas are grade level appropriate
- Ensure all ideas are achievable within the given timeframe
- Prioritize ideas that allow all students to meaningfully participate and succeed
- Prioritize project-based, experiential ideas and avoid traditional worksheets or lectures.
- Provide actionable ideas based on the context provided without including explanations of the task or reasoning process.
- Avoid terms like "empower" that imply giving or granting agency to students. Rather, use direct, active language that recognizes students' existing capabilities.
- Do not repeat or restate details from the prompt in your response.
- Each activity needs realistic duration in minutes and a specific day number within days 14-18
- student_grouping_type must be: individual, pair, small_group, or whole_class
- LAUNCH activities go near the BEGINNING of the phase
- ASSESSMENT activities go toward the END of the phase
- Omit student_instructions to save space.

Return JSON:
{
  "description": "Students will...",
  "activities": [
    { "title": "🔬 ...", "description": "...",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 30, "day": 14,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual|pair|small_group|whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": ["...", "..."],
      "learning_goal_uuids": ["<uuid of a goal this activity scaffolds>"] }
Standards and competencies are derived from the assigned goals — do NOT return them per activity.
  ]
}

{
  "description": "Students will analyze prototype performance against the cooling criteria, use peer and expert critique to choose targeted revisions, retest with consistent methods, and assemble evidence for a concise engineering story that prepares them for the final showcase.",
  "activities": [
    {
      "title": "📊 Prototype Data Claims",
      "description": "Teams study their baseline temperature tables, trial notes, and photos from Phase 3 to identify where cooling worked, where it failed, and which design features may have caused those results. The teacher models how to turn raw readings into a claim-evidence-reasoning statement and a simple comparison graph showing temperature drop across repeated trials. Each team drafts one prioritized revision target tied to shade, airflow, material choice, or seating usability.",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 14,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Creates at least one labeled graph or chart using prior trial data with degrees Celsius shown correctly.",
        "Writes one claim about prototype performance supported by at least two quantitative data points.",
        "Identifies one specific revision target linked to the original criteria and constraints."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "📝 Sticky-Note Model Critique",
      "description": "Teams display their current 1:10 models, data graph, and revision target for a scored gallery walk. Students give feedback to 2 peers using sticky notes that each name one strength, one cooling concern, and one usability or sustainability suggestion; then teams receive feedback, sort comments into categories, and revise their action plan. A short design log entry captures one feature to keep and one problem to improve before rebuilding.",
      "activity_type": "deliverable",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 15,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Gives feedback to 2 peer teams using at least 3 specific sticky notes per team.",
        "Receives peer feedback and groups comments into shade, airflow, materials, and usability categories.",
        "Completes a design log entry naming 1 feature to keep, 1 issue to change, and 1 planned revision."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🌿 Parks and Site Use Review",
      "description": "A city parks and recreation staff member and a landscape architect meet with teams for short design review conferences about canopy angle, airflow paths, seating comfort, and sustainable materials. Teams present their current model and revision plan, ask at least one prepared question, and record expert comments in their design log. After the visit, each team holds a brief discussion to identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they still need to improve.",
      "activity_type": "community_experience",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 16,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Asks at least 1 content-specific question to a community partner about shade, airflow, materials, or seating use.",
        "Records at least 2 pieces of expert feedback in the design log.",
        "Names 1 design idea to keep and 1 community-use concern to improve after the conference."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🛠️ Revision Build and Retest",
      "description": "Teams rebuild key parts of their passive cooling structure using their selected changes, then retest with the same thermometer setup, timing, and measurement locations used earlier. Students run repeated trials, compare revised data to baseline results, and note whether the model meets the 5°C reduction target or how close it comes. Before cleanup, teams update the design log with what changed, what improved, and what limitation remains.",
      "activity_type": "project_work",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 17,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Implements at least 1 documented revision that matches the team action plan.",
        "Completes at least 2 retest trials using the same procedure and records all temperatures with units.",
        "Compares revised results to baseline data and states whether the design achieved a 5°C drop or the exact difference reached."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🎤 Engineering Story Draft",
      "description": "Teams assemble a one-board or slide draft for the Cool Court Showcase that includes the problem, criteria and constraints, chosen concept, baseline and revised test data, expert and peer feedback, trade-offs, and next steps. Students rehearse a brief design review with another team, receive feedback on clarity and evidence use, and revise their board or slides before submission. This draft serves as the checkpoint for readiness to present in Phase 5.",
      "activity_type": "deliverable",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 18,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Includes all required sections: problem, criteria, constraints, selected solution, test evidence, revision cycle, trade-offs, and next steps.",
        "Uses at least 2 visuals such as a graph, labeled model photo, scale plan, or data table.",
        "Receives feedback from 1 peer team and makes at least 2 revisions for clarity or evidence before submission."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null, null]
    }
  ]
}

ROLE: You are an experienced curriculum designer who specializes in creating hands-on, real-world learning experiences rooted in project-based and deeper learning principles.

You are designing activities for ONE PHASE of a project-based learning journey. FOLLOW THESE RULES EXACTLY:

- Aim for 6-10 activities for phases in projects 4+ weeks long.

Before developing activities, review learning goals and products to determine the most effective activities to elicit performance of learning goals and development of products.  Then, begin designing.

===== PRIMARY FOCUS =====
- Design activities that elicit performance of one or more learning goals. 

===== ACTIVITY MIX =====
- Each phase should ideally have 2-3 "knowledge_building" activities.
- Aim for ~30% of activities to be "knowledge_building" type.
- Balance "project_work" + "deliverable" - no more than ~40% combined.
- Follow a TEACH -> APPLY rhythm: knowledge_building first, then project_work/deliverable.
- Build on skills from previous phases - form progressive sequences.
- "community_experience" is ONLY for connections with people OUTSIDE the classroom.
- MAXIMUM 1-2 "assessment" activities. Assessments are milestone checkpoints, NOT reflections.

===== ACTIVITY TYPES =====
Use these EXACT values:
- "launch": Entry event - introduce driving question, hook students
- "deliverable": Formative work product - checkpoint, draft, or preliminary work that feeds into summative assessment
- "assessment": Summative evaluation - traditional (quiz/test) or performance-based (major product with rubric)
- "knowledge_building": Direct instruction, guided practice, and skill-building sessions
- "project_work": Hands-on work time for prototyping, creating, building, and applying skills
- "research": Student-driven investigation — reading articles, analyzing informational text, conducting research, and presenting findings.
- "community_experience": Community connections — site visits, buddy visits, expert panels, interviews, and real-world encounters that ground the project in authentic context.

===== PEDAGOGICAL QUALITY =====
- PEER FEEDBACK: Include peer feedback rounds where students "give feedback to 2 peers, receive feedback, and revise."
- MILESTONE GATES: Use grading_required: true for demonstrated competency that gates progression.
- ITERATION LOOPS: students produce work -> get feedback -> revise -> get feedback again.
- JUST-IN-TIME SKILLS: Teach technical skills immediately before students need them.
- DURATION: Each class period is 45 minutes. Vary durations realistically - NOT every activity should be the same length. Every activity MUST have a duration field in minutes.
- CROSS-DISCIPLINARY: Weave in relevant subject areas naturally.

===== TITLE RULES =====
- Every title MUST name specific content, tools, or artifacts from THIS project
- NEVER prefix with activity type labels - the activity_type field already provides this
- Prepend a relevant emoji to each title
- Keep titles SHORT (3-8 words after the emoji). Put details in the description, NOT the title.
- NEVER add parenthetical clarifications like "(Individual Draft)" or "(Give feedback to 2 peers)"

===== DESCRIPTION RULES =====
- Scale depth to complexity. Simple reflection = 1 sentence. Multi-step build = 3-4 sentences.
- Name specific materials, tools, techniques, and expected outputs.
- Do NOT repeat phrases from other phases.

===== SUCCESS CRITERIA RULES =====
- Specific and measurable. Include quantities, formats, or observable evidence.


LEARNING GOAL DISTRIBUTION:
Distribute these across activities so EVERY learning goal appears on at least one activity in this phase OR in another phase.
For each activity, list the uuids of the goals it scaffolds toward in the "learning_goal_uuids" array.
Goals (use these uuids):
[{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to explain thermal energy transfer in outdoor materials and structures to identify why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective surfaces change surface temperature in a heat island."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to measure and compare surface temperatures of campus locations to identify heat island patterns and justify which conditions reduce heat most effectively."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to generate and evaluate multiple passive cooling concepts for a scale seating-area model using criteria, constraints, and trade-off reasoning."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to create a detailed scale plan for a 1:10 passive cooling structure that includes sustainable materials, shade, airflow paths, and usable seating space."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to construct and test a passive cooling prototype to reduce model surface temperature by at least 5°C using data from repeated trials."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to modify a design based on expert, peer, and test feedback to improve cooling effectiveness, usability, and sustainability."},{"uuid":null,"statement":"Students will be able to communicate and defend a final engineering solution using temperature data, design log evidence, and a comparison of trade-offs and limitations."}]

PROJECT CONTEXT:
Ideas should take the following user-provided context into consideration:
  - Initial User Ideas: The Scenario:
Your city is experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Densely packed neighborhoods with lots of asphalt and concrete are becoming "Heat Islands," staying up to 10°F warmer than nearby parks. The local community center needs a way to keep its outdoor seating area cool without using electricity for massive fans or AC units.

The Task:
Design and build a Passive Cooling Structure for a 1:10 scale model of the seating area. Your goal is to use engineering principles to lower the "ground" temperature of your model by at least 5°C using only sustainable materials and clever design.
  - Grade Level(s): ["7th Grade"]
  - Project Timeframe: 4 weeks, 5 days per week, 45 minutes per day
  - Standards that should be met: [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.
  - Competencies that should be met: 
    Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    Description: I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    Description: I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    Description: I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.
    

    Science - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    Description: I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.
    

    Mathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    Description: How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?
    
  
  
REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS:
1. Community Partners - 
  (1) A city parks and recreation staff member can review student prototypes and share how public spaces use benches, canopies, and plantings to stay cooler in summer.
(2) A landscape architect can meet with small teams to give feedback on airflow, shade angles, and material choices for the passive cooling structure.
2. Essential Question - 
  How can we design a passive cooling structure for a community seating area that lowers temperature while still feeling welcoming and usable for people?
3. Reflection - 
  (1) After testing each prototype with temperature readings, have teams write a quick design log entry comparing what worked, what failed, and what they would change next.
(2) Use a mid-project gallery walk where students leave sticky-note feedback on other teams’ models and then revise their own plans based on shade, airflow, and usability observations.
(3) After the city parks and recreation staff member visit, hold a short team discussion in which students identify one idea they will keep and one community-use concern they need to improve.
4. Assessment - 
  (1) Use a prototype challenge rubric to assess each team’s final model, temperature drop data, sustainable material choices, and how well the design keeps the seating area usable and welcoming.
(2) Have teams present a brief design review to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, explaining how their structure manages shade, airflow, and community use while answering feedback questions.
(3) Score a mid-project gallery walk using sticky-note comments that show how teams identify strengths, notice problems, and revise plans based on peer observations about cooling and usability.
5. Exhibition - 
  Cool Court Showcase: Students present their passive cooling models to the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then invite families and classmates to vote on the most welcoming design after a live temperature-drop demonstration.
6. Project Launch - 
  Heat Island Hunt: Students map the hottest and coolest spots around campus, then connect those patterns to the question of how a seating area can stay cool and welcoming.
7. Core Content - 
  (1) Explore heat transfer, thermal energy, and temperature measurement through campus heat mapping, model testing, and comparing how shade, airflow, and materials change surface temperatures.
(2) Practice the engineering design process by defining the cooling challenge, brainstorming solutions, building scale prototypes, testing them with data, and revising based on results and peer feedback.
(3) Investigate how different sustainable materials and surface textures absorb, reflect, or block heat by selecting and comparing cardboard, fabric, recycled plastics, foil, and plant-based materials in model builds.
(4) Use evidence-based communication skills to record design logs, interpret temperature data, present findings to community partners, and revise claims using feedback from a gallery walk and final review.
8. Product - 
  A revised public-space model featuring shade structures, airflow channels, and eco-friendly materials that teams can present to community partners and family judges after live testing.
9. Critique and Revision - 
  (1) Build in a test-and-revise cycle every week where teams measure model temperatures, record one success and one problem in a design log, and make one specific change before the next test.
(2) Schedule a mid-project gallery walk so students leave sticky-note feedback on shade, airflow, and seating comfort, then use the comments to revise their next prototype.
(3) Invite the city parks and recreation staff member to review prototypes and have each team note one feature to keep and one public-use issue to improve before rebuilding.

PROJECT OVERVIEW (1-Pager):
{"launch":"Start with a Heat Island Hunt around campus: teams use infrared thermometers to measure and map the hottest and coolest surfaces, comparing asphalt, concrete, grass, shaded benches, and building edges. Back in class, students analyze the temperature patterns, discuss why some spaces feel more welcoming than others, and connect their findings to the question of how to cool a community seating area without electricity. Then reveal the design challenge with photos or a simple model of the community center seating space, and have students do a quick sketch-and-share of one passive cooling idea they want to test.","purpose":"Students investigate how heat transfer affects public spaces and use the engineering design process to create a passive cooling solution for a community seating area. They apply temperature data, material testing, and scale-model design to build a structure that reduces surface heat while staying welcoming and usable for people. Through feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, peers, and family audiences, students revise their ideas and defend their final design with evidence.","products":"Students will create a sequence of products: a campus heat map from the launch investigation, annotated sketches and scale plans, weekly prototype versions, temperature-data tables and graphs, and design log entries documenting each test-and-revise cycle. Midway through, teams will produce a gallery-walk display with their current model, cooling evidence, and revision notes based on sticky-note feedback about shade, airflow, and usability. The final product is a revised 1:10 passive cooling model of the seating area that uses sustainable materials, lowers surface temperature by at least 5°C, and includes features that keep the space welcoming and usable. Teams will also create a short design review presentation for the city parks and recreation staff member and landscape architect, then present the model again at the Cool Court Showcase with a live temperature-drop demonstration for families and classmates.","standards":"[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.\n\n[Next Generation Science Standards] MS-PS1-6 - Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.","exhibition":"Host a “Cool Court Showcase” where teams present their revised scale models to the city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, families, and classmates. Each team gives a brief design review explaining how their structure uses shade, airflow, and sustainable materials, then demonstrates its impact with a live temperature-drop test and shares design log evidence from revisions. Guests use a simple feedback ballot to vote on the most welcoming and usable design while community partners ask questions and offer final comments. Display heat-mapping visuals, prototype iterations, and data tables around the room so visitors can see how each team tested, revised, and defended its solution.","competencies":"Science - Design Solutions - Plan and design (SCI.4.4) - I can create a detailed plan or prototype for the chosen solution.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Test and iterate (SCI.4.5) - I can implement the solution according to the plan, test the solution, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Engage with experts (SCI.4.3) - I can find and engage with experts to understand the problem and get feedback.\n\nScience - Design Solutions - Generate ideas and evaluate solutions (SCI.4.2) - I can generate ideas for solving a problem and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions.\n\nMathematics - Use Mathematical Modeling to Solve Problems - Communicate and defend my solution (MATH.1.5) - How well can I defend my solution and explain my process?","learning_goals":"Students will apply scientific principles of thermal energy transfer to plan, build, test, and revise a scale passive cooling structure that reduces surface temperature while keeping a seating area usable and welcoming. They will investigate how shade, airflow, surface texture, and sustainable materials affect heat absorption and cooling, using temperature measurements and model data to improve their designs. Students will generate and compare possible solutions, seek and use feedback from a city parks and recreation staff member, a landscape architect, and peers, and document revisions in design logs. They will communicate and defend their final design with evidence from prototype tests, material choices, and usability considerations during a public design review and showcase."}

PRODUCTS (what students are building toward):
{"individual":{"scope":"individual","title":"Passive Cooling Design Notebook with Concept Sketches and Decision Matrix","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Each student will produce an original design notebook showing multiple solution concepts, annotated sketches, a decision matrix, and a brief justification for the chosen idea. This proves individual mastery of the science ideas, planning, and evidence-based decision making before team construction begins.","learning_goal_ids":[0,1,2,3,6]},"team":{"scope":"team","title":"Revised 1:10 Passive Cooling Model with Test Data Poster and Design Review Presentation","options":[],"choice_type":"fixed","description":"Teams will build and revise a functional scale model that meets the cooling challenge, then present evidence of performance, trade-offs, and limitations. The model must show at least one revision based on data and feedback, and it must include a live temperature-drop demonstration.","learning_goal_ids":[1,2,3,4,5,6]},"coverage_map":{"0":["individual"],"1":["individual","team"],"2":["individual","team"],"3":["individual","team"],"6":["individual","team"],"4":["team"],"5":["team"]}}

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[{"criteria":["Accurately describes how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection, and radiation in outdoor surfaces and structures.","Explains why asphalt, concrete, shade, airflow, and reflective materials affect heat retention or cooling.","Uses correct science vocabulary in a written or oral explanation.","Connects at least two material or design features to observed temperature differences."],"learning_goal_id":0},{"criteria":["Collects surface temperature data from multiple campus locations using an infrared thermometer or equivalent tool.","Records measurements clearly in a table or map with labeled locations and units.","Compares hottest and coolest surfaces using quantitative evidence.","Justifies which conditions reduce heat most effectively based on the data."],"learning_goal_id":1},{"criteria":["Generates at least three different passive cooling ideas.","Compares each idea against the design criteria and constraints.","Uses a decision matrix or similar tool with evidence-based ratings.","Explains trade-offs for at least two ideas before selecting a direction."],"learning_goal_id":2},{"criteria":["Creates a scale drawing or plan with accurate dimensions for the 1:10 model.","Includes required design features such as shade, airflow paths, sustainable materials, and usable seating space.","Uses labeled annotations to explain how each feature supports cooling.","Plan is detailed enough that another person could build the model from it."],"learning_goal_id":3},{"criteria":["Builds a prototype or model that matches the approved plan closely enough to test.","Conducts repeated temperature trials and records results with units.","Shows evidence that the prototype reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C or explains how close it came.","Uses test data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design."],"learning_goal_id":4},{"criteria":["Makes at least one clear revision based on data or feedback from experts or peers.","Explains how the revision improved cooling, usability, or sustainability.","Documents the original version, feedback received, and final change in the design log.","Uses evidence to justify why the revision was chosen over other possible changes."],"learning_goal_id":5},{"criteria":["Presents a clear claim about how well the design solved the problem.","Uses temperature data, design log evidence, and material choices to support the claim.","Explains at least one trade-off or limitation of the final design.","Answers questions by referring to evidence rather than opinion."],"learning_goal_id":6}]

THINKING LENS: Engineering Design
Use this template for projects where students must solve a technical problem by designing, building, testing, and improving a device, system, structure, process, or computational prototype. Prioritize engineering discipline: define the problem in terms of measurable criteria and constraints before proposing solutions, compare multiple concepts systematically, and make decisions based on evidence rather than preference. This template is the right fit when success depends on trade-off analysis, prototype performance, and iteration driven by test data.

ACTIVITY GUIDANCE:
Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like "it works" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan.

Grade Adjustment: Use this template in a highly scaffolded form with clear models for design briefs, concept sketches, decision matrices, and test plans. Emphasize quantitative comparison, authentic constraints, and the idea that failure data helps improve the design.

Discipline Focus:
Science: In Engineering Design for science, students build content knowledge in the scientific principles that govern the problem space—such as forces, energy transfer, ecosystems, chemical interactions, or Earth systems—along with engineering vocabulary like criteria, constraints, optimization, trade-offs, reliability, and system performance. They need to understand how quantitative specifications can be derived from science ideas and how social, environmental, and safety impacts shape design decisions. Knowledge-building activities typically include investigating relevant phenomena, analyzing scientific data sets, reading technical diagrams or short scientific texts, building mathematical or computational models, and conducting controlled tests of prototypes or simulations. Evidence of learning includes an engineering design report that uses scientific reasoning and test data, a prototype or model evaluated against prioritized criteria, a trade-off matrix comparing possible solutions, and a technical presentation explaining how evidence from testing led to iteration.
Cte: Knowledge-building activities should develop industry-standard engineering practices: following professional design processes, applying codes and standards, using industry-standard tools and software, and meeting professional quality benchmarks. Include activities where students work with real engineering standards, use professional CAD or simulation tools, and produce work that meets industry specifications. Evidence types include professional-quality drawings, specifications documents, standards compliance reports, and industry-standard deliverables.
GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (Grades 6-8):
- Balance collaborative and independent work
- Students can handle multi-step instructions
- Written reflections and analysis appropriate
- Peer feedback activities work well at this level


PROJECT ARC (5 phases total — you are designing Phase 5):
  Phase 1: Launch — Introduce the driving question, hook students, and set project expectations. (2 days, days 1-2)
  Phase 2: Research & Define — Students map heat differences and study thermal energy transfer, then co-create a complete design brief with measurable success criteria, constraints, and evidence-based notes on existing passive cooling approaches. They produce a stakeholder-centered problem statement and a test plan outline tied to lowering the model’s ground temperature. (6 days, days 3-8)
  Phase 3: Select & Prototype — Students generate multiple solution concepts, evaluate them using a weighted decision matrix, and justify their chosen approach. Teams then build rapid prototypes and begin planned testing with temperature sensors using the same measurement method each time, producing a baseline dataset for later comparisons. (5 days, days 9-13)
  Phase 4: Analyze & Showcase — Students analyze test failures and successes, identify what to revise based on the original criteria, and retest with the same measures to quantify improvement and trade-offs. They compile an engineering story—including problem, criteria, selected solution, test evidence, optimization cycle, remaining gaps, and next steps—for the final Cool Court Showcase to community partners and families. (5 days, days 14-18)
  Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20) ◀ THIS PHASE

SKILL PROGRESSION ACROSS PHASES:
  - Earlier phases should teach foundational skills; later phases build on them
  - Do NOT teach skills in Phase 5 that belong in earlier phases
  - This is the FINAL phase — include culminating presentation, exhibition, or showcase


HARD TIME BUDGET — NEVER EXCEED THIS:
- This phase has 2 days × 45 min/day = 90 min TOTAL.
- Generate AT MOST 2 activities for this phase (roughly 1 per day).
- The SUM of ALL activity durations MUST BE ≤ 90 minutes.
- BEFORE returning, add up all durations and verify the total is within budget. If over, REMOVE activities until within budget.

GENERATE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PHASE ONLY (Phase 5):
## Phase 5: Showcase — Present final products to an authentic audience and reflect on learning. (2 days, days 19-20)



DISCIPLINE GUIDANCE:
"Emphasize activities where students act like engineers: scoping problems, writing measurable criteria, researching prior solutions, generating multiple distinct concepts, building decision matrices, prototyping quickly, designing fair tests, collecting data, and revising based on results. Use pedagogical moves that force justification with evidence, such as design reviews, checkpoint critiques, trade-off discussions, and comparisons of performance against specifications. Students should be measuring, documenting, explaining, and iterating—not just building. Avoid activities that reward aesthetic completion over performance, allow teams to skip alternative concept evaluation, or treat informal impressions like \"it works\" as sufficient evidence. Do not let students jump from problem statement to final build without a design brief, comparative analysis, and a test plan."


ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
- Make sure to prioritize and directly integrate ALL Required Instructional Elements

- Ensure all ideas are grade level appropriate
- Ensure all ideas are achievable within the given timeframe
- Prioritize ideas that allow all students to meaningfully participate and succeed
- Prioritize project-based, experiential ideas and avoid traditional worksheets or lectures.
- Provide actionable ideas based on the context provided without including explanations of the task or reasoning process.
- Avoid terms like "empower" that imply giving or granting agency to students. Rather, use direct, active language that recognizes students' existing capabilities.
- Do not repeat or restate details from the prompt in your response.
- Each activity needs realistic duration in minutes and a specific day number within days 19-20
- student_grouping_type must be: individual, pair, small_group, or whole_class
- LAUNCH activities go near the BEGINNING of the phase
- ASSESSMENT activities go toward the END of the phase
- Omit student_instructions to save space.

Return JSON:
{
  "description": "Students will...",
  "activities": [
    { "title": "🔬 ...", "description": "...",
      "activity_type": "knowledge_building",
      "duration": 30, "day": 19,
      "student_grouping_type": "individual|pair|small_group|whole_class",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": ["...", "..."],
      "learning_goal_uuids": ["<uuid of a goal this activity scaffolds>"] }
Standards and competencies are derived from the assigned goals — do NOT return them per activity.
  ]
}

{
  "description": "Students will present and defend their final passive cooling structures to community partners and families, demonstrate temperature-drop evidence live, respond to feedback with data-based reasoning, and complete a concise final reflection on how testing and revision improved their engineering solution.",
  "activities": [
    {
      "title": "🛠️ Cool Court Presentation Polish",
      "description": "Teams do a final run-through of their design review using their model, test data poster, design log, and temperature-drop demonstration setup. Partners rehearse speaking roles, check that claims match recorded evidence, and give feedback to 2 peers on clarity, use of data, and explanation of trade-offs before teams make last adjustments to slides, poster labels, or talking points.",
      "activity_type": "deliverable",
      "duration": 30,
      "day": 19,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": false,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Each team completes one full timed rehearsal in 3-5 minutes.",
        "Each student has a speaking role with at least 1 evidence-based contribution.",
        "Teams give feedback to 2 peers and record at least 2 revisions they make before the showcase.",
        "Presentation materials include a claim, at least 2 temperature data points with units, and 1 stated trade-off or limitation."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null]
    },
    {
      "title": "🌡️ Cool Court Showcase Review",
      "description": "Teams present their revised 1:10 passive cooling model to the city parks and recreation staff member, the landscape architect, classmates, and families. During the design review, they explain how shade, airflow, and sustainable materials work together, answer audience questions with evidence from testing, and run a live temperature-drop demonstration. Students then complete a brief final design log reflection naming one idea they kept, one concern they improved for community use, and one limitation that remains.",
      "activity_type": "assessment",
      "duration": 45,
      "day": 20,
      "student_grouping_type": "small_group",
      "submission_required": true,
      "grading_required": true,
      "success_criteria": [
        "Team presentation includes the final model, test data poster, and design log evidence.",
        "Teams state whether their model reduced surface temperature by at least 5°C and support the claim with repeated trial data.",
        "Students answer at least 2 audience or expert questions by referring to data, materials, or revision notes.",
        "Final reflection identifies 1 feature kept, 1 public-use issue improved, and 1 remaining limitation in complete written sentences."
      ],
      "learning_goal_uuids": [null, null, null]
    }
  ]
}