Team Stone Plastics 2026 ICUth by

Ambassador Quote

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

"You have all been AMAZING and we loved having you at Stone!"

Student Quotes

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

I think that Stone had a lot happening and it was cool to see the small plastic parts that we see on a daily basis being made.

Reflection

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

We came up with a lot of ideas through the Idea Quota protocol. A lot of our ideas centered around events, which helped us land on our final ideas.

Teacher Quotes on the Experience

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

It was so fun watching students rise up to any challenge we put in front of them!

Reflection

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

A running "Need to Know" list worked really well. We used different colors each day so we knew which questions had been answered, and which ones we still needed answers to. Speed Boat also really helped us identify what was working well and what still needed to be addressed.

Reflection

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Seeing other students present helped our group feel more confident that they were on the right track with their presentation.

Idea Generating

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Checking In

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

We used the Speed Boat protocol as a way to check in with students about what anchors they saw in the current situation after building empathy for our stakeholders.

Teacher Profile

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Please include a picture of each teacher and a summary sentence on where and what you teach.

Team Building

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

As part of our team building, we used the Inner Heros protocol.

Team/Class Picture

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Team Stone Plastics

7- soon to be 7th graders

Gaining Insight

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Feedback & Reflection

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Final Pitch/Authentic Audience

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

What an awesome way to wrap up the week! Our students confidently presented their innovative ideas to Stone Plastics, parents, and families after days of hard work and teamwork.

Entry Event

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

For our entry even we took a tour of Stone Plastics.

Standards & Skills

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL .6.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL .6.2
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL .6.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL .6.4
Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Our Driving Question

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Design Challenge/Project Description

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Students had to brainstorm ways to make people on the production floor more positive.

Narrowing Down

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Before we narrowed things down as a team, we went out onto the production floor and shared our top 10-11 ideas with the floor operators. We asked them about what ideas they liked the best, and which ones they didn't think were feasible. We then came back together and each group reported out the feedback they had gotten. We tallied up the ideas that got the most support.

Uncover Need to Knows

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

As we worked through our protocols, we built a running list of need to knows. We added to it over the course of several days, and interviewed our business contact about the answers to our questions at different points in the process.

Gaining Empathy

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Students created empathy maps for each stakeholder, thinking about what they might say, think, feel, and do in relation to the challenge. This activity helped students develop a deeper understanding of stakeholder needs and perspectives to inform their solution ideas.

Project Title: Project Positivity

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Stakeholders

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

Students created a stakeholder map around our driving question, identifying the people and groups impacted by the challenge. This process helped them consider multiple perspectives and better understand the needs of those involved before developing solutions.

Day 5!

futureprepd2 — 2026-04-30 19:17:16 UTC

We started our day by going through our last run through of our presentation. Then we handed out our awards to boost morale before our final presentation.

Inner Heros

2026-06-22 17:46:36 UTC

Lunch

2026-06-22 17:52:36 UTC

We also built our team’s relationships by going out for lunch the first day. We went to the grocery store after we ate and picked up some snacks for the week. Then we ended with a nature walk!

Nature Walk- Turtle!

2026-06-22 17:57:21 UTC

We found a huge snapping turtle!

Team Building- snack shack

2026-06-22 17:57:32 UTC

We ventured to the grocery store to pick a few of our favorite snacks to munch on to keep our energy up throughout the week.

Nature Walk

2026-06-22 17:58:32 UTC

Alex Pratt

2026-06-22 18:03:21 UTC

I teach 6th Grade ELA and Social Studies at White Pines Intermediate in Grand Haven.

Empathy Map: Manager

2026-06-22 18:12:46 UTC

Empathy Map: Owner

2026-06-22 18:12:46 UTC

Empathy Map: Team Coach

2026-06-22 18:12:47 UTC

Need to Knows

2026-06-22 18:18:35 UTC

Need to Know List

2026-06-22 18:28:30 UTC

Speed Boat

2026-06-23 12:52:48 UTC

Speed Boat

2026-06-23 12:53:05 UTC

Speed boat

2026-06-23 13:33:21 UTC

Students used the Speedboat Protocol to reflect on their project progress by thinking about what is helping them move forward and what might be slowing them down. They shared ideas, discussed challenges, and brainstormed ways to keep their project on course.

Day 2 Hopes/Fears/Norms

2026-06-23 13:36:32 UTC

Draw/Act Out the Problem

2026-06-23 14:04:04 UTC

Students participated in the Draw It or Act It Out protocol, using sketches and role-playing to visualize the problem from different perspectives. This hands-on activity helped students build empathy, uncover key challenges, and deepen their understanding of the design challenge before generating solutions.

Save the Last Word

2026-06-23 14:06:53 UTC

Students used the Save the Last Word protocol to dig deeper into an article connected to our driving question. They selected a meaningful word, phrase, and sentence, then shared their thinking and listened to others before explaining why they chose each one.

Construction

2026-06-23 14:56:23 UTC

Students had to work together to move blocks to build a tower.

Idea Quota

2026-06-23 19:23:10 UTC

Students participated in the 100 Idea Quota protocol, challenging themselves to generate as many ideas as possible without worrying about whether they were good or bad. Afterward, they worked together to sort and categorize similar ideas, helping them identify common themes and potential directions for their project.

Crazy 8’s

2026-06-24 17:28:53 UTC

Students participated in the Crazy 8’s protocol, quickly sketching eight different ideas (1 minute per idea) to encourage creative thinking and push beyond their first solution. They then shared their ideas with the whole team, explaining their thinking and gathering feedback and inspiration from others.

Crazy 8’s Presentation

2026-06-24 17:41:32 UTC

Liv and the other students had 2 minutes to present their 8 ideas to the team.

NUF Test

2026-06-24 17:52:07 UTC

As a whole group we evaluated each idea of it was a new idea, will it be useful in creating positive and is it feasible/doable for the company to implement.

Operator Interviews

2026-06-25 14:01:44 UTC

We took our top ideas and interviewed operators on the floor about which ones they liked the best. We tallied up the top ideas and developed them further.

Practice Presentations CTC

2026-06-25 14:03:11 UTC

We presented at the CTC to get more feedback.

Preparing for the CTC

2026-06-25 14:04:35 UTC

Mr. Fenlon stopped by to give us feedback on our ideas and presentation skills.

Dot Voting

2026-06-25 16:02:49 UTC

After sharing their Crazy 8 ideas, students participated in a dot-voting activity to identify the ideas that resonated most with the group. This helped the team narrow their focus and determine which concepts they wanted to explore further.

Paper Plate Awards

2026-06-26 13:58:58 UTC

Paper Plate Shout Outs

2026-06-26 14:03:17 UTC

Students passed their Paper Plate Awards around to get positive comments from all of the other members of the group. They ended by giving themselves a shout out.

TAG

2026-06-26 14:14:16 UTC

Students went to careerline tech center to gain feedback on their rough draft solution. T- tell us something you liked, A- ask a question about the solution, G- give a suggestion to help improve the idea.

Describing the Creative Sequence

2026-06-26 14:15:29 UTC

Final Solutions

2026-06-26 14:15:33 UTC

Review, Reflect, Revise

2026-06-26 14:16:32 UTC

After we got back to stone plastics we revived feedback, reflected on our solution and came up with a list of revisions or improvements we could make to our solution.