PIKO · PLAN · BUILD · TEST
Redesign a book corner
Information classification, purposeful reading, data comparison and user-centred design.
Suggested years: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 · 3–5 students · 2 days
How can readers find a book quickly while different interests remain welcome?
Create a team record →What you will make
A physical shelf or tabletop corner, signs, search trials and a recommendation
Materials
12 borrowed books or handmade title cards, paper, coloured pencils and a timer. Ask the teacher before moving classroom books.
Constraints
Keep the same 12 titles, location and three search tasks. Reset after each search. Change the arrangement and labels only.
Discuss this trade-off
Sort by topic or by title? How could signs help a reader who knows fewer letters? Hear each member’s reasons.
How to test fairly
Time three search tasks in the original layout. After redesigning, use the same task cards with three peers who did not take the first test. Record familiarity, order and participants as limitations.
Skills you will practise
Information classification, purposeful reading, data comparison and user-centred design.
Extend the challenge
Years 5–6: add lending rules and a budget; discuss speed, readability and fairness.
Plan the time
Suggested calendar days: 2 days. Days describe a suggested calendar schedule, not continuous working time. Allow discussion, role rotation and tidying between rounds. The seed project uses two consecutive seven-day observation cycles.
Seven steps for working together
Form a team
Choose distinct nicknames, confirm everyone is present and assign first-round responsibilities.
Hear different proposals
Each member proposes an idea and a reason; compare trade-offs and retain alternative views.
Plan a fair test
Record a prediction, build steps, measurement method, and what will change or remain constant.
Build & test version one
Build a physical first version or drawing. Retain three original readings and notes on failures.
Revise & test again
Revise using evidence, rotate responsibilities and take three readings with the same method.
Share & reflect
Show the product or a paper chart, explain the limits of both rounds, and collect each member’s contribution and reflection.
Review your evidence
Check the evidence is complete and discuss four feedback dimensions with a teacher or another team.
Original readings from both rounds
Time to find the correct title (seconds) · 0–600
A blank means not measured yet; zero means a measured zero. Keep the original readings, including failures.
Agree on the measurement method first. Retain three readings per version, compare means and ranges, and explain the result with its conditions and limitations.
| Version | Reading 1 | Reading 2 | Reading 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version one | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| Version two | ________ | ________ | ________ |
Share the work in teams of 3–5
Use these roles in round one; rotate one position in round two. In teams of three, combine recording and coordination with other duties; teams of four share coordination. Everyone proposes an idea and takes part in testing.
- Designer / questioner
- Builder / materials
- Tester / measurer
- Recorder / presenter
- Listener / coordinator
Teacher notes
Check materials and constraints, then group by readiness. Notice who hears an alternative, changes their mind and explains evidence. Rotate roles between tests. Accept failure or no improvement, using a next-step plan to continue learning.
Give feedback on the actual process
- Question and trade-offs: compare reasons for two proposals and consider who is affected.
- Fair testing: explain what changed and what stayed constant; retain failures and repeated readings.
- Evidence: use original data, state limitations and propose a testable next step.
- Collaboration: everyone contributes, hears an alternative and rotates duties in round two.
Describe each dimension as needing support, explaining independently, or transferring to a new situation, with an observed example. Hear from every member.
Design references and scope
These original Piko Game primary projects draw on Astra Nova’s emphasis on problem solving, constructive disagreements and collaboration, and Synthesis’s emphasis on team discussion. Astra Nova currently serves ages 11–18. These age-adapted activities are independent of both organisations and are not their official curriculum.
Choose by readiness
Years indicate participation readiness. Teachers can adapt for reading, measuring and collaboration; young learners may draw or dictate with adult recording support. China 5–4 recommendations are readiness labels, not a certified curriculum mapping.
What to record
Team records stay in this browser and are never published on these public guides. Use nicknames. Export and import a file to change devices; export a backup before leaving if saving is unavailable.