Design notebook setup
Do now
Set up a design notebook and innovation portfolio that documents dated, evidence-based engineering work.
- Hand in
- Initialized design notebook with four labeled sections and a dated first entry, plus a portfolio folder screenshot.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
You build a great prototype, but your notebook is a pile of loose sketches. Can you prove how you got there, or convince anyone to fund the next one?
Set up a design notebook and innovation portfolio that documents dated, evidence-based engineering work.
- • Your notebook has dated, labeled sections ready for daily evidence.
- • You can explain what makes a notebook entry count as evidence.
- What is the difference between a rough doodle and an evidence-quality notebook entry?
- Why would an engineer date and organize every page?
- 1Create notebook sections for problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
- 2Read the rubric for what counts as portfolio evidence.
- 3Date and label your first page and record today's objective.
- 4Set up the portfolio folder structure that mirrors the PLTW problems.
- 5Submit a screenshot or scan of your initialized notebook and portfolio.
What did this day actually feel like?
Design notebook setup
A design notebook is different from a lab notebook. It keeps the dead ends. Every idea, including the bad ones, with the date, because the record of what you rejected and why is the thing that proves the final design was a decision rather than the first idea you had.
Turned in: notebook → Lab Notebooks folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
A design notebook is different from a lab notebook. It keeps the dead ends.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
What counts as evidence, and where to find it
What makes evidence strong, and where do you find evidence you can trust?
Evidence is the data and observations you use to back up a claim. In science that means measurements, experimental results, images, and records, not “my friend said” or “I saw it once.”
Strong evidence is relevant (it actually bears on the claim), sufficient (there is enough of it), and reliable (it was collected carefully and others could repeat it). One data point is rarely enough; a pattern across many is far stronger.
Where you find it matters. Prefer primary sources and reputable ones: peer-reviewed studies, government and health agencies (CDC, NIH, NHGRI), and your own lab data. When you find a source online, do not trust it on looks. Check who is behind it and what better sources say.
- • Relevant: it directly supports (or tests) the claim.
- • Sufficient: there is enough of it, not a single lucky data point.
- • Reliable: collected carefully, and others could reproduce it.
- • Sourced: you can say where it came from and why that source is trustworthy.
- • Stop. Investigate the source: who made this and why?
- • Find better coverage: what do other reputable sources say?
- • Trace claims and quotes back to the original.
Find two pieces of evidence for a claim in this unit, one from your lab/class data and one from a reputable source. Note why each source can be trusted.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that your engineering work is rigorous and reproducible.
- 0-10Portfolio rubric review: what counts as evidence and what does not
- 10-25Notebook setup: create and label the four required sections
- 25-45First dated entry: record today's objective and your name on page 1
- 45-60Portfolio folder setup: mirror the PLTW problem structure in your digital folder
- 60-75Submit screenshot or scan of initialized notebook and folder structure
- 75-80Pair-check: swap notebooks and verify the other person's sections and date
- • Engineers and scientists do not just do the work -- they document it so anyone can verify it.
- • Your design notebook is your personal evidence record for the entire year.
- • Today you will set up the notebook and portfolio structure you will use for every problem in this course.
- • A well-structured notebook also prepares you for the Lab SOPs strand of the WebXam 072125.
- • The four notebook sections that must exist before any work begins: problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
- • What distinguishes an evidence-quality notebook entry from a rough note.
- • How the portfolio folder structure mirrors the PLTW problem sequence.
BI launch, safety, design notebook, innovation portfolio, daily evidence routine. · Design notebook setup
Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Problem 1 in your myPLTW course shell and locate the notebook-setup guidance in the current activity.
Mark the notebook setup activity complete in your tracker once your portfolio folder matches the course structure.
The SDS check is done; by end of today your design notebook sections should be labeled and your portfolio folder ready.
Screenshot or scan of your initialized notebook and portfolio folder turned in on the class site or in person.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
BI launch, safety, design notebook, innovation portfolio, daily evidence routine. · Design notebook setup
Open Problem 1 in your myPLTW course shell and locate the notebook-setup guidance in the current activity.
The SDS check is done; by end of today your design notebook sections should be labeled and your portfolio folder ready.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Set up a design notebook and innovation portfolio that documents dated, evidence-based engineering work.
- Create notebook sections for problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
- Read the rubric for what counts as portfolio evidence.
- Date and label your first page and record today's objective.
- Set up the portfolio folder structure that mirrors the PLTW problems.
- Submit a screenshot or scan of your initialized notebook and portfolio.
Notebook check: Initialized design notebook with four labeled sections and a dated first entry, plus a portfolio folder screenshot.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Create notebook sections for problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection. | _______ |
| Read the rubric for what counts as portfolio evidence. | _______ |
| Date and label your first page and record today's objective. | _______ |
| Set up the portfolio folder structure that mirrors the PLTW problems. | _______ |
| Submit a screenshot or scan of your initialized notebook and portfolio. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- Your notebook has dated, labeled sections ready for daily evidence.
- You can explain what makes a notebook entry count as evidence.
- 1Do thisSet up a design notebook and innovation portfolio that documents dated, evidence-based engineering work.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisNotebook check: Initialized design notebook with four labeled sections and a dated first entry, plus a portfolio folder screenshot.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Biotechnology for Health (Biomedical Innovations) › BI launch, safety, design notebook, innovation portfolio, daily evidence routine. › Notebook checkOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Reading and applying a Data Sheet is a core lab-SOP skill that applies to every biomedical lab you will ever enter.
A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that your engineering work is rigorous and reproducible.
A bridge prototype is tested against a load limit, cost limit, and user need before revision.
- Which requirement is a criterion?
- Which limit is a constraint?
- What test result should trigger a redesign?
A design improves when evidence is compared with explicit criteria and constraints.
Biomedical designs also require , ethics, and biological validation beyond a physical prototype test.
- • Bridge requirements map to design criteria.
- • Load results map to E1-E3.
- • Revision maps to the next evidence-based iteration.
Driving question: You build a great prototype, but your notebook is a pile of loose sketches. Can you prove how you got there, or convince anyone to fund the next one?
What you already know: Reading and applying a Data Sheet is a core lab-SOP skill that applies to every biomedical lab you will ever enter.
New idea: A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that your engineering work is rigorous and reproducible.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Design notebook setup. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Design notebook setup.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: A design improves when evidence is compared with explicit criteria and constraints.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: You build a great prototype, but your notebook is a pile of loose sketches. Can you prove how you got there, or convince anyone to fund the next one?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • innovation: A new idea, method, or product that improves on what came before and creates real value for people.
- • prototype: An early working model of a design built to test ideas, find problems, and gather feedback before making the final version.
- • constraint: A limit or requirement that a design must work within, such as a budget, available time, materials, or rules.
- • criterion: A clear, agreed-upon standard or rule used to judge, compare, or decide between options.
- • evidence: The facts, data, and cases that carry your claim. Opinions are free; evidence costs homework.
- • PPE: Personal protective equipment, the gear like gloves, goggles, lab coats, and masks worn to shield the body from chemical, biological, or physical hazards.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
The four notebook sections that must exist before any work begins: problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that your engineering work is rigorous and reproducible.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
Your notebook has dated, labeled sections ready for daily evidence.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-BFH-2027-02-01 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical design team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Design notebook setup supports before submitting the notebook record named on the lesson page.
- • Choose the strongest supported explanation.
- • Choose the next evidence to collect.
- • Hold the decision because the evidence is insufficient.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the notebook record.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Design notebook setup. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from Design notebook setup supports before submitting the notebook record named on the lesson page.
Context: A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that engineering work is rigorous and reproducible, because it lets someone else follow and trust your process.
- • T1: Create notebook sections for problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
- • T2: Read the rubric for what counts as portfolio evidence.
- • T3: Date and label your first page and record today's objective.
- • T4: Set up the portfolio folder structure that mirrors the PLTW problems.
- • T5: Submit a screenshot or scan of your initialized notebook and portfolio.
- • E1: The four notebook sections that must exist before any work begins: problem framing, sketches, data, and reflection.
- • E2: A dated, organized design notebook is the primary evidence that your engineering work is rigorous and reproducible.
- • E3: Your notebook has dated, labeled sections ready for daily evidence.
Measurements: No patient measurement is supplied unless it appears explicitly in E1-E3 or F1. Do not invent a value.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Design notebook setup. Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
- • The solution must address the stated need in Design notebook setup.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Students often think the notebook is just a scratchpad for your ideas. The trap: the notebook is your evidence, so it needs framing, sketches, data, and reflection, dated and organized, not just loose notes
Design notebook setup, dated entry
Date: January 21, 2027
Objective for today: Set up a design notebook and portfolio that can hold dated, evidence-quality engineering work.
Sections I created (tabbed and labeled):
- Problem framing: where I define and restate the problem I am solving.
- Sketches: dated drawings and concept notes, each labeled.
- Data: tables, measurements, and observations with units.
- Reflection: what worked, what I would change, and my next step.
What makes an entry count as evidence, not a rough note:
- It is dated and labeled with the objective.
- It records what I actually did and what I observed, in enough detail that someone could repeat it.
- It connects to a problem or a criterion, so a reader can see why it matters.
Portfolio folder: I built one folder per PLTW problem (Problem 1 through Problem 8) so each problem's evidence has a home. Screenshot attached.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A design notebook set up with the four working sections and a dated, labeled first entry, ready to hold daily engineering evidence.
- Date and label the entry.
- Record the procedure, observation, or design decision clearly.
- End with what the evidence means and the next step.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit the notebook screenshot or scan and the portfolio screenshot on the class site, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class by end of period.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Design notebook setup. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Use this after the required lesson work when you are ready for a harder application or a deeper connection.
Placement rationale
Matched BI launch and mission innovation by path:Biomedical-Innovations/00-Course-Planning; keywords:emergency room, design. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched BI launch and mission innovation by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-1_Emergency-Room/1.1_Emergency-Room; keywords:emergency room, design. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched BI launch and mission innovation by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-1_Emergency-Room/1.1_Emergency-Room; keywords:emergency room, design. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Design notebook setup. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
What four sections must a design notebook have before work begins, and what turns a rough note into an evidence-quality entry?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today's work depends on equipment and locations in our lab, so it cannot be finished from home. Do the part that travels: read the target above and the safety notes, and write what you already know.
Back in class. The in-room part has to be done in the room. See Mr. Mendoza on your first day back and he will run it with you before you work at the bench.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
OSHA Hazard Communication Standard- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.