Need a design sketch checklist for MYP Designers? Check out eight best practices to help student designers sketch a product, object, or scene.

Help your students communicate visually to the fullest and clearest extent for their intended audience.

• Neatness – Precise and purposeful lines. No smudge or eraser marks.
• Space Management – The final sketch size makes sense relative to the size of the paper.
• Contrast – The sketch can be easily seen on the paper–it is obviously different compared to the paper color. Dark black pencil on white paper shows strong contrast.
• Line Thickness – Thinner lines serve as guides (like construction lines). Thicker lines clearly define the final sketch components.
• Lighting and Shading A light source is established, and shading is added to and/or around the sketch to best communicate the nature of the object, product, scene, etc.
• Positions and Proportions The arrangement and dimensions of the parts of the object, product, scene, etc. make sense relative to each other.
• Essential Sketch Details The sketch communicates the most important characteristics of the object, product, scene, etc.
• Annotations Text and/or explanatory diagrams are concise, clear, and organized.

Upper elementary and lower middle school students are the main target group for this checklist; however, this design resource can easily apply to older and younger students as well.

For students in grades 4 to 7, consider using no more than four of the categories as specific focus areas (i.e., areas for formative or summative assessment purposes). This will help with focus and minimize any feelings of being overwhelmed with requirements.

Do reference and ask students to keep in mind all of the eight categories for best practice purposes. Recall a six-traits writing rubric–a similar best practice is to be mindful of all of the traits but only assess a few specific traits to help make learning targets more manageable and meaningful for students.

This simple design sketch checklist for successful product sketching works well with student pencil-and-paper practice during MYP Design Criterion A.