This text presents an approach to teaching how the process of design makes environments work. The contexts and activities in the text are grounded in a broad range of places and situations that are part of children's everyday experiences, such as the classroom, animal habitats, and schedules.

Use a single volume independently or all five to form a powerful vehicle for integrating science, math, social studies, language arts, and everyday technology. The complete series includes: Mechanisms & Other Systems; Packaging & Other Structures; Designed Environments: Places, Practices & Plans; Signs, Symbols & Codes; Mapping