The document discusses the design cycle, which is a five-step process for planning projects and activities. The steps are: investigate, design, plan, create, and evaluate. The design cycle can help with creating presentations by guiding the planning process. It is useful for assessments - the author's group used the design cycle to plan and create a social studies documentary by following the steps to investigate the topic, design a script, plan shooting, create a video, and then evaluate their final product.