Design and Technology

Last updated: September 2022

 

Design and Technology gives children the opportunity to explore pre-existing products, understand areas such as cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, structures, textiles and electrical systems and use this knowledge to create a solution to problems. It allows children an opportunity to draw on learning from subjects such as English, Science, Art, Maths, Environmental subjects and Computing. Also, children will be able to develop practical and lifelong skills to help them with their future.

The National Curriculum for Design and Technology is divided into 5 key areas.

  • explore and evaluate a range of existing products.
  • evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.
  • investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
  • evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
  • understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
  • design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
  • generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.
  • use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional,appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
  • generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.
  • select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing].
  • select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.
  • select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately.
  • select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
  • build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
  • explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
  • apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
  • understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
  • understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
  • apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
  • use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
  • understand where food comes from.
  • understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet.
  • prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
  • understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.

As the knowledge and understanding in each Design and Technology strand builds on the last project, it is crucial to ensure children recall and remember key facts before they explore the strand further.

At Firs, we do this by assessing children’s understanding in various ways.

Before we start a topic, teachers look at what prior knowledge children should have from previous learning. Teachers will then adapt planning and use questioning to fill those gaps.

At Firs, it is important for children to develop their vocabulary and have the confidence to use key vocabulary to develop their ideas.

We do this through Word Aware, stem sentences and substitution tables. These help children to hear the technical vocabulary in context and build sentences to explain their ideas.

Children develop and build their understanding as they explore mechanisms in KS1 and in KS2.

In KS1, children learn about sliders and levers. They complete focused tasks to explore how bridges/guides and pivots are used. They will then use this knowledge to create their own story with pages that include a moving element for the class to keep in their book corner.

They will also understand how wheels and axles work by exploring toys and pre-existing products. Then they will design, make and evaluate a moon buggy for Sky Badger to travel around the moon.

 

In LKS2, they will build on their learning by investigating levers and linkages. They will be able to explain what an input/output is, the difference between a fixed and loose pivot and explain their design choices.

Children expand their understanding as they explore fabrics, thread, stitches and sewing machines.

In KS1, children will learn to thread their own needle and use a simple running stitch to join two pieces of fabric, use a template to mark and cut out a simple pattern and identify different types of fastenings. Then they will design, make and evaluate a finger puppet (product) for the class (user) to create a display about superheroes (purpose).

 

In LKS2, children will learn to identify and create running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch and slip stitch. Considering the needs of the user, the children will design, create and evaluate a sack for the Tear Thief to carry her tears in, or a bag and potentially accessories to use as a story sack for the text.

In UKS2, children will research designers such as Coco Chanel and Laura Ashley. They will unpick existing products to explore various patterns and templates. Children will then use pattern pieces to mark out and cut out a pattern, leaving a seam allowance and use a sewing machine, with supervision, to join two pieces of fabric together.

Electrical Systems are introduced in KS2.

Children will use their problem solving skills to design, make and evaluate a fun and exciting 2 minute timer for children (user) to show when they have finished cleaning their teeth (purpose) as they found that after COVID, most children have not seen a dentist recently. The children will use Makey-Makeys and Crumble kits to create a timer, flashing lights or sounds to alert the user that the timer has ended.

In addition, the children will explore pre-existing products like Don’t Buzz the Wire and Operation and use their pre-existing knowledge of circuits to create their own electronic board game.

Contact Us

Firs Primary School
Raven Street
Derby
DE22 3WA
Telephone: 01332 346230
Fax: 01332 200782
admin@firsprimary.derby.sch.uk

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