DT
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
At Ringwood Junior School, we believe it is highly important to provide children with engaging learning opportunities in Design and Technology that develop a range of practical skills, whilst nurturing creativity and innovation through designing and making. Our carefully chosen projects allow pupils to investigate, design, make and evaluate a range of ‘real’ products for ‘real’ purposes. This subject is usually taught in blocks so that the children can fully immerse themselves in their projects and see the results of their learning as their work progresses. This gives the children an opportunity to continually evaluate their learning solve problems as they arise.
An appreciation of products and how they are made allows the children to make informed decisions during the planning and development process, whilst practical, hands-on experiences and activities develop skills and understanding of tools and materials. In addition, throughout the process, importantly pupils develop an understanding of how to work safely both for themselves and those around them. Design and Technology also includes developing key food preparation skills, an understanding of where food comes from and its nutritional value. Through Design and Technology, we hope that our pupils not only become discerning and informed customers, but, more importantly, creative problem solvers and potential innovators!
Term | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
Autumn focus
| MECHANISMS Explore flaps, sliders, and investigate levers and linkages with pivots, learn about Pop-up Artist Robert Sabuda, select suitable designs to levers/linkages for a pop-up book
Outcome: Create a Christmas pop-up book | ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS Explore simple circuits & switches, current nightlights, create & decorate a cube base for lamp, create a circuit with a bulb & switch, investigate programming and control of lights
Outcome: Create a nightlight for a child | MECHANICAL SYSTEMS Investigate movement and motion of cam toys, different cam shapes. Explore work of Designer Rob Ives, mark out and safely cut wood to make a frame for the toy
Outcome: Create a moving cam toy
| TEXTILES Investigate the history of shoes and slippers, different styles, how they are made, different materials and functions, combining different fabric shapes, build on sewing skills and develop stitching techniques Outcome: Make my own pair of slippers |
Spring focus
| FOOD Learn about healthy eating, composite dishes, compare sandwich products, explore food preparation. An introduction to seasonality, develop chopping, slicing and spreading skills, measuring ingredients. Food safety & hygiene
Outcome: Make a healthy sandwich snack | FOOD Explore whether foods are grown, farm-reared or caught, where our foods come from, revisit healthy eating. Investigate the history of biscuits, adapt a recipe, use mixing skills, measuring ingredients Food safety & hygiene
Outcome:Bake biscuits for Easter | FOOD Explore foods (bread) from around the world, different cultures, learn how bread is made & role of ingredients, compare home and commercial baking, adapt a recipe, use kneading skills, measuring ingredients with accuracy, revisit food safety & hygiene
Outcome: Bake sweet & savoury bread rolls | FOOD Compare soups & flavours, develop knowledge of seasonality, adapt a recipe & explore flavours, consolidate chopping / slicing skills, dice veg, use a source of heat, measure ingredients with accuracy, food safety & hygiene
Outcome: Make a healthy soup for a soldier |
Summer focus
| STRUCTURES Explore freestanding & shell structures and packaging, 3D shapes and nets, Find out about reusing, recycling and repurposing to create a product
Outcome: Create a desk tidy from repurposed and recycled items | TEXTILES Explore & evaluate current pencil cases and Smiggle designers, Introduction to basic sewing skills using Binca, use a 2D textile shape to make a functioning 3D product
Outcome: Create a personalised pencil case | STRUCTURES Explore different types of bridge and frame structures, explore bridge designers Thomas Telford Keith Brownlie and their work, explore making various joints with straws
Outcome: Create a bridge to Isle of Wight | ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS Explore toy cars and how they move, investigate pulleys and motorised pulleys, explore air resistance in car design, learn about Felix Holst (former Hot Wheels designer) Outcome: Design a car for racing |