Design and technologies / Year 5 and 6 / Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments and prepared to enable people to grow and be healthy (ACTDEK021)

Elaborations
  • investigating and experimenting with different tools, equipment and methods of preparing soil and the effect on soil quality and sustainability including conserving and recycling nutrients, for example when designing a sustainable school vegetable garden or cropping area
  • describing the relationship between plant types and animal breeds and their environmental suitability when selecting suitable plants or animals for an environment
  • sequencing the process of converting ‘on-farm’ food or fibre products into a product suitable for retail sale, that is, the ‘paddock to plate’ supply chain, or when making yarn or fabric from fibre
  • using current food guides and government-endorsed food policies to plan food choices
  • experimenting with tools, equipment, combining ingredients and techniques to design and make food products or meals for selected groups for healthy eating taking into consideration environmental impacts and nutritional benefits
  • considering traditional and contemporary methods of food preparation used in a variety of cultures, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander methods
  • identifying work practices that show an understanding of nutrition, environmental considerations, hygiene and food safety when designing and making a food product, for example washing fruit and vegetables carefully to remove residues, safe disposal of cooking oils to avoid environmental damage, refrigerated storage of highly perishable foods
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Agriculture,  Farming systems,  Food miles,  Fibres (Materials)

Text

Cotton Australia: posters

This page provides links to 5 posters that can downloaded as PDFs. The posters include: field to fashion process, sustainable cotton farms and a map showing where cotton is grown. Variations of the posters are available for primary and secondary students. The web page also provides a link to order free hard copies if required.

Text

Cotton Australia fact sheets

This library provides a series of one to two page fact sheets on a range of topics related to the Australian cotton industry including: an overview of the industry, history of the cotton industry in Australia and in the world; economics of Australian cotton; biotechnology; climate challenges and cotton; properties of cotton ...

Video

Australian Curriculum - Agriculture in education (a teacher's point of view)

This is a video about the value of a unit of work focusing on agriculture and food production as part of an integrated approach to Implementing the Australian Curriculum. It is presented by year 6 teacher Tathia Shield Wells and includes footage of her students making butter and growing vegetables. She explains how the ...

Video

Introducing Agriculture - from the paddock/ocean to the plate

This is a video about where food comes from and how it is produced. The video is presented by Amy and uses cut out animation and a spoken commentary with numerous puns and riddles to introduce and explain the concept and purpose of agriculture. Amy then details the steps in producing milk and honey. The video lasts for ...

Video

Introduction 'Technology' in AgriBusiness (Animation)

This is a video about how Australian farmers embrace technology. Using animation, photographs and commentary with occasional puns and jokes by a primary-school--aged boy, it sets the scene of the overall impact of technology, describes why Australian farmers have always been innovative; provides a definition of technology; ...

Video

Lunchbox Legends - the people behind your lunch (Animation)

This is a video about the various occupations involved in developing and producing the food used in a ham and salad lunch roll. The video is presented by Will, a primary-school-aged boy, who identifies and describes nine occupations in several broad groups including researchers, growers of plant food; producers of animal ...

Video

What do authors do besides writing – they farm truffles?

This is a video about author and farmer SD Gentill and how she combines writing with growing black truffles. It consists of an interview in which she answers questions posed by Will, a young boy. To a background of scenes from her Snowy Mountains farm and a Brisbane restaurant she supplies, Gentill explains how truffles ...

Interactive

Chicken farming in the living world: Stage 3

Chickens are fascinating animals and provide students with an interesting subject matter to discuss the many aspects of our living world. This interactive course for students explores the question 'Why is it important for food and/or fibre to be produced sustainably?' and comprises a series of modules and supporting videos. ...

Video

Investigating food and fibres: producer video

This is a video about biodynamic grape growing and wine production at Cape Jaffa Winery in South Australia. It is narrated by co-owner and winemaker Anna Hooper, who describes the wine regions in which the vineyard is located, its soil types, and the main wines grown. She goes on to illustrate the winery's commitment to ...

Video

A Year on a Farm: producer video

This is a video about operation of an organic orchard near Kalangadoo in South Australia and the commitment to biodiversity of its owners Michelle and Chris McColl. Michelle McColl describes and illustrates the annual cycle of work with the trees and fruit while discussing the economic and agronomical advantages of the ...

Video

Investigating key Australian approaches to producing cotton, timber and wool: producer video

This is a video about short wool sheep breeds and how their wool is used at the MiniJumbuck factory at Narracorte South Australia to make quilts, underlays and pillows. Sheep are seen on farms as merino sheep producer Thyne McGregor and Southdown breeder Dee Nolan discuss the strengths of each type of wool and how each ...

Video

Bruny Island Providore

This is a short clip in which the business owner of a Tasmanian fudge company describes the establishment and development of his confectionery business. Business owner, Michael, explains the production model behind his successful enterprise including the business location, the local sourcing of raw materials, and a world’s-first ...

Video

Where would we bee without them? video

This is a video about bees and their importance for Australian agricultural production. Intended for mid-primary students, the video is presented by Trevor Weatherhead of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council. He describes how numerous plants, such as the pumpkin crops seen in the video, are dependent on bees for pollination. ...

Online

Growing healthy plants using natural pesticides

Plants are vulnerable to pests and diseases. This learning activity is designed for children to: understand how to cultivate healthy plants using organic gardening methods; look to natural ingredients as a solution to ridding plants of unwanted pests and diseases; and know how to make a natural pesticide and evaluate the ...

Online

ThinkKind lesson plan archive

This is a collection of lesson plans addressing the ethical treatment of animals and animal welfare. The archive includes lessons focusing the on animal welfare in food production, the treatment of animals in horse racing and the animal needs. Each lesson contains teacher notes and student resources and is aligned to the ...

Online

Exploring farms that produce our meat and wool

This is a teacher resource containing a sequence of activities relating to meat and wool production in Australia. It contains material to assist planning and implementing a study of where farmers live, where our meat and wool comes from, technologies used in production and resource management, and how farm environment and ...

Online

Design and Make a Financial Plan for a Market Garden

This is a teacher guide providing suggestions for Maths activities based on designing a sustainable market garden and developing a budget for creating and maintaining the market garden as a profitable enterprise. It highlights the need for researching factors such as crop growing conditions and sales potential, and provides ...

Online

Future foods: Science and sustainability Years 5-6

This study guide explores the modern practices in sustainable farming and its role in the future of food production. It investigates the challenges Australian cattle and sheep farmers’ face and how science can help them to meet the challenge of sustainably feeding the world with a growing population and climate variability. ...

Online

Exploring sustainable practices in food and fibre production

This is a teacher resource containing a series of inquiry teaching sequences relating to sustainable management practices in food and fibre production. It contains material to assist planning, implementing and assessing a study of the sustainability of Australian primary industries. This resource includes links to a large ...

Video

Carey Bros Queensland

This is a video about the operation of the Carey Brothers meat production business. Introduced by Greg Carey, the video shows beef cattle at the company's abattoir as he lists the numbers of cattle, lambs and pigs processed in a typical week and the numbers of staff employed at the plant. He praises the resilience of the ...