Design and Technologies / Foundation / Processes and production skills / Designing and making

Curriculum content descriptions

generate, communicate and evaluate design ideas, and use materials, equipment and steps to safely make a solution for a purpose (AC9TDEFP01)

Elaborations
  • identifying a purpose for designing and making a solution, for example the sand keeps blowing out of the sandpit, the birds keep flying into the waste bin and taking food scraps or people with disability need to know where they can park at school
  • exploring ideas by drawing or modelling and choosing the most suitable idea, for example drawing or modelling designs for bee hotels to attract native bees to the school garden and choosing one to make, and changing perspectives from front view to plan view
  • evaluating what they have made using personal preferences, for example using a smiley face Likert scale
  • exploring how available materials can be used or re-used in construction play, for example using blocks and rain gutters or cardboard to make a ramp to roll a ball or toy car down
  • practising a range of technical skills safely using equipment, for example joining techniques when making a product from materials, such as a greenhouse to keep a seedling warm or a trellis for holding up tomato plants
  • assembling components of systems and checking they function as planned, for example making and testing a bowling, stacking or obstacle game with discarded food containers or packaging
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
ScOT terms

Design thinking,  Materials,  Design briefs,  Work health and safety

Interactive

Chicken farming in the living world: Stage 1

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 'How do humans use plants and animals?' and comprises a series of modules and supporting videos. Students will plan, design ...

Video

Thinking about the design process

Watch as UNSW student and Blusat member William Frohlich talks about the design process. What are some of the important things to consider before you start to make a project? Why does William say it's important to be flexible with your designs? Design your own obstacle course for your family using objects from around your ...

Video

Use your creative thinking skills!

Ashwini Ranjithabalan from Women in Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) sees engineering as the business of solving future problems. What are some of the challenges we (and our societies) might face in the future? Get some friends together and see if you can brainstorm a list. Now choose one ...

Online

Education - Return to 1616 Ecological Restoration Project

This is a comprehensive education package based on of the world's most exciting ecological restoration projects that is happening right now in Western Australia! It features interactive virtual tours, 3D skulls, videos, real-action inquiry projects, research projects, native animal educational card games and activities, ...

Video

Hour of Code: Mark Zuckerberg teaches Repeat Loops

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this instructional video, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg explains what a Repeat Loop is and how to use the repeat block. This is the second of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. To ...

Video

Unplugged Activity: What is computer science?

Do you know what a computer programmer does? Watch as some experts in the field explain. For more information on the activities introduced in this video, visit http://learn.code.org/s/1/level/1

Video

For the Juniors: Getting your boat into shape!

A ball of plasticine sinks. Could you change its shape to make it float? Watch this clip to see some plasticine being made into different shapes. Find out which shape floats. Take a look at the shape of a motor boat. Why is it pointy at the front?

Video

Different paper plane designs

How many different paper plane designs are there? Lots! Watch as Dylan Parker, paper plane expert, demonstrates some of his favourites. Notice the way the different shapes and features of the planes cause them to move through the air in different ways. Which one do you like the most? Why not have a go at making something similar?

Online

Visual programming

Find out about Visual programming. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

Online

Robotics

Find out about robotics. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

Video

Sam the Lamb: needs of sheep

This short entertaining video, narrated by ‘Sam the Lamb’ and a wool-growing family show where their sheep live, what they eat and drink and how they ‘chew their cud’. Viewers will discover what a herbivore is, and how many stomachs sheep have. The video introduces rotational grazing and how farmers look after their sheep ...

Video

Sam the Lamb: what is wool?

This short video, narrated by Sam the Lamb and a group of young woolgrowers, explores where wool comes from, how it grows and how it protects sheep in all kinds of weather. Viewers will discover what wool looks it, how it feels and how woolgrowers harvest their sheep’s woolly fleece each year…and how it grows back again.

Video

Hour of Code: Chris Bosh teaches Repeat Until statements

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this video, basketball star Chris Bosh explains the difference between a Repeat Until command and a Repeat Loop command. This is the third of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. ...

Online

Computational thinking

Find out about Computational thinking. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

Online

Design thinking

Find out about Design thinking. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

Online

Game-based learning

Find out about Game-based learning. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

Video

Hour of Code: Introduction

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.  This video explains what computer science is and what a computer programmer does. This is the first of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. To try your hand at coding visit learn.code.org

Video

For the Juniors: Thoughtful design

Meet Hugo's nan, who gets around in a wheelchair. See how her house is designed for a person in a wheelchair. Watch for things that suit her needs.

Text

Teaching and supporting project management in the F-6 classroom

This PDF gives educators an overview of what project management is and ideas on how they can implement project management skills in the F-6 classroom.

Online

Maker spaces

Find out about Maker spaces. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.