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

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

Text

Material world – Stage 1

In this lesson sequence, students investigate how properties of materials determine their use. Students identify a range of natural materials used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for a specific cultural purpose. There is an optional ‘maker hour’ for students to produce, implement, test and evaluate a shelter ...

Text

Material world – ES1

In this lesson sequence, students investigate how the properties of materials determine their use in design solutions while introducing students to the material sciences and design thinking. Student investigate, plan and design a chair for their favourite teddy or doll to sit next to them while they are completing their ...

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 ...

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Online

Out and about on farms

This resource is a 32 page pdf integrated inquiry unit, for junior primary students, exploring how Australian farmers produce food and fibre, for food, clothing and shelter. It includes activities that examine the variety of places where foods and fibres are produced in Australia, and what makes these spaces unique. All ...

Online

Farms have distinctive features

This resource is a 32 page pdf integrated inquiry unit, for junior primary students, exploring how the distinctive qualities of a farm space influence farming practice. This unit uses the five stage inquiry model to sequence activities. Topics explored include: how do weather patterns and seasons affect farms?; Why are ...

Online

Farm Diaries

This resource is a 48 page pdf integrated inquiry unit, for junior primary students, exploring farm life and farm produce. Activities are sequenced using the five inquiry model. Topics examined include: how do farm families care for the animals and crops they farm?; how are these animals and crops processed for food or ...

Online

Algorithms

Find out about algorithms. 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.

Interactive

Sites2See: Aim to sustain

A page supporting learning for sustainability, with selected links to interactive resources, including videos, games and activities for K-6 students, teachers and parents. This resource relates to the 'Aim to sustain' resources produced for Stage 3 and 4 students.