Design and technologies / Year 7 and 8 / Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

View on Australian Curriculum website Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
Curriculum content descriptions

Analyse ways to produce designed solutions through selecting and combining characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment (ACTDEK034)

Elaborations
  • investigating aspects of technologies specialisations, for example in architecture, critiquing the design of an existing building to identify features of passive design or in fashion, evaluating the sustainability of different fibres
  • investigating and selecting from a broad range of technologies − materials, systems, components, tools and equipment − when designing for a range of technologies contexts
  • considering the ways in which the characteristics and properties of technologies will impact on designed solutions, for example the choice of building materials and housing design in Australia and the countries of Asia; the properties of textile fibres and fabrics determine end use
  • considering safe work practices, for example producing a safety information video that details risk management practices for using a piece of equipment in the classroom or within a community
  • evaluating products and services for the individual and the community considering ethics and social factors, for example a short video encouraging individuals to increase their use of public transport in the local area
  • evaluating environments that have been designed in consultation with community groups, for example a bush tucker community garden developed in consultation with local Elders
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Materials,  Fibres (Materials),  Engineering,  Tools

Refine by resource type

Refine by year level


Refine by learning area


Refine by topic

Related topic
  • No suggestions

13 direct matches to ACTDEK034 | 7 other related resources
Showing the top 20 search results

Video

Different paper plane designs

  • TLF-IDM020570

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?

View detailsView resource
Video

Know your robotics materials

  • TLF-IDM020667

Sean, a robotics mentor for FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under', worked on the robot's intake system which allows it to take in the 'boulder', or the ball, so it can then shoot into the high goal or the low goal. What were some of the challenges he faced in designing and building this feature?

View detailsView resource
Video

Catalyst: Shining the light on a more sustainable globe

  • TLF-IDM018361

Artificial lighting methods have changed with the invention of new lighting technologies designed to be more energy efficient and to reduce the use of resources. Since electricity has been used as an energy source, incandescent and fluorescent globes and, more recently, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used in our ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Engineering clean rivers

  • TLF-IDM021121

Figuring out how to clean up contaminated rivers is a big challenge. It's also tricky to work out where the most contaminated parts of a river system are and whether its fish are safe to eat. Watch this video and learn how engineering has helped to solve these problems. Why do you think engineers looked to the bottom of ...

View detailsView resource
Video

How to design and build a robot in six weeks!

  • TLF-IDM020671

Evan, a mechanical mentor for FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under', outlines the processes involved in designing, building and testing a robot in six weeks. What influences the team in their design and building processes? Can you think of anything else that might influence the design and build of the robot ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Different types of telescopes

  • TLF-IDM020914

You can find both refracting and reflecting telescopes at Sydney Observatory. How are they different in the way they work and look? What can you find in nature that is like a telescope? Which type of telescope is it like?

View detailsView resource
Interactive

Wing loading

  • TLF-IDM021343

Wing loading is a measurement that relates the mass of an aircraft or bird to the total wing area. This resource provides an interactive for students to compare flight capabilities of planes with birds, matching those that are the most similar.

View detailsView resource
Video

Reverse engineering

  • TLF-IDM021415

This series of short videos from Khan Academy deconstruct and explain the way household items are designed and how they work including a digital alarm clock radio, a coffee maker, a tap light (a toggle switch light), a hair dryer, a DVD player, a universal remote and a digital camera.

View detailsView resource
Video

Growing carbon nanotubes

  • TLF-IDM021124

Carbon nanotubes are a very tiny but super strong material used in manufacturing to create strong, lightweight products. Besides sporting equipment, find out what other kinds of products are made using these tiny molecules. What other qualities (besides size and strength) do carbon nanotubes have that makes them even more ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Precision Sheep Management: video

  • TLF-IDM020774

This is a video (4:09 min) about the University of New England’s Kirby Research Station and how its work with sheep has been transformed by technology, particularly the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The video is presented by members of the Enhanced sheep wellbeing and productivity research program and includes ...

View detailsView resource
Interactive

Thermal comfort – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

  • TLF-IDM020885

This thermal comfort learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

View detailsView resource
Video

Smart Water - Precision Irrigation: video

  • TLF-IDM020773

This is a video (5:08 min) about the importance of water to a fully-irrigated 1600ha farming and wine-producing enterprise on the banks of the Murray River and the effectiveness of its fully automated irrigation system. The enterprise is Andrew Peace Wines and the system was developed by WiSA. The video iillustrates viticulture ...

View detailsView resource
Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

  • TLF-IDM020970

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

View detailsView resource
Video

How do solar panels work?

  • TLF-IDM021302

The Earth intercepts a lot of solar power: 173,000 terawatts. That’s 10,000 times more power than the planet’s population uses. So is it possible that one day the world could be completely reliant on solar energy? Richard Komp examines how solar panels convert solar energy to electrical energy. This TedEd animation (4:58 ...

View detailsView resource
Video

The innovator

  • TLF-IDM020904

This is a short animated film highlights the versatility of wool as a natural fibre. The wordless film journeys through the ages and offers a unique view on how wool has been used - and continues - to clothe humans. The video provides an humourous stimulus resource to highlight the range of properties of wool.

View detailsView resource
Video

All about engines

  • TLF-IDM021125

What does 'horsepower' really mean? And how do engines work? Join Luke and Abhi from MIT to find out! As Abhi explains, engines produce power by forcing a mixture of fuel and air into a tight space and then burning it. Piston engines and turbine engines do this in similar, yet different ways. After watching this video, ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Fast agriculture facts

  • TLF-IDM020032

This is a video giving statistical information about Australian farmers and the food and fibre they produce. It is presented by Will, a primary-school-aged boy, who points out that farmers are innovative, tech-savvy and responsive to research. The video uses scenes of Australian farms and text and graphics on screen to ...

View detailsView resource
Interactive

Engineer a jetliner

  • TLF-IDM021591

In this interactive, students work through the engineering decisions required for the wing and engines configuration best suited for four different requirements. Students select from different wing and engine designs that are each rated for build cost, fuel burn and wieght. The first three options focus on designing low-cost, ...

View detailsView resource
Video

What makes these paper planes fly?

  • TLF-IDM020566

Have you ever wondered what makes a paper plane fly? Think about the design of the paper plane as well as external factors like the various forces that are at play, then make a list of the design considerations and a list of the different forces.

View detailsView resource
Video

Thinking about the design process

  • TLF-IDM020275

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 ...

View detailsView resource