Design & Technology

Awaiting Information

Design & Technology Course Outlines

Year 7

Laying the Foundation

The year 7 Design & Technology course is planned to bring the skills, knowledge and skills acquired by Key Stage 2 students up to the level required for effective working at Key Stage 3. Our aim is to foster early interest in an exciting and relevant subject, encouraging students to achieve their full potential and make optimum use of a well-resourced department.

During Year 7 Technology, students will study the following modules for approximately one term each. They will apply their learning to a common design and make process throughout. The projects cut across knowledge and skills in other curriculum areas including Business & Enterprise and Citizenship.

Pop-up Book

Students will learn about mechanisms and levers, together with modelling making skills needed for paper and card. They will follow the design process creating a folder of design work per team - each student designing and making a page to go into the folder. Students will learn a variety of technical drawing skills, which they will then use to produce their designs accurately.

Homework will include:

• Research
• Designing
• Mechanism and lever types
• Techniques and processes
• Writing a production plan
• Evaluation of completed project

Land Yacht

Students will learn about the properties of materials together with the construction methods required to make a softwood land yacht. They will consider the importance of using sustainable materials and develop the necessary knowledge and skills to accurately construct and decorate their own yachts using hand tools, machine tools and CAD/CAM. The completed yachts will be raced for prizes.

Homework will include:

• Health and safety issues
• Material properties
• Construction techniques
• Writing a production plan
• CAD/CAM
• Evaluation of completed project

Healthy Eating

Students will learn to recognise simple food groups, demonstrate an understanding of a healthy diet and understand the importance of food safety and kitchen hygiene. They will develop skills and accuracy in weighing, measuring, timing and food preparation.

Homework will include:

• Evaluating diets
• Designing an advertisement
• Evaluating a healthy sandwich
• Safety in the kitchen
• Nutritional considerations
• Evaluating of their practical work

Year 8

Integrating Knowledge and Skills

In Year 8, students will extend their skills and knowledge base established in Year 7. In doing so, they integrate areas of knowledge previously treated separately to build projects of a more holistic nature. They will once again apply their learning to a common design and make process throughout. The projects cut across knowledge and skills in other curriculum areas including Business & Enterprise and Citizenship.

Electronic Mobile Phone Charm

Students will investigate electronics, understanding how a circuit works and the components needed. They will use this research to design and make a mobile phone charm. They will develop CAD skills, with an understanding of how to link these to CAM machines to produce an accurate final product.

Homework will include:

• Analysis of existing products
• Electronic components and circuits
• Tools and processes
• Developed design
• Writing a flow chart
• Evaluation of completed product

Pizza Cutter

Students investigate ergonomics and apply the design and make process to the construction of a metal and plastic pizza cutter that is safe and comfortable to use. This module seeks to provide an introduction to engineering fabrication and give students who might later opt to take GCSE Engineering a taste of this interesting subject. They will develop skills and accuracy in marking out, cutting, shaping and joining metals and plastic. This will involve students in using a range of hand tools, machine tools and CAD/CAM.

Homework will include:

• Health & Safety issues
• Analysis of existing products
• Isometric design drawings
• Investigating material properties
• Writing a production plan
• Evaluation of completed product

Multi-Cultural Food

The food industry often has to produce ready made products to suit new trends or diets. In this module students concentrate on designing and making multi-cultural dishes. They will increase their knowledge of ingredients and further their kitchen skills. In the process of doing this they will reinforce their understanding of food safety and kitchen hygiene as a prevention of food poisoning.

Homework will include:

• Multi-cultural mood boards
• Multi-cultural foods
• Recipe research
• Nutritional analysis
• Multi-cultural questions
• Evaluation of practical work

Year 9

Food

Students will further develop their kitchen skills by looking at multi-cultural foods. Key themes will include food storage, safety and kitchen hygiene, function of ingredients and target audiences. This will heighten their design skills in preparation for the GCSE Food Technology option.

Graphics

Students undertake a Product Design based module enabling them to research, analyse and design a mobile phone. They will then learn how to use ProDesktop CAD software and draw a 3D model of a mobile phone. This will then be used to produce presentation drawings, an orthographic drawing and a rapid prototype of their product. This will heighten their design skills in preparation for the GCSE Product Design option.

Resistant Materials

Students will develop design and make skills working in metal and plastic to produce an ergonomic pizza cutter. During this module pupils learn the importance of ergonomics in design for society, develop their own design folders using CAD and ICT skills, and gain confidence with CNC and conventional machine tools in a workshop. This module is designed to prepare students for the GCSE Engineering option.

Design & Technology Homework

Design & Technology Staff