Year 3 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
In the Autumn term, Year 3 have used the following Design and Technology skills to cook Egyptian bread. They have demonstrated they are able to follow instructions in order, join and combine a range of ingredients whilst working safely and hygienically. During the Cooking session, the children worked in groups to measure and weigh food items.
We have baked Egyptian-style flat bread to enable the children to understand one of the cultural differences using an everyday food. The children were very surprised at its size and taste compared to traditional British bread!
After learning about the key processes of Ancient Egyptian life in History lessons, Year 3 learnt about key artefacts, including the cartouche that recorded a person’s name. As a class, we watched a tutorial on how to shape and mould separate pieces to layer the structure to ensure it looked authentic and how to join the pieces of clay effectively to ensure that, once dry, they would stay stuck together. We discussed and planned, as a class, the tools that may be most effective and useful for each stage of the product and how to be safe whilst using them in the classroom. We trialled and tested the proportions of clay that were needed for the base, the outer edge and the bar to ensure accurate assembling and the children assessed this as they went, remodelling where necessary. Once it was dry, we finished off the product by glazing it using paints to make it look more decorative to suit its purpose and seal the clay. The children chose colours that they thought the Egyptians would have had access to and used to show wealth.
Year 4 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term, Year 4 have been learning about the design and technology skill of lamination. We designed and made a cake stand in the Roman style, with a roman mosaic on the top. Children learned that if we layer materials (laminate), such as bendy cardboard or paper, it makes it sturdy and strong. They were able to discuss what was good about their products and what they could do to make them better.
Year 5 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term, year 5 have been busy making Viking longboats which include a pneumatic system.
First we looked at the design, materials and build of the real longboats and concluded that the Vikings had incredible DT skills of their own.
We carefully traced around a template of the hull, onto a cereal box, and cut it carefully using a craft knife and craft mat. We made accurate measurements of square doweling to find midway points to drill a hole, using a hand drill. We measured the round doweling to find 1/3 of the length to make the mast, which we then cut with a hacksaw. There was a lot of problem solving involved, where we had to sharpen the round doweling to fit snugly into the hole, before securing with a glue gun. As we used cereal boxes, we sometimes found the folds were weak spots in the hull, so we reinforced these areas with patches of card.
We had to talk a lot about using the tools safely and so we used blu-tac to poke holes in the card safely for the shields to be attached with split pins.
The boats also have to look good as a finished product, so we used a technique called decoupage, to strengthen and join the structure, and to make the boats look wooden.
Sails were attached with glue guns and a pneumatic system attached to make the sail “blow“ in the wind.
Time was also given to evaluate our finished products and think of alternate ways to make use of the pneumatic system i.e blowing a shield off the boat!
Year 6 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term Year 6 have enjoyed designing and creating their own Greek labyrinths to link to our history topic. Before we started thinking about our own designs, we enjoyed finding out about the history of mazes and labyrinths and exploring images of famous mazes around the world. We spent some time thinking about our designs to ensure that they were fit for purpose. We had to be very careful when measuring to ensure that our dimensions were accurate and precise – this involved some maths skills too. When marking out our mazes, different sketching techniques were used to show lighter and darker areas. We had to make sure that we had one entrance and one exit. The children enjoyed adding in extra paths that lead to nowhere!
To create our labyrinth we used cardboard for the base and art straws to represent the walls of the maze. We had to cut the straws to size, measuring each wall accurately from our plans. The children used glue to secure their walls. Over time, we found that we needed to refine some of our designs and make improvements so that the product was fit for purpose. After the labyrinths were complete, the children evaluated their product to identify what went well and what could have been made even better. Creating the labyrinths definitely reinforced the importance of measuring carefully and precisely.
