Following are two samples of classroom practice. The Foundation Statements and the Cuarto to Sexto outcome for designing and making place an emphasis on

Following are two samples of classroom practice.

The Foundation Statements and the Cuarto to Sexto outcome for designing and making place an emphasis on students: independently planning, implementing and

managing design processes evaluating using design criteria considering the implications of design and

production in relation to environmental, aesthetic, cultural, ethical, safety and functional factors.

Students designing in Cuarto to Sexto Science and Technology

At Cuarto to Sexto, students are better able to discuss processes of designing and to anticipate the actions that might be taken to ensure that products, systems and environments meet the needs of users. They reflect on their actions and suggest better ways of organising their project work. Students use developing social skills when working collaboratively on design projects. They have a broader understanding of the world and give consideration to the future and the implications of developments.

Sample Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a

gold mining community

“We talked about the design process and how to manage our task.”

“We discussed the consequences of the gold rush and the needs of miners.

And we looked at how the environment was damaged by gold miners.”

Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community

planning a design process

exploring needs

developing ideas

communicating design ideas

developing ideas

Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community (cont.)


producing

producing solutions



producing solutions

producing solutions

using plans


producing solutions

producing solutions producing solutions

“We evaluated our model to see whether we had satisfied our design brief.”

“We think our town would be a much healthier and less damaging environment”

evaluating solutions

“We really like the siphon shower to keep the miners clean.”





Sample Task B: Design and publish a cooking

book for a favourite food

Sample Task B: Design and make a device that

uses some form of energy

Students designing

“We talked about the design brief, the criteria and the constraints. We decided that we needed to investigate how electrical circuit work. In our planning we divided our time between design and making our product and investigating electrical circuits.” – see link to Cuarto to Sexto Investigating

Design criteriaThe device must:• work efficiently and be easy to use• be practical to make• meet a real need• include some form of electrical power

(batteries or solar).

Your portfolio must show:• evidence of collaborative group work and

time management skills• annotated design drawings showing

modifications where necessary• reflective diary entries.

Design constraintsYour model must:• be completed within the allocated

timeframe• be completed at school.

investigating circuits

defining the task

Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy

developing ideas for circuits

The whole class thought about electrical products and why they are needed. We came up with many ideas:• a personal alarm – for safety – scare off attackers• a bike light – for bike safety – to help show the way• a light for the toilet door – to tell people when the loo is

occupied• a reading light – to light a small reading area without

stopping others from sleeping • an intercom system – to talk to a person in another

room • a personal fan – to keep cool in hot weather and not

use too much electricity

We made a list of ideas and decided to evaluate each using the design criteria. For each idea we placed an A,B or C against each point (criterion). In the end it was clear that a small reading light was needed and practical to make.

Reading light A B C

works efficiently and is easy to use – a reading light seems simple to use – you turn it off and on

*

practical to make – we have lots of materials to re-use and the teacher said that we will learn how to make an electrical circuit

*

meets a real need – we decided we like reading in bed *

includes a form of electrical power *

Batteries

Dry Cell batteries are the small household batteries that power flashlights, toys, cassette players, cameras, cell phones, hearing aids, watches and many more other household things. Some batteries may or may not be rechargeable. They can be round, square, button-shaped, or in a pack. Although “dry cell” batteries less than 1% of municipal solid waste weight, they account for 52% of all cadmium and 88% of all mercury found in landfills.

Dry Cell batteries include:AAA, AA, C, D cell9 volt Button (hearing aids, watches)Ni-Cd (rechargeable batteries are found in cellular phones and power tools).

Wet Cell batteries are the big batteries used in trucks, cars, motorcycles, boats and industrial applications. Wet Cell batteries contain lead and acid. Wet Cell batteries are band in landfills in Ohio because of their potential to leash toxic chemicals as they break down. Neither you nor trash hauler may dispose of wet cell batteries in the landfills.Wet Cell batteries are used in:: cars, motorcycles and trucks.

researching resources

We wanted to use the solar collectors that are in the kit but they didn’t seem right. We needed sunlight for energy. When we want to use our light there is no sunlight. If we collected solar energy we would have to store it. Probably in a battery.

developing ideas

generating ideas

Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy (cont.)

developing ideas for circuits

“We started working out ideas by drawing rough plans.”

developing ideas for switches

developing ideas for shadesconstructing circuits


“We all thought that our lights are really useful. We tested them at home by laying in bed and reading. Mum thought the batteries will be a bit expensive.”

“In class we talked about our design process and how hard it was to manage our time.”

constructing circuits

producing solutions


producing solutions

Documents

Following are two samples of classroom practice. The Foundation Statements and the Cuarto to Sexto outcome for designing and making place an emphasis on