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Unit 1: Technology and Design (12 sessions)

Contents:

• 1 What is Technology? 

• 2 The technological process.

Sessions:

• Introduction to technology: 1 

• Class Activities (3): 

The mystery bag 

Technology & Nature 

The string telephone 

• ICT Activities (computer room): 4 

• Workshop Activities: Straw Bridges (3) 

• Exam: 1 

Tools and materials for the activities:

The string telephone

plastic cup sharpened pencil drawing pin string (3-5 m long)

Straw Bridges

coins, rubbers, sharpeners ...

scissors 6 pieces of cardboard load for the bridge

tape plastic cup 2 boxes to make two banks of a river

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Space for your notes taken in class

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1. Look at the images below and circle the ones that are examples of technology:

bridge airplane (aircraft) turtle Plough (plow)

commuter train fabada (beans) tree sauce pan (pot)

volcano crane building smart phone

refrigerator fur coat thunderstorm atom

a) Write down the name of the technological objects from the table above:

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2. Examples of technology (continued)

a) What do you think the technologies have in common? Circle the correct answer below

They are objects made of natural materials (wood, stone…)

All of them are objects made by humans (human-made or manufactured objects)

All of them are used for people to communicate with one another.

None of them is used to protect people from the cold.

All of them are tools (machines) which solve our problems.

b) What do you think the items that are NOT technologies have in common? They

are__________. People did not design them.

c) What is a technological object? Complete the definition by filling in the blanks:

A technological product is any __________ created by __________ to satisfy their

needs, solve __________ and improve the standard of living.

d) Write down the complete definition of a technological object:

3. Which of these are examples of technology? Choose all of the items that you think are

technology (circle Yes if the item is technology and No if it is not).

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4. What is Technology? The Mystery Bag. Choose (select) one of the following objects

and answer the questions below:

woolly hat light bulb (lamp) knife screw

pencil bus (coach) log cabin (hut) cork (stopper)

a) What is your object? ___________

b) Is your object human-made or is it found in nature? It is ______________.

c) What material is your object made of? Choose one or two materials from the list and

complete the sentence below. List of materials: wood, stone, metal, plastic, fabric

(textile). The __________ is mainly made of __________ and __________.

d) What is your object usually used for? Choose one word from the list of uses and

complete the sentence below. List of uses: drawing, storing electricity, joining things,

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cutting, keeping warm, transporting people, sheltering (protecting from cold, dangers, etc.)

and lighting up (illumination). The __________ is usually used for _________ things.

e) Can you think of other objects that solve the same problem? For example, for keeping

warm (heat) we can use jumpers or coats. Give 2 examples: ________ and ________.

5. HIGHLEVEL What is Technology? The Mystery Bag (continued)

a) Think of an object you use to solve a problem. Draw freehand the object with a pencil,

write its name, label its parts with a name and tell the purpose (function) it has.

free-hand drawing

the chair is used for sitting

b) Guess (deduce) the object. Discover (figure out) the technology described in the

following clues. Sketch (draw free hand) the solution.

It can be made of plastic or glass.

I can hold it with my hand.

I can use it as a flower vase.

It is used to contain liquids.

6. What is Technology? Technology and Nature. Playing cards activity (work in pairs).

Find the natural object (1, 2, …8) in the table below that matches with the technology

which performs (does) the same function. Write the number in the table of technologies

and then complete the table Matches (functions these things have).

Natural objects

1: Paw 2: Waxy Leaves 3: Fish 4: Parrot’s Beak

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5: Flying Squirrel’s

Skin 6: Insect Leg 7: Burr (erizo) 8: Teeth

Technologies

Knife: Rake: Hand Pollinator: Velcro:

Boat: Nutcracker: Parachute: Raincoat:

Matches

Natural object Technology Function

Match 1 pulling things together

Match 2 repelling water

Match 3 moving through water easily

Match 4 breaking open nuts and seeds

Match 5 slowing movement through air

Match 6 moving pollen from one plant to

another

Match 7 sticking (gluing) things together

Match 8 cutting things

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7. HIGHLEVEL What is Technology? Technology and Nature (continued). Complete the

table below:

Natural object Technology Function

Helping the object to

__________

__________

through the water easily

flippers

8. What is Technology? The string telephone. Read the conversation in the cartoon

below and answer the questions:

a) What is the problem? The boy wants to __________ his mother to tell her that he is

going to be late for dinner. The problem to solve is communication.

b) What is the object the boy has to solve his problem? __________

c) What is the problem with his mobile phone? He has no __________ (no coverage), he

is out of range.

d) What solution does the boy suggest to solve his problem? Sending a _________

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e) Is the solution the other guy gives the boy a technological solution? Why?

____, because the __________ is an _________ (a living being).

9. EXTRA1 Hands-on Activity on the playground. Identify the steps you follow to test

your own string telephone:

Wrap hands around speaker's cup

Let the string hang loose

Wrap hands around listener's cup

Pinch the string

Read the text and fill in the gaps in order to explain how your string telephone works.

Sound vibrations travel through liquids, gases (like air), and solids (like the string in this 

activity). Sliding your fingers along the string creates friction (rubbing and sticking). This 

causes the string to vibrate. The vibrations travel up the string to the cup, which acts like 

a speaker and amplifies them (makes them sound louder). 

Explanation: Talking into one of the cups causes the string to__________. These

__________travel along the __________ as __________ waves.

What problem does the telephone solve? ______________.

10. What is Technology? Definition of Technology 1.

a) Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks with the suitable words: people,

food, housing, problems, needs, design, communication, techniques and clothing.

Technological activity began almost at the same time as the first human beings appeared in 

the  planet.  For  them,  technology was  a means  (a way,  a medium)  of  survival  because  it 

allowed them to meet (satisfy) their basic_______: food, shelter (protection, refuge), clothing, 

etc. Technology will always be with us: our living conditions are improved by the __________ 

and manufacture of products. Technology is a set of skills (abilities) and ___________ used to 

invent, design, build and adapt products to meet human needs and solve the problems of 

everyday life.  In Technology, __________ design and make products to solve needs or wants 

(desires). 

The  3  basic  needs  that  technology  solves  are:  __________  (eating  and  drinking),  __________ 

(shelter)  and  __________  (keeping  warmth).  Another  2  needs  that  generate  (bring  about) 

great social development include transportation and ____________________.  

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b) Identify the following technological objects and then classify them according to the

need they meet (solve): palace (Taj Mahal), coat, block of flats, fridge, airplane, gloves,

telephone, jumper, hut, oven gloves, artificial satellite, clay pot, train, scarf, igloo, cooker,

modem, fork., bus shelter, shoes.

clay pot

bus shelter

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Food:

Housing:

Clothing:

Transportation:

Communication:

11. What is Technology? Definition of Technology 2. Read the following definition of

technology and rewrite it down by filling in the gaps:

Technology is anything human-made that is used to ________ a problem or fulfil (satisfy)

a __________. A technology can be an __________, a system, or a process.

The wheel. How did the discovery of the wheel change transportation? Before the

____, people had to walk to get from one place to another. The invention of the wheel led

to promote means of transportation, such as horse-drawn wagons, trains (steam ______)

and _____ to transport people and things. Label the following pictures with the missing

words:

horse-drawn wagons

12. What is Technology? Definition of Technology 2 (continued)

Objects: an object as a technology is one that is composed of only one part. Examples:

spoon, paper clips, eraser, key, screw, drawing pins, bowl, nails, fork, etc. Identify these

objects in the following pictures:

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Systems: a system is a technology that is made of multiple parts that must all work

together in order for the technology to function. In other words, a group of parts that

work together to meet a goal. Examples: glue stick, broom, tape with dispenser, chair, etc.

Identify these objects in the following pictures:

Processes: A process is series of actions or steps leading to a result or goal. Examples:

canning food, dry cleaning clothing, an automated car wash, an assembly line to create a

product (a car), etc. Identify these objects in the following pictures:

13. EXTRA2 Objects and uses. What can we use these objects for? Label the objects

below and then match the objects to their uses. Objects: glue, paper clips, ruler, scissors,

calendar, diary, stapler, tape dispenser, highlighter.

Whiteout (corrective fluid)

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What can we use…? OBJECT

To attach (join) a few pages together

To cut pictures out of magazines

To keep your schedule organized

To put a report together in book form

To stick posters to walls

To help you remember important info & ideas when you are reading

For drawing straight lines

To correct your mistakes Whiteout (tipex)

14. HIGHLEVEL Talking about past and present habits. Write sentences as in the

example below.

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My parents used to listen to the news on the radio, but now they watch the news on

TV.

15. Simple technology and advanced technology.

Simple technology is an ordinary and usually cheap way of getting things done. It is

often time-consuming or labour-intensive (many hours of human work are involved).

Advanced technology is a more efficient way of getting things done, often to a higher

standard. It involves less time and less effort than using simple technology

Pen and pencil Electronic calculator Computer Needle and thread

Watering can Electric saw Sewing machine Hand saw

Funnel loud speaker Irrigation pump and

sprinkler Abacus Microphone

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Complete the table below with the technology that we use to perform the task

TASK SIMPLE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

Writing computer

Sawing

Voice communication

Calculating

Sewing

Irrigation

16. Technology: what’s next?

a) Identify the devices used to record audio: Edison's cylindrical record, flat record,

cassette tape, compact disc and mp3 player (flash memory).

b) Sketch the devices in chronological (oldest newest)

1st

2nd

3td

4th

5th

17. Technology versus Science. The parachute.

Technology is closely related to science, but the two activities have different goals

(purposes). Technology is a way of changing the natural world to meet human needs or

solve problems. By contrast, the goal of science is the study of the natural world in

order to understand it. An engineer is someone who is trained to use both technological

and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Science explains how things happen.

Technology makes things happen.

Using their knowledge of science and mathematics, engineers determine how to make

things.

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18. The steps of the technological design process (the problem solving process) 1.

a) Label the pictures below with a number that indicates the order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

and 6th) the girl follows in order to solve the problem she has:

b) Answer the questions about the process she followed and label the steps. List of words

you need: bookends, checks, bookshelf, drawings, tools, workshop,

• Step 1: the problem she has. She realizes that the books on her ____________

cannot keep upright.

• Step 2: she analyzes existing solutions: She thinks about different ways to solve the

problem. She analyzes different ____________.

• Step 3: she designs a solution: she makes ____________ of different possible

solutions. She also evaluates the constraints (factors that limit or restrict) of each

possible design. Does she have time and money to put the solution to work? Does she have

the materials and tools needed? And she decides on the final solution (the best solution).

• Step 4: she chooses the materials and ____________ appropriate to construct (build)

the final solution.

• Step 5: she builds the solution. She constructs, in the____________, the object using

the materials and tools she chose earlier.

• Step 6: she evaluates the result (the solution). She ____________ the solution to see

if it works well. Number:

19. The steps of the technological design process (the problem solving process) 2.

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a) Label the pictures below with a number (from 1st to 8th) in order to arrange the steps

of the technological design process:

b) The technological design process is a method by which an idea for a new technology is

developed into a final product. The technology design process does not always follow rigid

steps. Often, engineers follow a common process:

Identify a need or a problem.

Research the problem by collecting information that will help them with their new

design, brainstorming (group members freely suggest any solutions that come to mind) and

analysing existing solutions.

Design a solution. Engineers can propose different solutions by sketching (drawing)

them, specifying dimensions, materials, costs, operations, etc. At this stage they also need

to draft a work plan which specifies the tasks that must be completed and the resources

needed to complete them (tools, techniques and materials). They must evaluate the

constraints of each possible design. Finally they have to choose the best solution.

Build and evaluate a prototype of the product. Engineers evaluate the prototype to

see whether it works well, easy to operate, safe to use, etc. They can also propose changes

and improvements.

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Communicate the solution. Engineers need to communicate the final design to the

people who will manufacture the product. To do this, they may use sketches, detailed

drawings (diagrams or plans), computer simulations, and word descriptions.

20. Identify the steps followed to solve the following problem:

Select the best solution

21. Example of technological process. In this example, we will imagine that we want to

cross a river. Follow the steps of the technological process in order to solve the problem

we have.

• Identify the problem or need: We need to cross a river.

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• Research the problem. Evaluate your ideas (analyze existing objects). The first idea

could be crossing the river __________; this is not a technological solution and it does

not solve the problem in a satisfactory way. Draw freehand (sketch) 2 different ideas or

objects that could solve the problem and identify them with a name.

with a rope

• Design a solution. Now we have to choose one of the previous ideas and sketch it in

different ways. Our solution will be a __________ and so you can sketch 2 different

types of bridges:

arch bridge

• Taking into account that the river is quite wide and shallow (not deep), the chosen

solution is an _______ bridge. The focus of an arch bridge’s design is the arch - could be

one or more depending on the length of the gap (space).

• Construct the design. Arch bridges are ancient technology, and were used by the

________. These bridges are usually made of________.

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Before opening it to the public, the bridge is evaluated in order to determine whether it is

able to support (bear, withstand) the maximum load the bridge will be subject.

• Communicate the solution. Finally the bridge is open to traffic and people.

22. The technological project. A technological project (report) is a document in which we

describe very accurately (exactly, precisely) all the items that are related to the

technological process. The report will usually contain:

Cover page and Table of contents: this contains data like the author’s name, course,

group, the date it was handed in and the project’s title.

Description of the problem: this section describes the problem we need to resolve and

the conditions that the product has to meet (size, shape and form, materials, etc.) and the

materials we have used.

Planes: these are the drawings (sketches, views, diagrams, etc.) need to be detailed

enough to enable somebody else to build the project from them.

Planning. This section contains the list of materials used, the list of tools used and

information on how we shared out the tasks. This section also charts the progress of the

different construction phases. Here, we describe the problems we had, the proposed

solutions, trials, modifications, tests, etc.

Material list (budget): it is a list with all material that is needed to build the solution,

and must also include special tools or other resources needed. Must show the quantity of

each material and if the costs are included, it is called budget.

Conclusions: once we have finished our process, we analyze it and write what we have

learned during it (if we have failed doing something, understanding why).