Design Brief: Year 5 and 6 Technologies Curriculum
A Helping Hand
Back Ground
During a recent football match you severely sprained your ankle. It is so bad you have been confined to a wheelchair for up to 3 weeks. During
this time period you will need to modify your surroundings so you can go about your daily routine with minimal interruptions.
Design Challenge
Your challenge is to design a device that will aide a person in a wheel chair reach a drink bottle from a shelf above their head. First you must
draw a clearly labeled plan of your device, write a short statement about how it will work and then test the device. Finally you will reflect on the
whole process by writing a short statement.
Criteria
The success of your design will be decided against the following criteria
Safety
Your design operates within a safe manner e.g. it does not fall apart when used and can retrieve the object without dropping it
Materials used for construction
Your design should use readily available objects from around the home
Weight
Your design is able to lift 500 grams
Test
You can retrieve an object that weighs 500 grams from above your head when you are in a sitting position
Materials
Plastic drink bottle filled with water that weighs around 500 grams, broom handle, hooks, milk carton sticky tape
Scissors
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 1 (The materials used should be items that are available from around the home)
Teacher Guide and Curriculum Links
Australian Curriculum
Design and Technologies Curriculum
Years 5 and 6
Content Description
Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding
• Investigate how people in design and technologies occupations address competing considerations, including sustainability in the design of
products, services and environments for current and future use (ACTDEK019)
Elaboration
•
Reflecting on the features of designed solutions that ensure safety and wellbeing of users, for example smoke alarms
Design and Technologies processes and production skills
• Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve
intended designed solutions (ACTDEP024)
Elaboration
• Exploring the steps involved in the process to satisfy a design brief, need or opportunity
Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 6 students describe some competing considerations in the design of products, services and environments taking into account
sustainability. They describe how design and technologies contribute to meeting present and future needs. Students explain how the features of
technologies impact on designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts.
Students create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts suitable for identified needs or opportunities. They suggest
criteria for success, including sustainability considerations and use these to evaluate their ideas and designed solutions. They combine design
ideas and communicate these to audiences using graphical representation techniques and technical terms. Students record project plans including
production processes. They select and use appropriate technologies and techniques correctly and safely to produce designed solutions.
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 2 Teacher Considerations for the Design Brief
Prior Knowledge
and Skills
Units of
Measurement
(mm, cm, m)
Materials and
preparation
Collection of
household materials
e.g. broom handles,
hooks, sticky tape
Knowledge of how
to create a
diagram and use
labels
Safety issues
Class management
Materials provided Time Management
Students should use
caution with
scissors
Students to work in
groups. Groups to
consists of three
people
Design Brief
Guided Portfolio
Rubric
Assessment
KWL
Students should use
caution when trying
to lift an object that
is over their heads
Safety glass should
be worn
Ensure there is adult
supervision
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 Session 1:
Introducing design
brief and portfolio
(30 min)
Session 2: Design
and planning stages
Session 3-4:
Building and
Testing (30 min)
Session 5:
Complete portfolio
and share with the
class
3 Guided Portfolio
Name:
Group Members:
1.
1.
2.
3.
What is the problem? State the problem in your own words
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Research
Use the Internet or other reference materials to research the object you will design and build
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 4 3. Brainstorm
Draw some solutions to the problem in the spaces provided below
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 5 4. Planning: Object construction
In your group choose the design you think will work best. Draw that design below and write a
short statement about why you think it will work best.
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 6 5. Create the solution
Describe the creation process step by step
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 7 6.
Test Your Solution
Describe any problems you have during the construction and what you did to solve them below
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Does your solution use readily available objects from around the home?
Yes
No
2. Can your solution lift a maximum of 500grams?
Yes
No
3. Does your device operate within a safe manner as described in the criteria?
Yes
No
4. Can you retrieve an object from above your head while you are in a sitting position?
Yes
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 No
8 5. Evaluate Your Solution
Was it the best solution? Could one of your other ideas have been better? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What would you have done differently?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 9 Could you add to it to make it better? What would you add?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 10 6.
Could your solution be used to help a person in a wheelchair in another way?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
Could your solution be customized to suit the needs of an individual or is the design
generic? Described how it could or could not be customized
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 11 8.
Could your solution be made safer? Would these changes effect how the solution
works?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9.
Consider the materials you have used for your solution. Could the solution be
improved by changing the materials it is constructed from? Describe how.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 12 10.
Using the class camera attach a photograph
of your completed solution
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 If you could make your solution better what
would it look like?
Draw it in the space bellow.
13 11.
What we know
What we want to
know
What we learned
Sample Questions
What type of material is strong
enough to lift 500 grams?
What safety concerns are
there?
Is there an existing solution we
could base our design on?
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 14 Design Brief Rubric: A helping hand
Design Brief
Rubric
No evidence
Limited
understanding
Some understanding with
room for improvement
0
1
2
Good understanding
with room for
improvement
3
Substantial
understanding
4
The problem is restated in
the students own words
More then one idea has been
brainstormed
Notes about problems that
occurred during the process
have been included
The student tested the
solution
• It use readily
available materials
• The solution can lift
500 grams
• Solution operates
within a safe manner
• An object has been
retrieved from over
head while sitting
A labeled drawing has been
included
Statement has been written
that described the solution
A statement about the
impact of the object and its
potential for redesign has
been included
The student has reflected
how the solution could be
made better
Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 15 Written by Daniel Barker 0061020749 16