The 1999 edition of the Design and Technology National Curriculum included set out clearly the programmes of study and attainment targets for Key Stages One to Four. It sets out the importance of design and technology education to students' performance across the curriculum in promoting social, moral and cultural...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), sets students the challenge of designing and building a water treatment system to produce a clean sample of water. They will need to think about what equipment they would need, what stages the...

In this resource designed by the IET, students design and make a pewter cast medal for the men's football World Cup. The resource introduces the concept of CAD design, pewter casting and how this can be used to create something for a major event. Metal casting is a manufacturing process that involves pouring molten...

This activity introduces the concept of 3D CAD design and some of the basic tools used with CAD software. The software used for the CAD activity is the free and widely used ‘TinkerCAD’. However, this could easily be substituted for any other 3D CAD software already available in school.

The activity involves...

This project concentrates on the design and manufacture of lighting using simple electronics but with complex and functional part modelling. Students apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor to the challenging task of creating a virtual lamp design in parts, before manufacturing the product. Students will spend time...

Produced by the Technology Enhancement programme (TEP), these materials help students to understand, design and prototype mechanisms (including levers, gears and linkages). The resource also supports students to work through some of the mathematical concepts involved in calculating gear ratio.

Students are...

The project provides a lesson structure for the design and manufacture of an MP3 amplifier. The resources uses a sketching and computer aided design (CAD), alongside laser cutting and 3D printing processes. Students will apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor and 123D Make to create the MP3 parts, before...

This activity involves generating creative design ideas for a building, drawing the final design idea using CAD software, and 3D printing a model of the building. The software used for the CAD activity, ‘Onshape’, is the free and widely used. However, this could easily be substituted for any other 3D CAD...

This mock exam tests student understanding of the ethics involved in being a designer. Questions look at sustainability, life cycle analysis and the impact of design on society.

This resource from the IET Faraday programme, supported by MEI and Tomorrow's Engineers, provides students with  the opportunity to explore circle area, accuracy of measure, percentages and data handling by investigating defects in steel production.

"A company has invented a system...

Design for a better world is a design challenge for students aged 11-14 years. It offers students the opportunity to:

• Learn about the global goals for sustainable development.
• Access a range of global contexts including water and sanitation, food security and climate action in which to...

This project looks at the animation of a character created in Project Pinocchio. Students use the tools in Autodesk Maya to create a 10 – 15 second dance routine for the character. Students are introduced to some basic navigation around Autodesk Maya before learning how to pose their characters using a HumanIK...

In this activity, students take the role of a graphic designer. Their task is to create a mascot for a new primary school. Students use a web-based digital drawing tool package to draw their design. Students are encouraged to work both individually and in small groups...

This is a problem solving lesson, designed to help you assess how well students are able to:

• Select appropriate mathematical methods to use for an unstructured problem
• Interpret a problem situation, identifying constraints and variables and specify assumptions.
• Work with 2- and 3-...

This resource, from the University of Nottingham, describes a number of investigations which could be carried out in heathland habitats. Heathlands are excellent habitats to use for designing and carrying out experiments. Plants are often relatively easy to identify when compared with other habitats and...