Design & Technology Subject Leader - Tom Claughton
email - tclaughton@oatlands-jun.n-yorks.sch.uk
‘The achievement of one goal should be the starting point of another’.
Alexander Graham Bell - scientist, inventor, engineer, and innovator who patented the first practical telephone
At Oatlands Junior School, Design and Technology gives children the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills and knowledge through an exciting range of projects which focus on design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. As a school we aim to nurture creativity and innovation in Design and Technology looking at its contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation inspiring future aspirations.
SMSC with British Values
Social - we develop skills and attitudes which will allow us to participate and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
Lower School have been busy in their D.T. lessons this term using their sewing skills to design and create a Christmas decoration that can hang on a tree. After researching existing products, they used their ideas to design an appealing Christmas decoration. They used felt to create their design and used different sewing techniques and types of stitches to make their finished products.
Upper School have been given a design brief to design and create a bag using an item of old clothing or material, linked to our World War Two theme. After learning about clothes rationing and what Make Do and Mend is, we researched existing products and designers who create items using recycled material. We then designed our own bags using our research and thinking about our target audience.
We have learned how to use and experimented with different types of stitches including running stitch, back stitch and whip stitch. We have worked really hard to use these skills to make our own bags which look fantastic!
Here are some examples of the work we have done during the design process:
Upper School have been busy in their DT lessons this term looking at structures and electrical controls to create buildings that will have a lighting system to create a model town. This project helps develop children’s skills and knowledge in design, materials, structures and electrical control and are encouraged to be creative and innovative.
Children looked at different buildings in Harrogate then chose their favourite to recreate. Once the final designs were developed and materials lists ready, children were able to start constructing their building.
Working together in teams, wood was safely cut using saws for the frames, then attached together before the sides were designed for the buildings. Finally, the switch and circuits were designed and made by using our learning from Science to light the buildings up. The finished products were impressive!
3M and 3H were treated to a visit by Nutritional Advisor Katie French (Beau’s Mum) on Tuesday as part of our DT project, It’s a Wrap. Katie talked about the importance of healthy eating and how a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables can support our health, well being and give us more energy. A good example of a balanced meal was the traditional Christmas dinner which includes different food groups such as proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables. Katie talked with the children that sugar doesn’t help our bodies and recommended only a few pieces as a treat only! Drinking 8 glasses of water a day and avoiding fizzy sugary drinks would keep our bodies hydrated and our teeth healthy. Children had lots of questions about healthy eating.
Thank you for coming in and helping us learn about the importance of healthy eating.
In Design and Technology children in Year 3&4 will be creating and designing their own healthy wrap inspired by a Mediterranean country. We have been learning about healthy eating and that a healthy diet is made up from a variety and balance of different foods and drink. We found out;
that everyone should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day
how to name and sort foods into the five groups in The Eatwell Plate
to be active and healthy, food and drink are needed to provide energy for the body.
SMSC
Cultural and Spiritual
We look at and sample a range of ingredients from different cultures as well as developing an understanding of the importance of healthy eating. We also understand dietary beliefs in religion, vegan and vegetarian choices and expand our creativity by exploring how ingredients from different cultures can be used in modern food.
Christmas displays 2017 not only have important messages of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural with British Values of future hopes and wishes but are also interactive using mechanisms as part of Design and Technology. Children learnt how to create levers which are combined with sliders to make lever and linkage mechanisms. We also looked at fixed and loose pivots using paper fasteners to create different types of levers for our boards.
Have a look on our class pages to see our Christmas displays.