DT subject coordinator – Miss Nagra
Intent
At Moat Farm Infant School, we intend to build a Design and Technology curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. We intend to design a curriculum with appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum Design Technology Programmes of study, to provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum.
The concepts we aim to cover are:
– Learning about the designed and made world and how things work
– Design inspiration from a range of designers
– Design skills for a range of purposeful, functional products
– Making functional products for particular purposes and uses
– Knowledge and understanding of materials and components, mechanisms and control systems
– Understanding how to evaluate and improve the quality of the product to maintain a high quality
Health and safety
These concepts are all derived from the National Curriculum key objectives that are:
– Products are to be made for a purpose.
– Individuality should be ensured in children’s design and construction of products.
– Delivery of the two strands: Designing and Making and Cooking and Nutrition.
– Teaching the importance of making on-going changes and improvements during making stages.
Implementation
Design and Technology is taught half termly and follows the five-stage design process. This can be thought of as a series of stages – the perceived need for a product, the design stage, the use of practical skills to work safely with equipment and materials in producing a product, testing your product and the evaluation of the finished article. Each year group will undertake a construction topic, a textile topic and a food/drink topic. Design Technology lessons begin with a quick activity which acts as a recap for prior knowledge, this can be spaced or retrieval practise. This activity might take the form of quick quizzes, vocabulary flashcards or any other short activity which promotes information recall. Teachers ask questions which retrieve information from pupils and allows them to provide in depth responses to deepen their understanding. To support learning teachers provide clear models to demonstrate concepts to pupils and use thinking aloud strategies to support all learners.
In our school children are taught a range of skills to ensure they are aware of the health and safety issues relating to their designs. We offer clear cross curricular links across the curriculum giving children the opportunity to learn life skills and connecting British Values by exploring how issues affect our lives and how this helps inform decisions. Children can work independently by solving problems and take ownership in their learning or collaboratively whereby they may be asked to work as a team to support to each other to work towards a goal. Working walls are displayed in classrooms which allows children to consistently see good examples and the vocabulary needed to articulate their opinions in Design Technology. Teachers refer to the working walls when modelling concepts or solving design problems which is a crucial strategy for enabling pupils to become independent. Children’s work is celebrated by putting it on display around school. We hold parent workshops annually for year 1 and year 2 so children can work together with their parent to make and test their designs.
In Early Years Foundation Stage children explore and use a variety of media and materials through child initiated and adult led activities. They have the opportunity to use junk modelling to decide how to join materials together, use simple tools safely, select their resources and discuss what went well. As children go into Key Stage 1, they will learn the basic construction skills, join materials using staples, begin to sew a product, learn about different foods and how to be safe and hygienic.
Impact
Design and Technology is taught so children have a clear passion and enjoyment in this subject, and they will then apply this across the curriculum. Projects promote working together, building resilience and critical thinking to develop life skills for children to take with them in the future. At Moat Farm Infant School, we ensure our curriculum is monitored regularly and reflective upon to ensure we are providing a broad and balanced learning environment for our children.
Non-negotiables for Design and Technology
• In Reception and KS1 teachers plan and teach following our scheme, KAPOW
• Class floor books are used in KS1 for DT
• Floors books are used in EYFS labelled as EAD
• Children are encouraged to evaluate their own work and make annotations where appropriate.
• Key vocabulary and the learning intention are shared with the children.
• Specific vocabulary should be evident in working walls where appropriate.
• Teachers assess their children every term.
End of Key Stage intentions for Design and Technology
By the end of EYFS pupils will have had the opportunity to:
• Use their natural creativity to investigate design and make, enabling them to learn about their world.
• Design and make with a purpose. Gain satisfaction, confidence, enthusiasm and perseverance making objects that represent other objects and ones that function like purposeful objects
• Develop communication and listening skills and vocabulary whilst discussing what they are making/ have made
• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used and how they might improve them
• Make use of and create props with everyday materials and large-scale junk modelling when role playing
By the end of KS1 pupils will have had the opportunity to:
• Engage fully in the process of designing and making
• Design purposeful products that are functional and appealing
• Select and use a variety of tools and materials in order to make their chosen products
• Evaluate existing products and their own ideas against design criteria
• Build structures and explore mechanisms to develop technical knowledge
• Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes and understand where food comes from
Books that inspire Design and Technology – Click one to enjoy
Useful Websites and Links:
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