Cover lesson: Plan your living space

I created this lesson for a non specialist to cover a DT lesson, can be used as a standalone or over a couple of lessons.

Lesson plan: Draw a living area using a grid and symbols:

Objective: Students will plan and draw a living area layout using a grid system and symbols to represent furniture and objects.

Materials Needed

• Grid paper or drawing paper (a pre-drawn grid is available in slides will need to br printed out A3)
• Pencils, erasers, rulers
• Example floor plan diagrams for reference

Lesson Steps

Introduction (10 minutes)
Introduce the concept of floor planning and how architects and designers use grids and symbols to plan living spaces.
Show examples of floor plans and discuss

Symbols(10 minutes)
Introduce common symbols used in floor plans to represent furniture (e.g., beds, sofas, tables), doors, windows, and other objects (e.g., TV, plants).
Mini review

Grid Basics (10 minutes)
Explain the grid system and how each square on the grid represents a specific measurement (e.g., 1 square = 10cm).
Demonstrate how to measure and mark the grid using rulers and pencils.

Planning Phase (15 minutes)
Assign students to plan their living area layout on the grid paper.
Encourage them to consider scale, proportions, and functionality (e.g., placement of furniture for traffic flow).

Drawing Phase (20 minutes)
Once planning is complete, instruct students to start drawing their floor plan using symbols for furniture and objects.
Emphasize neatness, accuracy in scale, and clear labeling of symbols.

Extension activities
Review and Discussion (10 minutes):
Have students display their floor plans and discuss their design choices with classmates.
Encourage peer feedback on layout effectiveness and creativity.

Reflection (5 minutes):
Ask students to reflect on the challenges faced during the activity and what they learned about floor planning and design principles.

Challenge advanced students to incorporate additional elements such as color codes for different areas (e.g., living room, kitchen).