Design and make a circuit to detect an overflow from a river and raise a temporary barrier using Crumble This is one of a series of resources produced in association with Fairfield Control Systems that are designed to allow learners to use the theme of waterways to develop their knowledge and skills in Design & Technology and Engineering. This resource focusses on designing and making a programmable electronic system to control a flood barrier. This activity can be simplified (particularly for less able students) by providing a partially completed template for producing the systems block diagram; pre-download the example program onto the Crumble microcontroller boards; and/or provide a diagram to aid with system assembly. As an extension students could design a mechanical system to convert the rotary motion from the motor to the movement of a barrier; update the program to take account of this mechanical movement (e.g. the time needed to move the barrier); and/or add light or sound outputs to the system to warn people when the barrier is moving. This activity is designed to take between 70-110 minutes. Tools/resources required Crumble controller board and USB download cable Three red crocodile clips and three black crocodile clips Three AA batteries and battery pack Crumble motor Bowl of water for testing To make a moisture sensor: Copper tape Card Sticky tape Scissors The engineering context The waterways (including their protection, maintenance and control) is an excellent context to explore opportunities that working in the engineering industry presents. For example, designing and making control systems that help the waterways to work more effectively. Electrical, electronic and control engineers need to have knowledge, understanding and skills associated with circuit design and assembly, and the programming of electronic control systems. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to design and make an electronic control system for a flood barrier; understand how block diagrams are used to represent systems; and be able to use programmable components to solve a real engineering problem. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation.

Learn scale with ancient Greek mathematics In this engaging activity for kids inspired by the achievements of ancient Greece, students will discover how to create a scale drawing of an object using ancient Greek mathematics. This activity, which combines maths and history, will introduce students to the concept of scale and teach students facts about how the ancient Greeks have affected modern life. Resources for teachers are provided. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Measure the time taken to complete a task and plot results in a graph In this activity, students will take part in their own Olympics, an event invented by the Greeks, whilst applying history, maths, and PE. Students will record distances using a tape measure or an odometer to record the time taken to run different lengths. This activity will enable students to measure using different tools, record results and plot graphs. Resources for teachers are provided. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Use Pythagoras Theorem to measure objects In this activity for kids, students will be introduced to the concept of the Pythagoras Theorem and what it is used for. They will use this knowledge to create a string triangle in the proportion of 3:4:5 and use it to measure objects from their base. This activity will test students’ maths abilities and teach them historical facts about ancient Greece. Resources for teachers are available. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation