Students often have different attitudes towards initial ideas lessons, i often hear students complain that they cant draw or that they know what they want to make and they don’t need to draw it. This lesson has been designed to teach KS3 and KS4 students the importance of initial ideas as well as guiding them through all of the important stages of sketching, rendering and annotating. The lesson and worksheet is generic and can be edited to suit all projects. The worksheet can also be included as part of a project booklet that you may be creating.

Worksheet that is designed for students to design their own puzzle. Can be edited to be given a theme or context. Students can work independently through the worksheet. Tried and tested.

Worksheet that is designed for students to design a novelty iphone case. Students can work independently through the worksheet. Tried and tested.

A challenging product design project that introduces students to furniture and product design. The resource contains a 57 page slide show that has been divided into structured lessons. The resource has an accompanying project booklet that can be printed for students to work through. This is a brilliant project that I have delivered to students over the past few years and they really connect with it and adore their outcomes. A great introduction to Design and Technology as the project follows the design process. Students will be introduced to the project, given a brief history of furniture and then take time to explore the design context. Students will then analyse existing products, have a subject specific introduction to cardboard, learn modeling techniques, create initial ideas using subject specific techniques, create their product and finally evaluate. A great project that doesn’t require a workshop, friendly to the departmental budget but still allows for outstanding teaching and learning in design and technology. Slides and booklets are editable. Assessment grid included (also editable)

This resource has been designed specifically with Year 10 in mind. The project has a simple outcome but allows for students to develop the skills required for the successful completion of their coursework in Year 11. Students will first be introduced to Timber theory. They will then be taught a variety of simple woodworking joints, through this they will start to develop an understanding of woodworking. They will then be taught how to use CAD to 3D model, they can follow a step by step guide of how to use Google Sketchup. They can copy my example or use the skills taught to generate their own. Once complete they will be introduced to technical drawings such as orthographic projection and Isometric. They will then need to manufacture their product and finish by evaluating. The resource contains a 69 page slideshow with an accompanying booklet that the students can work in. All resources are editable. Tried and tested project with great results.

This resource has been designed with Year 9 in mind but can be delivered to in the early stages of a KS4 course too. Students will first be given a design context and asked to design a lightbox which also has secondary function. They will be required to construct a simple LED circuit, manufacture a unit to house the circuit, produce a stain glass light pan using acrylic and then add a multifunctional element (pen holder etc). The project has been planned as 25 - hour long lessons but can easily be simplified for smaller contact time. The resource contains a 126 page slideshow, Lessons are broken down with clear objectives and criteria, the resources comes with an accompanying booklet that the students can work in and a document containing individual lesson plans. All resources are editable. Tried and tested project with great results.

A KS3 Acrylic DT project that introduces students to the global goals and encourages them as designers to create solutions to target global goal 11 : Sustainable Cities and Communities: Protect the worlds cultural and natural heritage. The resource contains a 45 page slide show that has been divided into structured lessons. The resource has an accompanying project booklet for students to work in, the booklet organises work and contains clear objectives and success criteria. This is a brilliant project that I have delivered to KS3 students over the past few years and they really connect with it and adore their outcomes. A great introduction to Acrylic and Design and Technology as the project follows the design process. Students will start by analysing the globals goal and exploring the design context. Students will then analyse existing products, create initial ideas, learn about acrylic, create their product and finally evaluate. All resources are completely editable.

This resource has been designed to introduce students to CAD CAM and teach them the basics of using Google Sketchup specifically with product design in mind. This 30 page slideshow and accompanying booklet will guide students through first understanding what CAD is and then teaching them how to use Google sketchup. The slides have step by step screenshots with written instructions that allow students to work at their own pace. I have used this resource for the past three years and it has really helped my students learn how to use sketchup and design prototypes for their projects. My GCSE students still refer to it when creating joints or CAD modelling for their coursework. The resource doesn’t require much teaching but will work better if the teacher can demonstrate the steps on a projected screen first. Can also be used as cover if required. All the slides are editable.

A KS3 graphics DT project that encourages students to raise awareness of the global goals 14 and 15. Full term project with slides and workbook. The project will first introduce students to the importance of good graphic design. They will learn the importance of imagery and symbols and then follow a brief history of how graphic design has developed over the years. The project will then progress by introducing them to the fundamental elements of graphic design. The students will learn about layout, colour theory, typography and more. Students will then be given a design brief to raise awareness of the global goals through the design of a graphic leaflet. They will then follow the design process to meet their brief. A great prject to introduce students to graphic design. 8 lessons, 42 slides and accompanying workbook.