A maths-based challenge for KS3 to calculate the journey times and carbon footprint of different methods of travel As well as testing students’ mathematical abilities, this activity highlights the issue of sustainable travel and the effects of some modes of transport on the environment. This could be used as a one-off main lesson activity to use maths skills in context, or as part of a scheme of work on sustainability, to build knowledge and understanding of climate change and ways of reducing it. Activity introduction This activity is one of a series of resources designed in conjunction with Network Rail to develop understanding and skills in key maths, science, and engineering concepts. The carbon footprint data in the presentation is derived from passenger-specific figures published by BEIS/Defra Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors 2019. Transportation speeds are approximations based on typical values obtained from commonly used search engines. Any statistical or speed-related data used in this activity serves its sole purpose within the activity and may not accurately mirror current real-world conditions. Variability might arise due to seasonal changes, environmental conditions, or legal constraints. When utilising the activity sheet, students can construct tables for each journey, showcasing their findings (as depicted on the sheet). For air travel, a buffer of 3 hours should be allotted to account for check-in, security procedures, and boarding at airports. To add an additional layer of complexity, transit times to airports and railway stations could be incorporated. The presentation includes supplementary slides for those who prefer kilometres instead of miles. The engineering context Engineers must understand how products impact the environment; This pertains not only to modes of transportation but also encompasses the production of new items. They can use this knowledge to balance the environmental impact with the function carried out by the product. Engineers can also develop new or improved Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity, students will be able to solve a contextual problem using division and multiplication, and they will understand how to calculate journey times and the carbon footprint for alternative modes of transport. 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 teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. You can download our step-by-step instructions below as either a classroom lesson plan or PowerPoint presentation. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

Making structures from card strips and assembling these into animal forms In this fun Easter themed STEM activity for kids, students will learn about 3D structures within a graphical project. Learners will build a bunny using card strips from a template. This free resource, aimed at primary school children, could be used as a main lesson activity, to teach learners about simple structures made from separate parts. This is one of a set of resources designed to allow learners to use Easter themes to develop their knowledge and skills in Design and Technology and Mathematics. This resource focuses on building a card structure, to make a bunny. The teacher will first print the free activity sheet, which can be found below, onto thin card and distribute to the learners. Learners can then follow this step-by-step guide to build their own DIY Easter bunny. If time allows learners could decorate their Easter bunnies. They will then share their completed bunnies with the class. This activity will take approximately 50 – 80 minutes. Tools/resources required Build a bunny handout Scissors Glue Colouring pencils/pens (optional to colour in your bunny before assembly) The engineering context Engineers use nets and card to allow them to make scaled 3D models of buildings and other structures, as well as packaging for products. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this STEM challenge learners will be able to understand how structures are made using separate parts and they will be able to make and assemble a bunny structure from card strips. Download the free Build a bunny activity sheet below! Also includes a bonus worksearch to enhance sticky learning. 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.

Creating a pedestrian crossing system This activity tasks students with creating a scale model and working prototype for a pedestrian crossing system for a school, using the BBC micro:bit. This micro:bit traffic light project is an ideal activity for teaching students how to integrate a programmable system into a product design. It’s one of a set of resources developed to aid the teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3, supporting the teaching in computing and design & technology (D&T). Hundreds of people are killed in accidents on roads in the United Kingdom every year. When schools are situated close to roads there is particular danger to children crossing them. A good, well programmed pedestrian control system can minimise risk and enable people to cross the road safely. The engineering context Designing and prototyping are essential processes used by engineers for research and development in manufacturing and product design. Students will how learn how elements of electrical, software and systems engineering can come together to create one final product that can be used by society. Suggested learning outcomes This activity will teach students to integrate a programmable system into a prototype scale model. It will help students develop modelling and prototyping skills, allowing them to show creativity and the ability to avoid stereotypical responses when creating design solutions. Download our activity sheet and related teaching resources for free! The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 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. Download our classroom lesson plan and presentation below. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation

What security systems’ features would deter a burglar from breaking into a home? For this introductory activity, students will analyse the needs of a home security system so that they can design a product that is tailored to meet a specific set of requirements. It is part of a unit of learning that tasks learners with researching, programming and developing a working door access and alarm system using the BBC micro:bit. This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It is part of our series of resources designed to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in secondary school design & technology (DT), computing and engineering lessons. Following this lesson, students can move on to design a home security system with the BBC micro:bit. Activity: Researching and designing a home security system for the BBC micro:bit In this activity, learners will look at the requirements for a good home security system from the perspective of a burglar. They’ll do this by watching a home security video featuring home safety tips from an ex-burglar so that they can understand what deters burglars from breaking into a property. They will then use this information to develop at least four design criteria for the alarm system (such as inputs, outputs, programmable features, etc). The engineering context System analysis is used by engineers in software development, product design and other forms of systems engineering such as mechanical and electrical engineering. It’s a key part of understanding users’ needs so that products can be developed and improved through technical or scientific innovations. A home security system will give students a useful context for learning about programmable components and embedded intelligence in products. It is also an ideal vehicle for using the BBC micro:bit in the classroom and developing the programming skills of learners. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this lesson students will be able to identify and analyse the needs of a home security system, and then be able to determine key design criteria for developing the system. Download our activity sheet (classroom lesson plan, student handout and PowerPoint presentation) resources for free! The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download (including videos!), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

Sketching an idea and writing a microcontroller program for the line painting robot to follow This resource focusses on robotics engineering where learners design and write a program for a robot that could mark out the pitch lines for a game of football. Students will produce a labelled sketch of their idea and write a microcontroller program for the electronic aspects of the robot. This is one of a series of resources that are designed to allow learners to use the theme of sports to develop their knowledge and skills in Design & Technology and Engineering. The teacher will introduce the theme of playing football on the moon and the challenges that would be faced when doing this, before explaining the robot design worksheet and task ahead to design and assemble their robot and then program it to complete the task assigned. This activity is designed to take between 90-140 minutes. Tools/resources required Pens, pencils and coloured pencils Crumble controller board and USB download cable Three red crocodile clips and three black crocodile clips Three AA batteries and battery pack Two Crumble motors Crumble software and computer hardware for programming The engineering context 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. Travelling and potentially living on the moon presents all sorts of challenges for engineers to overcome. For example, how will we breathe, how will we cope with much lower gravity, how will we play sports and keep fit? Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to understand the challenges of living and playing football on the moon; be able to produce a labelled sketch of a design for a moon based pitch marker robot and be able to write a program for the electronics of the orbit, so it can mark out the pitch. All activity sheets and supporting resources to design a robot are free online 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.

Program a prototype system to alert homeowners flooding risks The flood prevention strategies activity tasks participants to program a prototype system to alert homeowners flooding risks. Flooding is becoming increasingly common in parts of the United Kingdom and causes a lot of damage to peoples’ homes. The sooner a potential flood can be detected, the more time homeowners have to prepare and to save their property. This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Damage caused by flooding can have widespread effects on people’s lives, homes, businesses, and agriculture. Authorities aim to provide adequate warnings when the risk of flooding is likely, however this can be challenging. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will debate the social impact of flooding and how design and technology could provide solutions to this. They should think about how programmable systems could be used to help homeowners and the authorities respond better and provide earlier and more effective warnings that flooding is likely to occur. They will then develop a working flood warning system using the BBC micro:bit. Please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard To watch videos the ‘flood warning system’ and ‘flood engineers’ videos, please visit the IET Education website.

Investigate and apply methods to attach the bag alarm device to a piece of clothing This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Schools are busy environments and it is easy for learner’s bags to be left unattended, taken by mistake or even stolen. Alarm systems using embedded electronics and programmable components can be developed to protect the property of learners during the school day. In this unit of learning, learners will research, program and develop a working school bag alarm system using the BBC micro:bit. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will design a fully integrated product. They will investigate and apply methods to attach their device to a piece of clothing. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the free activity sheet! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Consider how a jetpack works and sketch an idea for a wearable jetpack In this activity learners will make use of the theme of football on the moon to design a jetpack that can be worn by either the players or referee during a moon football game. They will look at jetpack design and the different parts of a jetpack. They will then sketch an idea for a wearable jetpack for use during the game. This is one of a series of resources that are designed to allow learners to use the theme of football on the moon to develop their knowledge and skills in Science, Design & Technology and Engineering. This resource focusses on learners looking at jetpack aviation to design a jetpack that the players or referee can use during a game of football on the moon. The teacher will introduce the theme of playing football on the moon and the challenges that would be faced when doing this, before introducing and explaining how a jetpack works. Learners will then have time to go through the design brief and sketch their design ideas before reporting back to the class in an informal style or as part of a formal presentation. This activity can be simplified (particularly for less able students) by providing sentence starters for annotations/labelling of sketches and/or providing templates for learners to draw around, such as images of the referee and players. As an extension learners can make a life size model of the jetpack or design a spacesuit to be work by the players and/or referee. This activity is designed to take between 50-80 minutes. The engineering context Travelling and potentially living on the moon presents all sorts of challenges for engineers to overcome. For example, how will we breathe, how will we cope with much lower gravity, how will we play sports and keep fit? Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to design a wearable jetpack for a game of football on the Moon; know the different parts of a jetpack; and understand how jetpacks function and the technology needed to make them work. 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 about how electronic intercom circuits can help players communicate In this activity students will gain an understanding of how soundwaves travel and are received to allow them to be heard in the ear. Building on students pre-existing knowledge of circuits this activity focusses on how football players on the Moon could communicate to each other using electronics. Students then apply their skill to build an intercom circuit. This resource uses the theme of football on the Moon to allow learners to develop their knowledge and skills in design & technology, mathematics and science. In this activity learners will use the theme of football on the Moon to learn about how electronic intercom circuits can help players communicate. The teacher will introduce the activity and explain how sound waves allow us to hear. The teacher will then discuss the problems communicating on the Moon and explain why an electronic circuit is necessary. Learners will then have the opportunity to manufacture and test their own intercom. This activity can be simplified (particularly for less able students) by placing components onto the PCB/stripboard prior to soldering and/or using helping hands to hold PCB/stripboard in place. As an extension learners can research what methods could be used to make the intercom wireless. This activity is designed to take between 40-60 minutes. Tools/resources required Paper cups and string Sharp pencils and sticky tack Electronic components (see PPt list on slide 7) Soldering irons and stands Helping hands Wire strippers and cutters Lead free solder PCB making kit Tracing paper to print PCB mask Stripboard (see PPt slides 16-18) Stripboard track cutters The engineering context Engineers create and develop communication systems for numerous activities that take place in very different environments. For example, deep sea divers need to communicate underwater and armed forces have to communicate in all weather conditions. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to understand how hearing works translating sound waves; understand how sound waves can travel through string by vibration and wire by electrical signal; and be able to build an intercom circuit. 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.

Grow grass in a terrarium to use on a football pitch on the Moon In this activity learners will make use of the theme of football on the moon to make an experiment of terrarium, so that grass can be grown for a lunar football game. This is one of a series of resources that are designed to allow learners to use the theme of football on the moon to develop their knowledge and skills in Science, Design & Technology and Engineering. This resource focusses on making a closed terrarium with glass jars to show how grass could be grown on the moon, therefore overcoming some of the external temperature issues of growing grass in this environment. The teacher will introduce the activity and the theme of travelling to the moon, before discussing the challenge with learners. Teachers can carry out demonstrations at stages throughout the lesson to show what is required and check that all learners understand and carry actions out in the correct order. This activity can be simplified (particularly for less able students) by providing pre-measured amounts of materials and marked jars for learners to fill to. As an extension students can discuss and experiment with the effects of rotating the jars. What would happen if this didn’t take place? Students could also have a go at identifying other plants that could be grown in the terrarium for use on the moon e.g. food plants. This activity is designed to take between 35-65 minutes plus growing time and of course, caring for your terrarium. Tools/resources required Clean jam jar and lid Activated charcoal Stones Soil Grass seed The engineering context Travelling and potentially living on the moon presents all sorts of challenges for engineers to overcome. For example, how will we breathe, how will we cope with much lower gravity, how will we play sports and keep fit? How will we grow plants, grass and food? Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to understand the concept of living organisms surviving on the Moon; set up an experiment to grow grass in a terrarium and be able to evaluate the findings of the experiment. 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.

Make a jigsaw that shows the main elements in power generation and transmission In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the National Grid to complete a labelled jigsaw of the main parts of the electricity distribution network. They will assemble the different pieces into an image of the National Grid network and use labelled cards to identify each part. This is one of a set of resources designed to allow learners to use practical methods to support the delivery of key topics within Design & Technology, Science, and Engineering. This resource, developed with the support of National Grid ESO, focusses on learners developing knowledge of the different parts of the National Grid by completing a jigsaw of it. National Grid ESO ensure that Great Britain has the essential energy it needs by ensuring supply meets demand every second of every day. The teacher will explain the purpose of the National Grid and how it works before setting the students with the task of completing the jigsaw and then reviewing responses and discussing outcomes on completion of the work. This activity can be simplified (particularly for less able students) by using the jigsaw template with the labels already added. As an extension students could try using the internet to identify the different methods used to generate electricity, and then discussing what the advantages and disadvantages are of each method. Students could also investigate what a transformer is used for and find out why it is needed. This activity is designed to take between 25-40 minutes. Tools/resources required Card for the jigsaw image and labels Laminating facilities (if the jigsaws are to be re-used with different classes) The engineering context It is important that all engineers understand how products and systems are powered. This includes how electricity is generated, transmitted and made available for us to use in our homes and businesses. Power engineering is a very important field which focusses on how energy is generated and transmitted. There are lots of well-paid and rewarding careers available in this area. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this free resource students will be able to assemble a jigsaw of the National Grid and be able to identify each of the main parts. Students should also be able to describe the purpose of each stage of the National Grid network. 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.

Consider colour sequences and measurements while making paper chains for Christmas Paper chains are super easy to make and a great way to decorate a room or Christmas Tree. In this Christmas STEM activity, students are going to try to make the longest chain possible with three pieces of paper. Students will consider the different sequences that are all around them, whilst thinking about colour patterns and number sequences. 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 do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation #SantaLovesSTEM

A set of printable resources and guidance notes giving teachers and technicians the basic ingredients to run their very own Faraday Challenge Day. This cross-curricular activity day brings science, design and technology, engineering and maths together in an engaging way. The James Webb Space Telescope challenge is based on the Faraday Challenge of the same name from our 2018/19 season of Faraday Challenge Days. Students are given an engineering brief from Tim Peake (found in the student booklet) where he invites the students to assist the engineering mission of the James Webb Space Telescope team. They will need to demonstrate that they have the engineering skills required to engineer and construct a working prototype of their design and pitch their products to the judges. Designed for six teams of six students (36 students in total) aged 12-13 years (year 8 England, and equivalent), the challenge encourages the development of students’ problem solving, team working and communication skills. This activity day can be tailored to the needs of your school and your students by adapting the PowerPoint presentation and the editable student booklet. Can your students help make a difference as a Faraday James Webb Space Telescope engineer?

Students discuss what they do and don’t know about programmable systems This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Some people enjoy taking part in quizzes in their spare time. Keeping an accurate score of points gained by each team, or player, is important when deciding who the overall winner is. Programmable counter systems can be used to do this quickly and easily, and reduce the likelihood of human error. In this unit of learning, learners will use the BBC micro:bit to develop a programmable counter that can be used to keep score during a quiz. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will self-assess and plan how to extend their current knowledge of programmable systems. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Create five rules for learning about programmable systems This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Hundreds of people are killed in accidents on roads in the United Kingdom every year. When schools are situated close to roads there is particular danger to children crossing them. A good, well programmed pedestrian control system can minimise risk and enable people to cross the road safely. In this unit of learning, learners will use the BBC micro:bit to develop a prototype for a pedestrian crossing for a local secondary school. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will create five ‘golden rules’ for others learning about the topic of programmable systems. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Create and implement a set of tests for your prototype This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Hundreds of people are killed in accidents on roads in the United Kingdom every year. When schools are situated close to roads there is particular danger to children crossing them. A good, well programmed pedestrian control system can minimise risk and enable people to cross the road safely. In this unit of learning, learners will integrate a BBC micro:bit based programmable system into a working product prototype. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will create and implement a set of tests for their prototype and suggest possible improvements. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Draw and annotate casing that meets a design brief and design criteria This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Flooding is becoming increasingly common in parts of the United Kingdom and causes a lot of damage to peoples’ homes. The sooner a potential flood can be detected, the more time homeowners have to prepare and to save their property. In this unit of learning, learners will identify the design problems presented by flooding. They will then develop a working flood warning system using the BBC micro:bit. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will design a suitable casing for their BBC micro:bit flood warning system. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Improve and develop your programmable system This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Home security is increasingly important as homeowners look to ensure that their properties and possessions are protected from potential burglary. Alarm systems are being developed with increasingly complex embedded electronics and programmable components. In this unit of learning, learners will research, program and develop a working door access and alarm system using the BBC micro:bit. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will improve and further develop their programmable system using the BBC micro:bit. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Analyse current transport options and compile a list of criteria that future methods of transport should fulfil In the UK around 75% of people use their car for their daily commute. However, with congestion and pollution from increased traffic, why aren’t more people using community transport? This is one of a set of free STEM resources for KS3. Can your students think about current methods of community transport and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each? Activity: In this activity, students are asked to think about current methods of community transport and the associated pros and cons. Their ideas will then be used to compile a class list of criteria that future methods of community transport should fulfil. Slide 2 of the presentation below shows an image of traffic congestion. Learners should discuss what the image conveys and how they feel about this. Take time to discuss why many people choose to drive rather than use community transport. One possible solution to reduce the amount of traffic on the road is for more people to use community transport. What do students think about this solution? Slide 3 of the presentation shows a range of current community transport methods. Students will work in pairs or small groups to discuss the pros and cons of each method. You may like to go through one type of transport as a class and then ask the students to go through the remaining individually or in groups. This feedback can be used to compile a class list of criteria that community transport needs to fulfil in the future e.g. sustainable (materials used to make the transport, the infrastructure needed as well as the fuel used), low pollution, use of renewables, low energy consumption (high energy efficiency), cheap, fast, good networks and frequent service. This is a quick and simple activity that will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will be able to identify the pros and cons of different types of community transport and they will be able to compile a list of criteria for future community transport. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets, worksheets 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

Students design an ideal set of headphones This is an engaging exercise aimed at secondary school students. This resource will allow learners to understand ergonomics and aesthetics in an authentic context and apply their findings in a creative and challenging way. Students are given the opportunity to think about acoustic engineering and to analyse earphones currently on the market in a structured, detailed, and creative way. They are then encouraged to investigate the potential development of the product. Download our free activity sheet below to view a case study of a pair of Bang & Olufsen earphones. Discuss as a class the styling and marketing of this product. The CAFEQUE (Cost, Aesthetics, Function, Ergonomics, Quality, User, Environment) principles can then be used to analyse them. Using what they have learnt from this product, ask the students to analyse their own headphones/earphones and to produce a critique of them. They should focus on which areas they would develop and why. To support the students, use the ‘Acoustic Engineering’ presentation for assessment criteria that stipulate what is expected in this detailed design-development sheet. These criteria can be developed with the students, using the example as a starting place. Tools/resources required Projector/whiteboard A range of earphones and headphones (these could be provided by the students or collected by the department over time) Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this resource students will understand how to analyse a product. They will also be able to identify areas for development when analysing a product and they will be able to present their design considerations when deciding which areas and features to develop. Download the activity sheets for free! Also available Acoustic Engineering 1 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.