Design Technology - Mechanical Book Page (Lower Key Stage 2)

Mechanical Book Page is a Design Technology unit of work aimed primarily at children aged 7-9.
Design Brief: To design and make a page for a book for the class library with movable mechanisms to interest and engage the reader.

The package provides the medium-term plan, six lessons (each lesson has a MS Powerpoint presentation). Any additional resources are provided as PDFs or as Powerpoint Presentations. This unit of work fulfils the National Curriculum (England) Design Technology requirements for this age group in the following strands of learning:

• Materials
• Mechanical Systems
  In this project children create a page for a book for the class library. This book could be linked to wider curriculum learning. Children consolidate and develop their knowledge of simple mechanical systems with a focus on levers and linkages. The focused practical tasks deepens children’s knowledge and understanding of how levers and linkages work by making simple mechanical monsters. Children then apply their knowledge of levers and linkages to create a movable part for a book page and enhance this page by adding other mechanical systems such as levers, pop-ups and flap mechanisms. Children add text, images and other decorative features to make their page attractive and appealing to the reader.

This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:

1. IDEA Task 1: Investigating Moving Books & Focused Practical Task 1: Making a Lever Monster
2. Focused Practical Task 2: Making a Linkage Monster
3. Focused Practical Task 3: Pull Down Mechanism
4. Designing the book page
5. Making the book page
6. Evaluation session