In this activity learners will carry out a practical investigation to investigate how spur gears work, including calculation of simple gear ratios and assembling models of simple gear trains. Gears are used to change the speed at which something turns. A series of gears that turn each other are called a ‘gear train.’ This resource has been developed with the support of the Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre and focuses on the role of gears in a mechanism. The main activity involves making a series of spur gears to calculate gear ratios and see them working. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links This activity could be used as a main lesson activity, to introduce the concept of gears in D&T or the practical use of ratios in maths, or as part of a project/series of lessons creating a mechanised object. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required • Scissors • Glue sticks • Sharp pencil • Card and Split pins • Blu Tack (for piercing the card safely) • Cardboard (Alternative: foam board and thumb tacks) 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.

Manufacture a traditional Chinese two-stringed musical instrument called an 'Erhu’ In this activity learners will use the theme of the Chinese and Lunar New Year to learn about and make a Chinese two-stringed musical instrument called an Erhu. They will learn about the purpose of an Erhu and its main parts. They will then use hand tools and equipment to manufacture their own Erhu and test it. The erhu is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It can imitate many natural sounds such as birds and horses. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Tin can Piece of wood 2 x M5 screw, 4 x M5 nuts Fishing line Hacksaw/multi-tool Drill and drill bits Hot glue gun Wood saw Violin bows (if available) 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Code breaking using maths calculations. In this activity learners will carry out math’s calculations to break codes based on the zodiac animals of the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, is an annual 15-day festival observed in China and Chinese communities around the world. It corresponds to the new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20. Each year is based on one of twelve animal zodiac signs. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Writing instruments (pens, pencils, erasers) Calculators 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Learning how to write using traditional Chinese handwriting. In this activity learners will use the theme of the Chinese and Lunar New Year to learn about and make use of Chinese calligraphy. They will learn about different types of ‘script’, what is meant by a Xuan, and how to write numbers using Chinese Regular script. There are five major script types used today in China: seal script, clerical script, cursive script, running script and standard script. Regular script means the proper script type of Chinese writing and is used by all Chinese for government documents and printed books. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Pencils Paintbrush Paint Pot of water to clean brush 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design and make a Chinese dragon mask. In this activity learners will use the theme of Chinese New Year to produce a Chinese dragon mask. They will investigate the importance of colour and the dragon to Chinese culture and use this information in their products. They will make two masks, one using an existing template, and another from their own design. Dragons play an important role in Chinese culture, such as the zodiac, dragon dances, art and the dragon boat festival. The dragon is considered to bring good fortune, harvest and prosperity. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Scissors Pencils Coloured pens Glue and sticky tape 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Make a Chinese zodiac animal wheel to learn about cutting and assembling a simple graphic product. In this activity learners will learn about cutting and assembling a simple graphic product. Learners will use a template to cut out the circle templates for the Chinese zodiac animal wheel and also learn about the twelve zodiac animals. In the Chinese zodiac, each year is represented by an animal with a different personality. Why not find out more about this tradition and a Chinese zodiac animal wheel from a template? Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Thin card Scissors Pencils Sticky tack Paper fasteners 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Learn about cutting and folding simple 3D structures by making a fortune cookie from card. In this activity learners will learn about cutting and folding simple 3D structures within a graphics project. Learners will use a provided template to cut out the circle for the fortune cookie. The fortune cookie first appeared in 1890 in San Francisco, USA. They have a typical shape and contain a message on paper. It became a Chinese New Year tradition even though fortune cookies only reached China in 1989. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Thin, coloured Card Scissors Glue sticks Paper fasteners Decoration materials 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

Use modern technologies to enhance flight. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to design a wearable cockpit that makes use of new and modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), which have the potential to completely change how pilots interact with and control their aircraft. Produce a specification for their design requirements and a mind map of ideas. They will then produce sketches of their initial ideas before producing a completed final design. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Develop a parachute-type system to slow a landing spacecraft. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to develop a parachute type system that will help a spacecraft to land and stop safely. They will be able to make design decisions contributing to the performance of their solution. They will then test their prototype to see how well it works. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Making a model of an electric aircraft engine and calculating how long this could power an aircraft using solar energy. Under the future of flight theme, learners will make a model of an electric aircraft engine that uses solar-powered rechargeable batteries and a motor. They will then test their circuit to see if it works and calculate how long it can run for before it needs to be recharged. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach about assembling models of circuits and the use of renewable energy. It could also be used as part of a wider scheme of learning to support focussed practical skills or about engineering career opportunities within the aviation sector. You will need Solar AA battery charger 2 x rechargeable AA batteries AA batteries connector/holder Red and black crocodile clips Slide or toggle switch Electric solar motor Atlas (for extension activity determining potential journey destinations) 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Measuring the amount of noise produced by different activities. In this activity learners will measure noise produced by a range of activities using a sound meter to help them understand how noise is measured and that high noise levels can damage our hearing. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about sound, as part of a scheme of learning covering sound waves and how sound is generated or as part of a wider topic area covering health and safety considerations in the workshop. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

How to make hydrogen from water. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to investigate one of the potential energy sources of the future. They will discuss the problems associated with the use of oil-based fuels and how the use of hydrogen fuels could solve them. They will then produce hydrogen from water and investigate ways to make it work better. This activity could be used as a main lesson to teach about power supplies and renewable energy within a transport context. It could also be used as part of a wider scheme of learning to teach about sustainability and environmental issues. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Find the height achieved by a flying object using trigonometry. In this activity learners will work out the height of a released balloon using a clinometer and trigonometry. This is one of a series of resources designed to allow learners to use the theme of the future of flight to develop their knowledge and skills in in Design and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about the practical application of trigonometry. It could also be used as part of an introduction to the use of trigonometry within engineering. You will need: Thin card Balloons Balloon pump, if required Brass split pin paper fasteners Scissors Sharp pencils and erasers Calculators Tape measure 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Calculating the amount of energy needed to launch a rocket into space. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to calculate the amount of energy needed to launch a space rocket. They will discuss the meaning of the term escape velocity and then perform calculations based on the Space X and Saturn V rockets. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design a system to drop emergency aid pallets from an aircraft. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to design a method or system of getting emergency aid from an aircraft to the ground safely. They will analyse existing methods of achieving this. Then use that information to create sketches of their initial ideas, before producing a developed and completed final design. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Use colour-changing LEDs for a mood lighting circuit that can help passengers to relax whilst inside an aircraft cabin. This activity could be used as a main lesson to teach about soldering, assembling circuits and the function of components or to support learning about colour and how it changes our response to products. You will need: Soldering iron, stand and mat/base Solder Mood light circuit board 5 V power supply e.g. a USB cable Slide switch 5 mm colour changing LED Protective resistor for the LED 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Create a presentation suggesting how a company could re-use aircraft or parts of aircraft. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to create a presentation for the board of the company suggesting how they could re-use aircraft, or parts of aircraft, being retired from their fleet. They will research the different parts of an aircraft and existing products that make use of their old parts. They will use this information to create ideas for their own products. 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Measuring the density of materials to choose which to use in an aircraft. In this activity learners will discover the density of materials through testing. Learners will have an opportunity to weigh and work out the volume of an object. They will use this information and their number skills to calculate the density. They will then repeat this for other objects and discuss their results as a class. You will need: Range of different materials to test Bowls and trays Science beakers/Measuring jugs Weighing scales Water 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Providing disaster support for a famine hit country. In this activity learners will design a pop-up airport to allow the delivery of food supplies to people in famine affected, remote areas. They will consider the requirements of the airport and how it can be made quickly using readily available resources. They will then produce a sketch of their idea ready for implementation. You will need: Access to word processing or desktop publishing software (if using ICT) Paper Card Pencil and pens Ruler Tape and/or glue 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design a personal transport system for the future. Engineers are always looking to improve existing transport systems to make them better, more efficient, and widely available to everyone. As new propulsion methods are made smaller, and materials get lighter and stronger, personal transportation systems will be developed. In this activity, learners will design a futuristic personal transport system. The transport will use a chosen method of propulsion to allow it to fly, carrying an individual or a group of people. Learners will communicate design ideas using sketches, notes, and annotations. You will need: Projector/whiteboard Sketching equipment 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. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation