In this full scheme of work, designed for a series of two-hour double-lessons, students develop a Mars Rover for NASA based on a standard VEX design. They learn about the components of a robotics system including control units and data communications, and work through a design process towards a prototype. The VEX...

This starter activity can be used as an introduction to reverse engineering. Using the presentation Earphones and Headphones, students are asked to identify the product and its function. They consider the following questions:

These activities provide students with an understanding of the importance of fitness for purpose when designing new products. Students learn how to effectively dismantle and investigate an engineered product to determine its function/purpose.

This starter activity focuses on the link between water and health. It encourages students to think about the role of engineers in providing us with healthy water supplies and waste-water disposal systems by thinking about the different ways in which water can be...

This is a unit of three two hour lessons to consolidate understanding of the specialised materials and mechanisms used on exploration robots. Students build or test, or build and test these to develop knowledge and evaluate them.  These resources are aimed at the 14-16 age group.  The context is focussed on the...

Inspired by the Born to Engineer video from Sam Fraser, an engineer who combines his love for engineering with a passion for football, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of materials engineering, including materials testing, design and material properties (Hooke’s Law, shear,...

In this experiment students prepare a smear slide of yoghurt and observe Gram stained bacteria using a microscope. The lesson also looks at magnification and representing numbers in standard form.

Curriculum links include:

* Working Scientifically - Experimental Skills and Investigations: use...

This resource, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the wide range of sophisticated imaging technology available in modern hospitals, and to explore the latest ideas in search-and-rescue robotics.

In this activity students design and model a 3D robot arm. Robot arms are an example of a programmable system. They are used in a wide variety of industrial applications, ranging from loading machines to assembling cars, welding parts together and spray painting products. They are also used in applications such as...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to compare old and new technologies (railway five-pointer telegraph against the SMS message) to experience how significant the advances in technology have been. The nature of...

These materials, from Waste Watch (part of Keep Britain Tidy), have been developed to make explicit links between sustainability and packaging for students following GCSE level design and technology courses. The scheme of learning includes suggested activities for five active learning sessions, supported by the...

Inspired by the Born to Engineer video from Faye Banks, an engineer who works on the UK electrical network, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of engineering and the design decisions that electrical engineers have to make when creating a new electrical network.

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In this SATIS Revisited resource, students examine data, perform a risk assessment, and see how risks are sometimes reported in the media.

This unit focuses on the consumer and considers whether or not we should be concerned about any pesticide residues that may be found on fruit and vegetables. In the first...

This resource contains a series of lessons which are designed to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of plastics and plastic waste on a global scale. Linking to materials and their properties, the environment, recycling and design and technology, they contain investigations and activities aimed at both...

In this project, students use Autodesk Homestyler to design a living space for a disabled client. The design must include a ground floor living space with outdoor landscape. The overall plot must not exceed 25m x 60m and the living space must not exceed 10m x 40m. Students create a customer profile to base their...