In this topic, from the Association for Science Education, students learn about the many products obtained from local plants. The topic is designed to allow classes in schools across the world to exchange information about the ways in which their lives depend on plants. The topic also provides opportunities for...

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...

This resource looks into making a prototype of a treadle pump. 

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To be able to manufacture a working prototype of a treadle pump for people living in a remote village.
• To be able to select appropriate materials, tools and equipment for a manufacturing...

A Nuffield design hexagon task focusing on product design (using resistant materials). Aiming to extend understanding of how to evaluate a design by thinking how it affects people and whether it performs as expected.

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A set of design guides for Key Stage Four focusing on product design providing a straightforward way for students to become familiar with the sorts of questions they should ask when designing for a particular focus area.

The design guides can act as a stimulus for students who are having difficulty in...

Produced by The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this set of activities allows students to investigate the properties of polymers in relation to the design requirements for a sleeping bag.

Students carry out an investigation of the design and manufacture of sleeping bags as a product...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), these materials consist of three parts relating to the choice of materials and production processes involved in the manufacture of plastic bottles for carbonated drinks. The three sections are:

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), these activities deal with the different stages of market research, product design, selection of materials and manufacturing processes in the sports shoe industry.

Through a range of activities and practical investigations, students gain a greater...

This resource from Practical Action includes a presentation and worksheets which give Key Stage Three and Four students opportunities to understand more about the impact of existing and new products on people and the environment. The presentation is packed with useful activities to reinforce students' learning. The...

Produced by Practical Action, these materials help students to consider the impacts of a product through its whole life cycle. A presentation describes the concept of lifecycle analysis (LCA) and gives some examples. Students are then challenged to consider the life cycle of familiar products, from raw materials,...

This classroom presentation supports the teaching of planned obsolescence and a product lifecycle. Using the example of a mobile phone, students explore the volume of phone sales over time and discuss how manufacturers can plan a product's lifespan, looking at product growth, maturity of sales and decline over time...

In this lesson students will understand the life cycle of a product through studying a graph. Students will understand the five stages of the life cycle assessment graph and the role planned obsolesce has in relation to the benefit of the manufacturer and not necessarily the consumer. Through case studies and...

Produced by Practical Action, this short activity introduces the various factors that influence the choice of consumers. Students consider different products and the reasons behind why they would or would not purchase them. The activity is a perfect introduction to sustainability and aims to help students think...

Protecting Your Head, from the Centre for Science Education, is a set of teaching materials which offer a cross-curricular approach to learning about engineering. The context for the activities is the design of head protection for snowboarders where the risk of injury...