CONTENTS
Draft curriculum content
This page is based on the draft Year 5 content for Technology, which is currently open for feedback. Schools are not required to implement changes until the consultation process is confirmed.
Have your say:
In Year 5, your child begins to consider what people actually want and need in a product design.
They use creative thinking to come up with a range of ideas. They use sketches and models to predict whether a design will work or not. They explore different techniques and methods to put things together, then choose the best outcome by thinking critically and analysing their choices. Students also explore and test how they can change the ways that parts of a system interact and work together.
Design, make and innovate#
With your child, you could:
- investigate how systems work together, look at bikes, or pulley systems on blinds, and discuss how each part affects the others
- observe and compare different structural systems, like playgrounds or bridges, noticing how each part supports the whole structure
- create a range of ideas or adapt useful products; for example, an eco-friendly storage system
- test and combine materials and ingredients for new purposes, such as making savoury or sweet popcorn, or pizza, and see which combination works best
- encourage your child to choose materials that are the best fit for solving a problem, that are sustainable, locally sourced, or natural, and ask them to reflect on their choices.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will support students to develop their ability to think critically about their designs and the decisions they make while solving real-world problems. Students continue to consider the impact these designs may have on others and their environment.
Teachers reinforce simple technological systems, structural, mechanical, electronic, electrical, by focusing on how all parts of a system work together.
For example, by the end of Year 5, your child may be able to:
- consider the impact of materials and design choices on people and their local environment, for example, how long would your chosen material last and the impact of disposing of it later, like plastic or cardboard bread tags
- select and combine materials for a purpose and explain their choices, for example, reusable, sustainable, easier to join, stronger and durable
- test, trial, and refine models and their original designs based on feedback from peers and teachers, for example, try different roof shapes on a bird feeder to see which keeps seeds dry, then improve the design
- plan and predict how different parts of a system work together, for example, how the parts of a scooter work together to help someone move, or for example, how pushing with a foot creates motion, and how the wheels, deck, and handlebar support balance and direction
- use a variety of ways to communicate their designs, identify problems, suggest changes, and predict how something will work
- explore how structures are made strong and stable by using beams and columns, for example, investigate how a bridge or a playground frame holds weight and stays upright.
