Supporting Learning Environment Level 1

To support students to develop understanding of technological products at level 1, teachers could:

• provide students with a range of technological products and encourage them to explore these through such things as: using, ‘playing’, dismantling and rebuilding as appropriate
• guide students to identify the materials that the products explored are made from
• provide opportunity for students to discuss that performance properties of materials refer to such things as thermal and electrical conductivity, water resistance, texture, flexibility, colour etc.
• provide students with the opportunity to explore common materials and guide them to identify their performance properties
• provide students with a range of technological products to explore and guide them to identify ways in which materials have been manipulated to make the product. For example, in a wooden toy the wood has been shaped, sanded and painted; In a sandwich, the bread dough has been shaped, cooked and sliced; in a cushion the fabric has been cut and sewn together.

Identify materials that technological products are made from

Provide students with to examine a range of familiar articles (or photos of articles) made from different materials

Have students identify with teacher input:

• those articles that are natural artifacts and those which are technological outcomes
• the materials each are made from

Identify performance properties of common materials

Provide students with a range of technological products they are familiar with (or photos of products) which are made from different materials. Identify the performance properties of those materials

Brainstorm in groups/as a class, why the products are made from the materials that they are
What are the performance properties of those materials?
Collate findings and present as a wall chart with a photo of the product and the performance properties of the materials it is made from

Identify how the materials have been manipulated to make the product.

Identify parts of familiar technological outcomes (e.g. pen, bike, chair) that have been shaped, joined and finished.

Teachers help the students to talk about why a particular material was chosen and how it has been shaped, joined finished (provide lots of examples)
If possible pull the product to pieces and sort into parts that have been shaped, joined and finished