Resources
Design and technology
Sustainable Starter activities
Sustainable Starter activities
Starter Activities
We’ve just added lots of new activities on Technology Justice, that will enable you raise issues with your students around the technologies we need and want to use, and the global impacts of those choices.
Power Point
A Power Point presentation which helps you lead your pupils through the activities.
- Download (4.16MB)
Belief Circles worksheet : What’s the role of a designer?
A worksheet to enable students to think about their views of the roles and responsibilities of designers.
- Download (786KB)
Product pairs
A hands on starter activity enabling students to compare the sustainability criteria of two products.
- Download (1001KB)
Winners and losers
An evaluation activity to assess the impact of different people throughout a product’s life stages.
- Download (817KB)
Line ups
A group or whole class activity to enable students to position themselves along a sustainability line up.
- Download (1.49MB)
Let’s negotiate
A small team activity to help students develop specification criteria for their own designing and making activity
- Download (934KB)
6Rs and Sustainability terms
Introducing the Six R’s: an approach to sustainability
Many of the GCSE examination courses for D&T have included the 6R’s as an approach to help students think about sustainability within product evaluation and their own coursework.
The presentation and worksheets are free to download.
6 R’s PowerPoint
The PowerPoint takes students through a number of activities, explaining some of the big issues around sustainability.
- Download (5.74MB)
6 Rs activity sheet
An excellent activity to support students to understand the 6R terms and hierarchy of sustainability impact.
- Download (737KB)
What’s the specification activity?
Activity to enable students to consider the specification a designer may have followed to develop the product.
- Download (738KB)
6R’s and sustainability wordsearch
An ideal homework activity to reinforce key words associated with sustainability.
- Download (822KB)
STEM challenges
Stop the Spread
New STEM challenge and competition
Infectous diseases are a global problem and cause millions of deaths each year.
Stop the spread is a STEM challenge which enables pupils to research the problem then use their STEM and communication skills to design a hand washing devise and education materials for a primary school in Kenya.
The design challenge: Working as a team pupils design, build and test model of a hand washing devise that can capture and dispense water for hand washing.
The research and communication challenge. Pupils find innovative ways to communiate the problems cause by the spread of disease and the importance of hand washing to primary school pupils in Kenya.
The challenge is perfect for STEM clubs, integrating into your D&T and science lessons or runing as an off-timetable day.
This activity was written by Practical Action for the British Science Association and is accredited for their CREST Discovery Award. It can also be used use to enter the Youth Grand Challenges competition.
The Squashed Tomato Challenge
A fun hands-on and brains-on challenge for Key Stage 2-5 ( ages 9-18 years )
Challenge your students to take on a real life problem affecting people in Nepal.
The problem: In Nepal many farmers living on the mountainside grow fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes. To earn a living they need to sell these at the local market. The problem is getting to market involves a long, dangerous walk down the mountain side and over a river, at the end of which the tomatoes may well be a bit squashed.
The challenge: To design, build and test a way of moving tomatoes that won’t squash them!
The basic challenge is flexible enough to be adapted to any length upto a whole day challenge (for which secondary students can gain a British Science Association CREST Discovery Award), and enhancement activities are suggested if you wish to develop it further.
The activity is also accredited by the British Science Association as suitable to count towards a CREST Star Investigators SuperStar award ( for primary students) . For more information about the scheme please visit their website
The challenge can provide a focus for British Science Week ; be used as a STEM or science club activity; enhance a lesson on forces/friction/levers; form the basis of an enrichment day; provide an activity for SEAL and PLTS and be the starting point for a range of cross-curricular activities. To view examples of how schools have used the Squashed Tomato Challenge go to Challenges in Schools.
NEW POSTER For a free A2 Squashed Tomato challenge poster, download from below or email us for a free copy.
Teacher’s notes
All the information you need on how to run the Squashed Tomato Challenge with suggested extension activities
- Download (4.90MB)
Students’ notes
All the information your students will need to complete the Squashed Tomato Challenge
- Download (3.46MB)
Squashed Tomato challenge poster
A poster to support that shows how aerial ropeway systems in Nepal work.
- Download (4.86MB)
Squashed Tomato Challenge Powerpoint
A presentation to introduce and run the Squashed Tomato challenge.
- Download (4.34MB)
Certificates – well done
- Download (5.64MB)
Certificates – congratulations
- Download (5.05MB)
Worksheets for the CREST award
Worksheets to be completed by students in order to achieve the CREST Discovery award
- Download (201KB)
Renewable Energy
Stop the Spread
Suitable for KS2 – 4, this renewable energy, wind power challenge puts students’ competitive spirits to the test.
Students are given minimal materials and asked to design a wind powered machine that can lift a weighted cup off the floor. Teachers instruction sheets, related video clips and even certificates are provided.
This activity is accredited by the British Science Association as suitable to count towards a CREST Star Investigators SuperStar award. For more information about the scheme please visit their website http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/creststar
Older students may like to see the technical brief on wind power , now easy to download from the schools technical brief area of our website.
Teacher instruction sheet
Information for teachers on how to run the challenge and all the resources required
- Download (931KB)
Certificates – well done
- Download (3.67MB)
Certificates – congratulations
- Download (3.90MB)
Wind turbine poster
Poster illustrating different designs of wind turbines used for different purposes
- Download (1010KB)
Renewable energy posters
…free from Practical Action
Our fantastic posters illustrate renewable energy in action in developing countries. Please email us at schools@practicalaction.org.uk and we will send you a complete set, alternatively download and print.
We would like to thank Practical Action for the supply of these Resources for demonstration purposes and allowing us to link to their website.