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Y6/7 Transition Unit
Kent LEA
Submitted by: Paul Shallcross and Jennifer Ayres
ReceptionWhole Class ProjectResistant MaterialsEngineering
KS1Individual ProjectGraphicsCADCAM
KS2Short TaskFoodCatering
KS3Research and InvestigationTextilesFashion
KS4Enterprise activityICTElectronics
Post 16Product AnalysisSystems and ControlStructures
Embedding ICT in DT   

Lesson Context
This unit is expected to take 9-12 hours.

This unit can be used in the first few lessons in year 7. It is designed to help teachers get to know their pupils’ abilities and to give pupils a motivating insight into the whole D&T process.

It is helpful if the activities and DMA chosen for this unit are planned across the department, so that pupils have an opportunity to apply their understanding across materials and begin to recognise the scope of D&T as a whole. The suggested DMAs enable teachers to link different materials areas easily, eg pupils could make a chocolate product with vacuum-formed packaging, or a rod puppet from wood and textiles.

A department may choose to teach just the product evaluation activities and focused practical tasks, then move on to further tasks and a DMA from unit 7A 'Understanding materials' or unit 7B 'Designing and making for yourself'.

Although this unit has been designed for pupils transferring from year 6 to year 7, it could be adapted for pupils transferring at other ages. There is also a transition unit at the end of key stage 3, unit 9F 'Moving on to key stage 4 (reviewing and target setting )'.

Resources Needed
Resources include:
· materials, tools and equipment for making puppets or novelties
· year 6 D&T work, eg folders, photographs, products
· previous year 7 D&T work, eg display, video
· textbooks, worksheets or activity books that pupils will use during year 7
· products for evaluation, eg novelties, puppets
· proficiency certificates for D&T equipment
· useful websites, eg
- www.incpen.org
· sites of chocolate manufacturers, such as
- www.cadbury.co.uk, www.ferrero.co.uk

Teacher Preparation
It is helpful if pupils have:
· investigated food products and evaluated their characteristics
· compared the processes involved in making commercial and domestic food products
· developed skills in using different tools and equipment
· learnt that ingredients have different characteristics
· learnt that products are designed for a particular purpose and are suited to particular users
· learnt that a designer needs to take into account appearance, function, cost and safety when designing products
· learnt that many materials can be used for a product and that each is chosen for its particular properties and function
· used patterns or templates to ensure consistency in size
· pinned, sewed and stitched materials together to create a product
Pupils should have gained the above knowledge, skills and understanding in years 5 and 6, through unit 5B 'Bread', unit 5D 'Biscuits' and unit 6B 'Slippers' in the key stage 2 scheme of work, or similar projects.

Project Brief
Novelties
Novelties Ltd is a company that produces small gifts and souvenirs. One of its clients is a garden centre with a butterfly farm and aquarium. Design and make a shaped chocolate novelty in appropriate packaging to be sold at the centre's gift shop.
Bubble packs
The souvenir shop at a local attraction has asked for a prototype of a packaged novelty that it wants to sell cheaply. Bubble packs are used extensively for packaging toys and novelties. Make a former from a suitable material and then make a bubble pack and surrounding package for a novelty no bigger than 80mm x 60mm x 20mm. Include artwork that you would use to complete your finished package.
Puppets
Puppets are a good way to help children learn about issues such as crime, avoiding strangers, road safety, keeping teeth clean, healthy eating, and not playing with fire. Produce a puppet and write a story to teach primary school children something useful.
Note: 'Novelties' and 'Bubble packs' could be taught as one project, with pupils designing a former and making a mould to produce their chocolate shape, and then using this mould with appropriate backing to package the final product.

Design and Manufacture
Pupils gain the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to carry out the DMA successfully through product evaluation activities and focused practical tasks. They:
* demonstrate what they are able to do already, eg by discussing a completed project from their previous school or a project that they have started and will continue in the new school, or by carrying out short, diagnostic, focused practical tasks or projects
* explore the type of activities that they will be doing in year 7 and draw on similarities with projects they have done in the past
* familiarise themselves with their new environment and become independent learners within it, eg get to know the people in the department who will help them, find out where resources are kept, learn basic safety procedures, get organised for their work, become familiar with new equipment

Differentiation
At the end of this unit

Most pupils will:
list their skills and knowledge; identify their strengths; draw on their previous experience; relate their past work to similar future tasks; develop independence in their new setting; identify key staff and facilities; know what is expected of them.

Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will:
list things they did in D&T at key stage 2 and talk about what they have done before; learn the names of the teachers, the location of their D&T room, where the class keeps its work, and what they have to do to get ready for work in D&T.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will:
identify clearly the knowledge and experience they already have that will be helpful to them in their year 7 work; draw on previous experience in their DMAs, and identify areas they want to improve; become independent
quickly, finding relevant resources and implementing new routines.

Additional Information
Out-of-school activities and homework
Pupils could:
· make a list called 'What I can do already', focusing on the strengths of their year 6 work
· produce a poster called 'What am I going to learn in D&T this year?', focusing on areas they want to improve
· draw and label new pieces of equipment used during the unit
· write a short guide on how to use the equipment safely.

Download a WinZip file of the full Y7 SoW

Link URL: http://www.winzip.com