Course overview
During cohort 8 we continue to run a rotation moving the learners around the different materials with their teacher. This allows us to build our knowledge about their strengths and areas to work on and creates strong, safe working groups. This also allows us to have conversations regarding GCSE choices as we can see where they flourish in the different specialisms and will help guide them with their option choices if they are thinking of a D&T or Food preparation & nutrition GCSE.
In Food your child will be focusing on foods from different cultures. They will develop their knowledge of ingredients and techniques, research how food is prepared, produced and grown and the environmental impact this has. Your child will make a selection of foods using recipes inspired by other cultures and they will undertake a food science experiment. At the core of food technology we aim to encourage healthy food choices and teach key life skills.
In Resistant Materials your child will be designing and making a pewter keyring accessory. Learners will explore sketching and developing ideas that will form the basis of their chosen end product. Learners will learn to cut and shape a MDF mould using hand tools and then melt pewter using the brazing hearth to realise their design, some learners will want to include acrylic elements and these will also be cut by hand and added before the pouring stage. .
In Graphic Products learners will be developing skills in CAD using a design software package to create Chocolate box packaging. Learners will be using a specialist program called 2D Techsoft Design building on knowledge from year 7. The sessions will involve exploring the key tools to be able to use the program proficiently as well as looking in detail at the art of typography and the use of it within branding. They will then design and develop a net for Nestle based on there own theme. The box will be printed out and assembled.
Key Concept:
Client based iterative design & visual problem solving
Assessment Points:
Work will be assessed during and at the end of each project. The weighting of the practical work along with the paper based research and design are equal.
Guidance:
Learners will receive guidance in a variety of ways. These include mid-point marking in their booklets with feedback and guidance, re-drafted opportunities and final making against the success criteria, reports, group demonstration and small focused re-caps to allow for us to address any mis-conceptions. Teachers are constantly circulating the room during practical and will be constantly giving guidance and feedback to all learners.
Key Vocabulary:
Commercial product
Continuous improvement
Ecological
Ethics
Fusibility
Iterative design
Physical properties
Primary source (of materials)
Product
Prototype
Tolerance
User