5T D&T

Lesson: Design and technology

In 5T, during D&T week, we look at gears, pulleys and levers 

To start off with the children had a look at simple household machines such as pliers, hammers, whisks and screwdrivers. They discussed some of the mechanisms involved in these tools. Following on from this, the children were guided through a process to make a Spirograph using simple gear technology. After, they learned that gears can help machines move more slowly or more quickly and can help you to move larger machines. They experimented with gears and created two types of simple working models of these machines. One type linked two gears together with a chain ( used on a bicycle) and the other type had gears which were touching ( commonly found inside a watch). The children then learned about pulleys, to demonstrate this they built a simple crane.