Teacher Information

This resource has been designed for teachers to address the curriculum content below when teaching year 5 students. This resource includes a unit plan, assessment task and rubric. The unit pan offers a five week time frame with two 60 minute lessons per week. However this can be easily changed by extending to 10 weeks with one lesson per week.

 

Curriculum:

Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Examine the main components of common digital systems and how they may connect together to form networks to transmit data (ACTDIK014)

 

Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills 

Design a user interface for a digital system (ACTDIP018)

 

Unit overview:

Through explorations and examinations of 3D printing systems year 5 students will learn about the main internal and external components of the digital system. The students will engage in ‘systems thinking’, a key idea from the technology curriculum when examining how the components of a 3D printer connect and function as a whole in order to transmit data (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2016a). In addition to this they will explore existing User Interfaces (UIs) used for 3D printing systems or the software used to develop models for 3D printing. From this students will apply 'design thinking' strategies to investigate the need for a user interface for a recycled 3D printer and generate, plan, evaluate and communicate design solutions (ACARA, 2016a). Students will also examine effective design features of UIs and how they enhance system usability. Throughout this unit students will also be provided opportunities to further develop capabilities in information and communication (ICT), literacy, and critical and creative thinking drawn from the Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities (ACARA, 2016b). 

 

Click the link below to access the unit plan, assessment task and rubric.

Bibliography

Apple Inc. (2016). iTunes preview: ThinkMaker design. Retrieved May 4, 2016, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thingmaker-design/id1078356242?mt=8

Apple Inc. (2016). iTunes preview: Makers empire. Retrieved May 4, 2016, from https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/makers-empire/id867338125?mt=8

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). Critical and creative thinking: Key ideas. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/critical-and-creative-thinking/introduction/key-ideas

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016b). General capabilities: introduction. Retrieved May 9, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/overview/introduction

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability: Key ideas. Retrieved March 9, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/information-and-communication-technology-capability/introduction/key-ideas

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). Literacy: key ideas. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/literacy/introduction/key-ideas

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016a). Technologies: learning area, key ideas. Retrieved March 9, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/key-ideas

Thomson, K. (personal communication, March 8, 2016)

The State of Queensland (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority). (2016).P–10 Technologies standards elaborations. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/p-10/aciq/standards-elaborations/p-10-technologies