Welcome to Year 8 Design Technology at Jumeirah College

This subject offers an opportunity for students to develop their designing and making skills. The set projects will become a little more demanding as the student’s progress through KS3. Two tasks will be workshop based and one will be focused on communication skills. Students will endeavour to be creative with the forming processes introduced this year.

Curriculum Organisation
- 1 Lesson per week
  - Teaching groups mixed ability
  - A wide variety of books and images are used for analysis and introducing projects. Websites used appropriately are also an excellent resource for design activity.

Independent Study
  - All students will be given design drawing tasks to improve the clarity of their design ideas - One homework per week will be set during the designing and evaluation stages.

Assessment and Reporting
- Projects last for the duration of one term.
- Students are given a short written test towards the end of term, based on safety, language, materials, processes and communication.
- All students present their work to the class and complete a self-assessment activity.
- We use the school wide monitoring system for marking books with traffic lights and written comments when appropriate.
- The National Curriculum levels are referred to in class and during all assessment activities.
- Report levels and grades are based on all of these assessment activities; however 60% of any grade is based on the ongoing classroom and homework performance.

Extra Curricular Opportunities in Design Technology
- We currently have a Young Designers club a Catapault club and Architectural Icons club. Formula One for schools will be introduced in term two.

Autumn Term
Project: Mechanisms
Students will have an understanding of mechanisms, types of motion, cams and cranks, pulley levers, gears, and pictorial drawing systems.
All students will complete a mechanical toy made primarily from timber and acrylic sheet.
A variety of designing and making skills will be incorporated into the process which is designed to increase confidence with practical skills. Most students will be able to transfer these skills to future projects.
- Useful websites
- www.flying-pig.co.uk
- www.org/sin/leonardo/inventorworkshop.com

Spring Term
Project: Masquerade Mask
Students will be introduced to a variety of thermoplastics which are suitable for forming techniques in school and mass production situations.
Practical skills will include marking out, cutting, drilling, vacuum forming and ‘finishing’ techniques.
A variety of drawing skills will be essential to develop the ideas and present to the class for peer assessment.
 - Websites
 - www.howstuffworks.com
 - www.dtonline.org

Summer Term
Project: Packaging Luxury product for Promoting an event.
The package will need to inform/ protect and advertise the event.
2D design and alternative packages will be used as a creative tool to explore and develop a variety of ideas which can be made into a final 3D graphic product.
Advertising and understanding the target market will play an important role in the success of this product.
The Vinyl Cam cutter will be a useful tool to complete the end product and students will be encouraged to use this independently.
- Websites
- www.dtonline.org