In teaching, we often talk about preparing children to work in jobs that don’t yet exist. This KS1 DT lesson does just that.
Linking famous inventors and inventions of the past with problems that need solving in pupils’ own lives creates a stimulating, engaging context in which the children can generate new ideas.
Learning to refine their thinking also helps pupils develop their own resilience and problem-solving skills.
Meanwhile, pitching their inventions provides a motivating real-life application for this lesson.
DT KS1 learning objectives
- To generate, develop and communicate their ideas through drawing and modelling
- How to create designs and mock-ups
- To select from a wide range of materials according to their properties
- To understand how some inventors and inventions have changed the world
Starter activity
Prepare for the lesson by creating two jigsaws for each table from pictures you’ve printed. Each group should have an invention and the person who created it to piece together.
Ideas could include:
- Steve Jobs and an iPad
- Gladys West and a satnav
- Mary Anderson and windscreen wipers
- John Logie Baird and a television
- Ada Lovelace and a computer
- Edith Clarke and a calculator
Once the children have created their puzzles, share them with the whole class and talk about the inventions. Ask the children to think about how each invention makes life easier or solves a problem.
Abby Ball worked as a primary school teacher across both Key Stages for 16 years. She currently lives in Somerset with her husband Tim and their cat, Otta. See more of her work at abbyball.substack.com
