
Design
Levels 1 to 4

NZC Achievement Objectives

Te Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!

Learning Intentions

Integration Ideas
Learning Intentions are from the Ministry of Education
Integration ideas are from the Ministry of Education
Levels 1 to 4
Produce technological solutions in a range of technological areas and contexts.
Science (Nature of Science): Investigate the impact of some well-known technological innovation or scientific discovery on people and/or the local environment eg. the aerosol can, portable audio systems.

Related Topics
Resources

Suzy visits the Queenstown Airport to find out what makes things fly. Maybe she'll find a way to help herself fly!
Level
1-2
Type
Video
Aerodynamics: What makes things fly?
Suzy's World
Suzy visits the Queenstown Airport to find out what makes things fly. Maybe she'll find a way to help herself fly!

Build up your science with the “Architecture” show.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGNgqqRgR0w
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Architecture
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Build up your science with the “Architecture” show.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGNgqqRgR0w

Bridges are so useful. People have been making them for thousands of years. It would be really good to have a bridge so I can keep my clean floor nice and clean :D But how do you make a really strong bridge?
Level
1-2
Type
Video
Bridges: How do you build a strong bridge?
Suzy's World
Bridges are so useful. People have been making them for thousands of years. It would be really good to have a bridge so I can keep my clean floor nice and clean :D But how do you make a really strong bridge?

Suzy loves her TurboSuzy 3000 Down Hill Racer! Except... that it only races down hill.... and it doesn't have a few important things. If only it worked like a car. But how does a car work?
Level
1-2
Type
Video
Cars: How do cars work?
Suzy's World
Suzy loves her TurboSuzy 3000 Down Hill Racer! Except... that it only races down hill.... and it doesn't have a few important things. If only it worked like a car. But how does a car work?

Electricity - where would we be without it? It powers almost everything we use. But how does an electrical circuit work? Why does it need a switch? How is electricity generated, transferred and transformed?
Level
3
Type
Unit
Circuits and Switches
Primary Connections
Electricity - where would we be without it? It powers almost everything we use. But how does an electrical circuit work? Why does it need a switch? How is electricity generated, transferred and transformed?

This article outlines the process of building a traditional wharenui, including a description of the materials and building techniques used and an explanation of the symbolism and spiritual significance of the wharenui. It also explains how and why processes and materials used to construct wharenui are changing.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2011 Level 2: ‘Building a Wharenui’
Ministry of Education NZ
This article outlines the process of building a traditional wharenui, including a description of the materials and building techniques used and an explanation of the symbolism and spiritual significance of the wharenui. It also explains how and why processes and materials used to construct wharenui are changing.

“More than a Box” describes the processes and practices used when planning, designing, and building a large indoor sports centre. It outlines the science and technology behind the building process, including the steps taken to ensure that the structure remains erect, stable, and safe.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2011 Level 2: ‘More than a Box’
Ministry of Education NZ
“More than a Box” describes the processes and practices used when planning, designing, and building a large indoor sports centre. It outlines the science and technology behind the building process, including the steps taken to ensure that the structure remains erect, stable, and safe.

“Greig’s Pointed Problem” explores the processes involved in planning, designing, and producing a technological solution to a problem through the process of developing a new umbrella.
Level
3
Type
Book
Connected 2012 Level 3: ‘Greig’s Pointed Problem’
Ministry of Education NZ
“Greig’s Pointed Problem” explores the processes involved in planning, designing, and producing a technological solution to a problem through the process of developing a new umbrella.

Room 3 has its own bird “takeaway table”, stocked with delicious bird food. The table is visited by over 13 different bird species. Room 3 reports on the study that made this happen.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2013 Level 2: ‘The Takeaway Table’
Ministry of Education NZ
Room 3 has its own bird “takeaway table”, stocked with delicious bird food. The table is visited by over 13 different bird species. Room 3 reports on the study that made this happen.

The focus in this issue of Connected is on the Nature of Science strand of the curriculum and the science capability:
Use evidence to support ideas.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2014 Level 2: ‘Making Amazing Places’
Ministry of Education NZ
The focus in this issue of Connected is on the Nature of Science strand of the curriculum and the science capability:
Use evidence to support ideas.

During the Christchurch earthquake, the Christchurch cathedral was so badly damaged it couldn’t be used. Therefore, the people in charge of the cathedral worked with architects, engineers, and builders to build an innovative new temporary cathedral.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2014 Level 2: ‘The Cardboard Cathedral’
Ministry of Education NZ
During the Christchurch earthquake, the Christchurch cathedral was so badly damaged it couldn’t be used. Therefore, the people in charge of the cathedral worked with architects, engineers, and builders to build an innovative new temporary cathedral.

Christchurch students from years 7 to 13 entered the Amazing Place City Project competition. They were asked to design an amazing place to help make Christchurch the best small city in the world. The year 7 winning team tested their ideas and used evidence to show that the ideas could really work.
Level
3
Type
Book
Connected 2014 Level 3: ‘Rebuilding Christchurch with...
Ministry of Education NZ
Christchurch students from years 7 to 13 entered the Amazing Place City Project competition. They were asked to design an amazing place to help make Christchurch the best small city in the world. The year 7 winning team tested their ideas and used evidence to show that the ideas could really work.

A teacher challenges his class to design a ramp that will get a marble to stop at any set distance between 500 millimetres and 2 metres from the end of the ramp. What processes will the students follow to meet this challenge?
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2014 Level 4: ‘The Great Marble Challenge’
Ministry of Education NZ
A teacher challenges his class to design a ramp that will get a marble to stop at any set distance between 500 millimetres and 2 metres from the end of the ramp. What processes will the students follow to meet this challenge?

Ryan Kothe, an animator from Auckland, uses stop-motion animation to make short videos and advertisements. In this article, he explains how to create your own stop-motion animation movie.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2018 Level 2: ‘Animation Creations’
Ministry of Education NZ
Ryan Kothe, an animator from Auckland, uses stop-motion animation to make short videos and advertisements. In this article, he explains how to create your own stop-motion animation movie.

This article describes the process undertaken by three students from Feilding’s Manchester Street School as they designed and built a robot that won the New Zealand VEX IQ Challenge. The article offers an authentic way of introducing students to programming and computational thinking, as well as physics and engineering concepts related to energy, weight, and balance.
Level
3
Type
Book
Connected 2018 Level 3: ‘To Build a Bot’
Ministry of Education NZ
This article describes the process undertaken by three students from Feilding’s Manchester Street School as they designed and built a robot that won the New Zealand VEX IQ Challenge. The article offers an authentic way of introducing students to programming and computational thinking, as well as physics and engineering concepts related to energy, weight, and balance.

In 2018, Daniel Turinsky, a student at Nelson Central School, entered a competition to design an eco-house using the computer game Minecraft. This article describes the thought processes Daniel went through as he weighed up different options to create his winning design.
Level
2
Type
Book
Connected 2019 Level 2: ‘The House that Dan Built’
Ministry of Education NZ
In 2018, Daniel Turinsky, a student at Nelson Central School, entered a competition to design an eco-house using the computer game Minecraft. This article describes the thought processes Daniel went through as he weighed up different options to create his winning design.

This article demonstrates how students at Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School designed a technological device to solve a community problem – how to care for the thousands of newborn kittens handed in to the SPCA each year. It encourages the reader to consider the issues, giving a model for how the same process could be applied to other problems.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2020 Level 4: ‘Fostering Felines’
Ministry of Education NZ
This article demonstrates how students at Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School designed a technological device to solve a community problem – how to care for the thousands of newborn kittens handed in to the SPCA each year. It encourages the reader to consider the issues, giving a model for how the same process could be applied to other problems.

Students work in small groups to research energy-efficient house design and passive solar energy. They share their research findings, develop a design for an energy-efficient house and construct a model energy-efficient house from materials supplied, then explain their model to the class.
Level
3-4
Type
Lesson Plan
Design an Energy-Efficient House
Genesis School-Gen
Students work in small groups to research energy-efficient house design and passive solar energy. They share their research findings, develop a design for an energy-efficient house and construct a model energy-efficient house from materials supplied, then explain their model to the class.

This project will walk students and teachers through the process of designing a solution to an issue within their transport community. Students and teachers can work through this planning document in groups or individually. It takes students from problem detection through to initial design ideas.
Level
3-4
Type
Unit
Developing community transport solutions
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
This project will walk students and teachers through the process of designing a solution to an issue within their transport community. Students and teachers can work through this planning document in groups or individually. It takes students from problem detection through to initial design ideas.

My, what big teeth you have… Find out how the physical features of dinosaurs and other animals help them meet their basic survival needs. Use this new understanding to design a defence against a dinosaur attack!
Level
1
Type
Unit
Dinosaurs and more
Primary Connections
My, what big teeth you have… Find out how the physical features of dinosaurs and other animals help them meet their basic survival needs. Use this new understanding to design a defence against a dinosaur attack!

If a major earthquake hits your city it's important to have a plan ready to handle the situations that arise. Get students to design and build appropriate emergency vehicles as part of this earthquake lesson plan.
Level
1-4
Type
Activity
Earthquake!
Science Kids
If a major earthquake hits your city it's important to have a plan ready to handle the situations that arise. Get students to design and build appropriate emergency vehicles as part of this earthquake lesson plan.

Design and build something that can safely protect an egg from smashing all over the ground with this fun egg drop project for kids.
Level
1-4
Type
Experiment
Egg Drop
Science Kids
Design and build something that can safely protect an egg from smashing all over the ground with this fun egg drop project for kids.