Following are two samples of classroom practice.

1. Students designing in Cuarto to Sexto Science and Technology The Foundation Statements and the Cuarto to Sexto outcome for designing and making place an emphasis on students: • independently planning, implementing and managing design processes • evaluating using design criteria • considering the implications of design and production in relation to environmental, aesthetic, cultural, ethical, safety and functional factors. At Cuarto to Sexto, students are better able to discuss processes of designing and to anticipate the actions that might be taken to ensure that products, systems and environments meet the needs of users. They reflect on their actions and suggest better ways of organising their project work. Students use developing social skills when working collaboratively on design projects. They have a broader understanding of the world and give consideration to the future and the implications of developments. Following are two samples of classroom practice.

2. Sample Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community

3. Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community “We discussed the consequences of the gold rush and the needs of miners. And we looked at how the environment was damaged by gold miners.” exploring needs planning a design process “We talked about the design process and how to manage our task.”

4. Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community (cont.) communicating design ideas developing ideas developing ideas communicating design ideas

5. Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community (cont.) communicating design ideas producing solutions producing solutions producing solutions producing

6. Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community (cont.) producing solutions producing solutions producing solutions using plans

7. Cuarto to Sexto Task A: Design a more environmentally sustainable town for a gold mining community (cont.) evaluating solutions evaluating solutions “We think our town would be a much healthier and less damaging environment” “We really like the siphon shower to keep the miners clean.” evaluating solutions “We evaluated our model to see whether we had satisfied our design brief.” evaluating solutions

8. Sample Task B: Design and publish a cooking book for a favourite food Sample Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy

9. Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy Students designing defining the task • Design criteria • The device must: • work efficiently and be easy to use • be practical to make • meet a real need • include some form of electrical power (batteries or solar). • Your portfolio must show: • evidence of collaborative group work and time management skills • annotated design drawings showing modifications where necessary • reflective diary entries. • Design constraints • Your model must: • be completed within the allocated timeframe • be completed at school. investigating circuits “We talked about the design brief, the criteria and the constraints. We decided that we needed to investigate how electrical circuit work. In our planning we divided our time between design and making our product and investigating electrical circuits.” – see link to Cuarto to Sexto Investigating

10. Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy (cont.) researching resources • The whole class thought about electrical products and why they are needed. We came up with many ideas: • a personal alarm – for safety – scare off attackers • a bike light – for bike safety – to help show the way • a light for the toilet door – to tell people when the loo is occupied • a reading light – to light a small reading area without stopping others from sleeping • an intercom system – to talk to a person in another room • a personal fan – to keep cool in hot weather and not use too much electricity Batteries Dry Cell batteries are the small household batteries that power flashlights, toys, cassette players, cameras, cell phones, hearing aids, watches and many more other household things. Some batteries may or may not be rechargeable. They can be round, square, button-shaped, or in a pack. Although “dry cell” batteries less than 1% of municipal solid waste weight, they account for 52% of all cadmium and 88% of all mercury found in landfills. Dry Cell batteries include: AAA, AA, C, D cell 9 volt Button (hearing aids, watches) Ni-Cd (rechargeable batteries are found in cellular phones and power tools). Wet Cell batteries are the big batteries used in trucks, cars, motorcycles, boats and industrial applications. Wet Cell batteries contain lead and acid. Wet Cell batteries are band in landfills in Ohio because of their potential to leash toxic chemicals as they break down. Neither you nor trash hauler may dispose of wet cell batteries in the landfills. Wet Cell batteries are used in:: cars, motorcycles and trucks. generating ideas We made a list of ideas and decided to evaluate each using the design criteria. For each idea we placed an A,B or C against each point (criterion). In the end it was clear that a small reading light was needed and practical to make. We wanted to use the solar collectors that are in the kit but they didn’t seem right. We needed sunlight for energy. When we want to use our light there is no sunlight. If we collected solar energy we would have to store it. Probably in a battery. developing ideas developing ideas for circuits

11. Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy (cont.) developing ideas for circuits developing ideas for switches “We started working out ideas by drawing rough plans.” developing ideas for shades constructing circuits

12. Cuarto to Sexto Task B: Design and make a device that uses some form of energy (cont.) producing solutions constructing circuits “We all thought that our lights are really useful. We tested them at home by laying in bed and reading. Mum thought the batteries will be a bit expensive.” “In class we talked about our design process and how hard it was to manage our time.” producing solutions