Design Technology - Mechanical Book Page (Lower Key Stage 2)

This unit of work forms part of the PrimaryDT scheme of work that features over 60 units of work designed to deliver outstanding outcomes for primary school children in design technology.
This unit of work has been revised and updated for 2026 and is based on delivering six sessions of design technology that are guided by high quality presentation slides accompanied by all the resources that are needed to deliver the lessons, including a knowledge organiser.

Comprehensive medium-term planning that includes
• Unit overview and sequence of learning
• Prior learning needed and links to other curriculum areas
• Learning statements (from our curriculum pathway document)
• List of resources and background information to support teaching and learning
• Key vocabulary for the unit of work
• Teaching activities (investigative and focus tasks)
• Teaching activities (designing and making)
• Advice for challenge and support strategies
• Assessment indicators that children are keeping up with the curriculum

Accompanying this revised unit is further information about the scheme of work and the progression chart and vocabulary list used when creating the scheme of work.

Mechanical Book Page is a Design Technology unit of work aimed primarily at children aged 7-9.
Design Brief: To design and make a page for a book for the class library with movable mechanisms to interest and engage the reader.

The package provides the medium-term plan, six lessons (each lesson has a MS Powerpoint presentation). Any additional resources are provided as PDFs or as Powerpoint Presentations. This unit of work fulfils the National Curriculum (England) Design Technology requirements for this age group in the following strands of learning:

• Materials
• Mechanical Systems
  In this project children create a page for a book for the class library. This book could be linked to wider curriculum learning. Children consolidate and develop their knowledge of simple mechanical systems with a focus on levers and linkages. The focused practical tasks deepens children’s knowledge and understanding of how levers and linkages work by making simple mechanical monsters. Children then apply their knowledge of levers and linkages to create a movable part for a book page and enhance this page by adding other mechanical systems such as levers, pop-ups and flap mechanisms. Children add text, images and other decorative features to make their page attractive and appealing to the reader.

This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:

1. Investigate Task 1: Investigating Moving Books & Focus Task 1: Making a Lever Monster
2. Focus Task 2: Making a Linkage Monster
3. Focus Task 3: Pull Down Mechanism
4. Design and Make: Designing the book page
5. Design and Make: Making the book page
6. Evaluation session