Design Technology - Orrery using a Gear Mechanism (Upper 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.

Design Brief: Design and Make an Orrery to teach younger children how the Solar System works.

Sequence of Learning for Teachers
In this project, children apply their knowledge of gear mechanisms to design and make an orrery. They learn that an orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system that shows how the planets orbit the Sun. They investigate gears and understand how they can change the speed and direction of movement in a mechanical system. They will use this knowledge when designing their orrery model. Children create a wooden framework to house the mechanical system that works the orrery. They design and make a model of the solar system that will rotate as part of the model. Children decorate their orrery model using suitable images and theming. They evaluate their finished product against the design brief and design specifications and consider improvements they would make to their product. As part of the evaluation process, children create a Zine all about the orrery they have designed and made.

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

1. Investigate 1: What is an Orrery? & Investigate 2: Investigating Gears
2. Focus Task 1 – Making the Orrery Box
3. Design & Make: Designing the Orrery
4. Design & Make: Making the Orrery
5. Design & Make: Decorating the Orrery
6. Evaluation: Evaluating the Orrery

Some activities / sessions can be re-arranged or delivered in different ways in the learning sequence to allow for whole-class teaching and/or small adult-led sessions to take place at the same time.