Ideas for starting new topics in DT

Introductory activities, presentations and project ideas to capture learners’ attention in DT

Tes Resources Team

Compass, pencil and DT sketch drawing showing a KS3 and KS4 introductory lesson in DT

Inspiration and practical ideas for introductory lessons and projects that will engage your students

Whether you're looking for introductory lessons, project ideas or one-off activities to engage your students in DT, we have gathered together a selection of KS3 and KS4 resources from teachers in the Tes author community.

Introductory lessons

D&T Cover work: Outdoor Seating Design
Dave Jones

D&T Cover work: Outdoor Seating Design

£1.00
(0)
A4 guide sheet (blank A3 also needed), which guides children through a mindmap, specification ahead of designing their own seating (and then drawing up in orthographic) Great cover for any KS3 class.
Introduction to Plastics
Chris Johnson

Introduction to Plastics

£1.00
(2)
First lesson introduction to plastics for Memory Game Definitions Literacy Thermo forming and Thermosetting Types of plastics Properties
Maths in DT - Remote learning
phillwill

Maths in DT - Remote learning

£2.00
(0)
A booklet with activities targeted towards developing fundamental numeracy associated with practical aspects of DT. Can be used as part of a scheme of work, to run alongside practical projects, as homework booklet, for coverwork sessions or remote learning.

Projects

ENTIRE PROJECT - Graphics / Packaging Focus - Student Booklet
GraceBurrell

ENTIRE PROJECT - Graphics / Packaging Focus - Student Booklet

£5.00
(1)
An entire student booklet / project for Travel Pack Project. Students to investigate, design, develop and make packaging for Travel Pack Brief. Project pages scaffold all tasks and can be edited in powerpoint presentation. Key pages include space for teacher feedback using WWW / EBI & .COM ...
D&T Mini Project Practical: The Cardboard Chair Challenge
dt-and-beyond

D&T Mini Project Practical: The Cardboard Chair Challenge

£3.00
(5)
An OFSTED graded Outstanding lesson for introducing students to the design, make and evaluate requirements of design technology. Ideal for Key Stage 3,4 and 5 including students with no previous hard technology experience. The main focus of the lesson is to work as part of a small team to ...
Mini Chair Project - Intro to GCSE DT
OneSubject DT

Mini Chair Project - Intro to GCSE DT

£6.00
(0)
6 week Introduction Project to GCSE. Mini Design & Make Focus on - Bauhaus - Marcel Breuer Product Analysis Ergonomics Material processes Iterative design Modeling & Testing 22 Slides teaching slides Asssesment sheet with markscheme & feedback sheet
Bottle Opener Project KS4
Matthew Roberts

Bottle Opener Project KS4

£2.50
(4)
I created this project in order for my Year 10 learners to develop an understanding of metal skills in line with the WJEC specification. Learners are given a brief to manufacture a bottle opener from mild steel blank. All learners make their bottle opener from the same working drawing however they h...
DT Project - Bookend
nosilak8

DT Project - Bookend

£5.00
(0)
A complete unit of work aimed at Year 8/9 students to introduce them to joints and construction methods. Can be adapted for use as a CAD/CAM project.
The Lamp Project
obennett

The Lamp Project

£7.00
(1)
Having had a lot of interest on social media, I have decided to make available (for the cost of 1 English pint of beer!) the PowerPoint that I use to help teach the scheme. The PowerPoint covers 16 1 hour lessons, including 2 assessments, one written (included with answer sheet, and one Socrative...