Instructor Notes — Week 10

Theme: Final Project (Structured Choice)
Focus Concept: Planning, improving and presenting a chosen design
Mini-Project: Improved Car / Tower / Rocket

Learning Objectives

Choose a project focus (car, tower or rocket / revolved form).
Plan and implement at least one meaningful improvement.
Present the final design and explain how it has improved over time.

Session Flow (≈ 80 min)

Segment	Time	Focus
Recap & options	10	Review term, explain project choices
Planning	10	Quick sketch/plan of improvements
Build & refine	40	Main working time on chosen project
Optional testing	10	SimLab tests for cars/towers where relevant
Share & reflect	10	Short presentations and feedback

Part A — Recap & Choice

Briefly revisit the main themes of the term:
- 3D basics, alignment, holes, symmetry, Sketch & Revolve.
- Motion and friction in SimLab.
- Stability and bracing for towers.
Present the three options clearly:
- Car: focus on motion, shape and smooth movement.
- Tower: focus on stability and earthquake survival.
- Rocket / Revolved object: focus on clean design and practicality.

Ask each learner to pick one and state a simple goal (e.g. “make my car roll straighter”).

Part B — Build, Refine & Test

Most of the session is devoted to:
- Re-opening a previous model or starting a refined version from scratch.
- Making targeted changes based on what they learned.
For cars and towers:
- Use SimLab where possible to test improvements.
For rockets/pendants:
- Check thickness, proportions and details for a plausible, printable design.

Remind learners to save versions as they go, especially if making big changes.

Invite quick, informal presentations (30–60 seconds each):
- Which project they chose.
- What they changed.
- What difference it made.
Encourage peers to give kind, specific feedback (“I like how you…”, “Have you thought about…?”).

Vocabulary for This Week

Iterate — make repeated improvements to a design.
Prototype — an early version of something used for testing.
Brief — a short description of what a design should do or be like.

Instructor Tips

Keep the focus on quality of thinking and improvement, not complexity.
Gently steer over-ambitious ideas back to manageable goals for the available time.
Consider taking screenshots or exports for a term-end display or online gallery.

Assessment & Reflection

Look for:

Evidence of thoughtful planning before jumping into changes.
Clear improvement compared with earlier versions.
Ability to explain design decisions in relation to motion or stability.

Prompt: “If you had another week, what would you do next with this design?”

Common Misconceptions & Fixes

Misconception	Clarification / Strategy
“Starting over is always bad”	Frame restart as sometimes the best way to improve.
Only big, flashy changes count	Emphasise that small, smart changes can be powerful.
SimLab results don’t matter	Link test outcomes directly to design improvements.

Differentiation

Beginners:
- May simply tidy and slightly refine an existing model.
- Focus on one clear improvement and explaining it.
Confident learners:
- Attempt more significant re-designs.
- Combine features from more than one earlier project.

Cross-Curricular Links

Subject	Connection
Computing	Consolidating tool use and simulation skills.
D&T	Full design cycle: brief → design → test → improve.
PSHE	Reflection, resilience and constructive peer feedback.

KS2 Curriculum Mapping

Strand	Evidence in Session
Computing — Creating Media (3D)	Producing a final digital artefact.
D&T — Design, Make, Evaluate	Iterative improvement, considering user and function.
Science — Working Scientifically	Applying previous observations to make better designs.

Materials & Setup

Laptops / Chromebooks with internet and Tinkercad accounts.
Mouse per device.
Optional: display board or digital folder for final screenshots.

Safety & Safeguarding

Ensure final designs are appropriate and safe to print or share.
Maintain a positive, supportive atmosphere during presentations.

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