Instructor Notes — Week 7

Theme: CAD: Design a Simple Car Body
Focus Concept: Combining 3D tools into one purposeful vehicle design
Mini-Project: 4-Wheel Car Design

Learning Objectives

  • Use align, group, holes, duplicate and mirror together in one project.
  • Design a car body that clearly shows where four wheels would go.
  • Keep the model roughly symmetric and stable for later testing.

Session Flow (≈ 80 min)

Segment Time Focus
Recap & intro 10 Review SimLab motion; introduce car design
Planning 10 Sketch or discuss car ideas and constraints
Guided build 25 Build a simple chassis and wheel arches
Independent make 25 Refine, decorate and adjust proportions
Share & tidy 10 Show designs; discuss where wheels will be

Part A — Planning & Constraints

  • Explain that this week is about a car body only (no detailed wheels yet).
  • Mention simple constraints:
    • Enough space for 4 wheels.
    • Fairly symmetric left–right.
    • Flat enough bottom so it would sit or roll on a surface.
  • Invite quick sketching on paper or talk through designs in pairs.

Part B — Guided Build: Car Body

Suggested sequence:

  1. Create a rectangular chassis block in sensible proportions.
  2. Use holes to cut out simple wheel arches or gaps for wheel positions.
  3. Use duplicate + mirror for left/right wheel openings.
  4. Round or adjust the front and back using extra shapes.

Keep the design simple and clear, rather than extremely detailed.

Part C — Independent Make & Extend

  • Learners refine:
    • Cabin shape, windows, roof.
    • Simple bumper or spoiler.
  • Encourage them to check that:
    • The car still has space for wheels.
    • The underside is not too bumpy to roll.

Vocabulary for This Week

  • Chassis — main frame or body of a vehicle.
  • Wheelbase — distance between front and rear wheel positions.
  • Symmetry — similar shape on both sides of a centre line.

Instructor Tips

  • Use side-view screenshots or real toy cars as a reference.
  • Remind learners that function comes first, then decoration.
  • If time is short, you can provide a starter chassis and focus on wheel arch placement.

Assessment & Reflection

Look for:

  • Clear, consistent wheel positions on both sides.
  • Designs that resemble a car, not an unstructured block.
  • Pupils who can explain why their car might move smoothly or not.

Prompt: “Show me where your wheels would go. How did that affect your design?”

Common Misconceptions & Fixes

Misconception Clarification / Strategy
Wheels “floating” in mid-air Emphasise contact with ground and proper arches.
Very narrow or unstable body Encourage widening the chassis for better stability.
Forgetting symmetry Use mirror and align to tidy up left and right.

Differentiation

  • Beginners:
    • Start from a teacher-provided chassis block.
    • Focus mainly on wheel arches and a simple roof.
  • Confident learners:
    • Experiment with different car types (racing car vs. minibus).
    • Add subtle design details while preserving function.
Subject Connection
Science Friction, stability and centre of mass.
Maths Length, width and symmetry.
D&T Designing vehicles for purpose and user.

KS2 Curriculum Mapping

Strand Evidence in Session
Computing — Creating Media (3D) Designing a more complex 3D object using many tools.
D&T — Design Responding to a brief (simple car body).
D&T — Technical Knowledge Awareness of wheel placement and weight distribution.

Materials & Setup

  • Laptops / Chromebooks with internet and Tinkercad accounts.
  • Mouse per device.
  • Optional: a few toy cars for reference.

Safety & Safeguarding

  • If printing any bodies, follow the same safety rules on size and sharpness.
  • Encourage respectful feedback between learners when comparing designs.