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Disassemble products to inspire ideas

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can disassemble products to create a design specification.

Key learning points

  1. Some greetings cards have levers and sliders in them to create movement.
  2. Disassembling greetings cards with moving parts develops knowledge of how they are constructed.
  3. Identifying end users of greetings cards helps create the design specification.
  4. Identifying how levers and sliders work in greetings cards helps create the design specification.

Keywords

  • Greetings card - a card that shares a special message

  • User - who you are designing for

  • Disassemble - taking something apart to see how it works

  • Design specification - describes what a product has to do

Common misconception

A disassembly is the same as an evaluation.

A disassembly focuses on the different parts and workings of the product. The evaluation focuses on views of what people like and dislike.

Teacher tip

Consider the time of year when this lesson is taught and the festivals or celebrations that might happen at this time.

Equipment

Range of slider and lever cards to disassemble.

Content guidance

Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

4 Questions

Q1.
What are sliders and levers?

types of bars
Correct answer: types of mechanisms
types of models

Q2.
What is in a lever mechanism but not a slider mechanism?

lever
Correct answer: pivot point
picture

Q3.
What keeps a slider in place?

Correct Answer: a guide, a bridge

Q4.
Match the mechanism to the movement.

Correct Answer:slider mechanism,side to side or forwards and backwards

side to side or forwards and backwards

Correct Answer:lever mechanism,in a circular direction

in a circular direction

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the definitions.

Correct Answer:evaluation,to explore views and ideas about a product from others

to explore views and ideas about a product from others

Correct Answer:disassemble,to take something apart and to see how it works

to take something apart and to see how it works

Correct Answer:user,the person who will be using the product

the person who will be using the product

Correct Answer:design specification,describes what a product has to do

describes what a product has to do

Q2.
Why do we disassemble cards?

to make cards
Correct answer: to know how they work
to send cards

Q3.
What is a user?

the person making the product
the person drawing the producrt
Correct answer: the person using the product
the person designing the product

Q4.
Why do we evaluate existing products?

Correct answer: to get ideas from products that are already out there
to get ideas from products that don't exist yet
to get ideas from products that might be made

To help you plan your 2 design and technology lesson on: Disassemble products to inspire ideas, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...