New
New
Year 2

Design specification for wheeled vehicles

I can explore a vehicle and create a design specification for a vehicle.

New
New
Year 2

Design specification for wheeled vehicles

I can explore a vehicle and create a design specification for a vehicle.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A car has a chassis, body, wheels, axles, axle holders and an engine or motor.
  2. Creating a design specification for a vehicle will help to design and make a finished product.
  3. The design specification might include - travels in a straight line, has four wheels, wheels run freely.

Keywords

  • Axle - a rod that holds a wheel in place and allows it to turn

  • Chassis - the framework of a vehicle that supports the body and engine

  • Engine - a machine that helps a vehicle to move

  • Axel holder - the part where the axle goes through to hold it in place but still allow it to rotate

  • Design specification - describes what a product has to do

Common misconception

An axle must hold two wheels.

The axle might hold one or two wheels. The axle can turn with the wheel.


To help you plan your year 2 design and technology lesson on: Design specification for wheeled vehicles, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Teachers could give additional time to explore a range of vehicles and should there be an opportunity to disassemble vehicles, this could be built into the lesson. Furthermore, a range of construction kits could be used to encourage the exploration of wheels, axles, axle holders and chassis.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Range of moving toys, worksheet, pencil, coloured crayons and rulers.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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4 Questions

Q1.
On a car, which two parts allow the car to roll?
doors
Correct answer: wheels
Correct answer: axles
roof
bonnet
Q2.
True or false? Wheels move in a rotary motion.
Correct answer: true
false
Q3.
Which of the following have wheels and axles?
Correct answer: cars
boat
Correct answer: bike
chair
Correct answer: bus
Q4.
Wheels and axles help the wheels to ...
Correct answer: roll
Correct answer: move
stop

4 Questions

Q1.
The axle holder attaches the axle to the __________ but still allows the axle to rotate.
bonnet
Correct answer: chassis
roof
ground
Q2.
What does a design specification describe?
Correct answer: what a product has to do
how much the product will cost
who will sell the product
the colour of the product
Q3.
What does the word disassemble mean?
Correct answer: to take apart and to see how it goes together
to put together
Correct answer: to take apart to see how it works
Q4.
What is the bottom of the vehicle called?
engine
Correct answer: chassis
bonnet

Additional material

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