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Lesson 4 of 8
  • Year 3

Develop ideas through annotated sketches

I can develop a meaningful and authentic design brief.

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View unit
Lesson 4 of 8
New
New
  • Year 3

Develop ideas through annotated sketches

I can develop a meaningful and authentic design brief.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

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

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

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

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Design specification outlines the key problems to solve.
  2. Sketching allows designers to generate lots of ideas.
  3. Choosing and finalising a design to use may mean combining ideas.

Keywords

  • Design specification - a list of things a product must have or do

  • Annotate - write notes on a design to add information

  • Evaluate - to judge how well a product meets design criteria

Common misconception

Design drawings must be technical and include detail.

Simple drawings can be annotated to add the extra information and detail needed to understand the design.


To help you plan your year 3 design and technology lesson on: Develop ideas through annotated sketches, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Have resources, such as boxes, bottles, syringes, tubes and balloons, available for pupils to look at and handle. This will aid their drawing and help them see how components can be attached. Be aware of pupils with latex allergies if using latex balloons.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Paper, pencils, rulers, small cardboard boxes (egg boxes, teabag boxes, tissue boxes, etc), plastic syringes (10 ml and 20 ml), plstic tubing (4 or 5 mm) and balloons.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - may contain allergens

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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
An is something that goes into the system.

Correct Answer: input

Q2.
The is what happens as a result of the input.

Correct Answer: output

Q3.
When using two outputs in a simple pneumatic system, what additional component is needed?

Additional bottle
Correct answer: Y connector
Additional plunger
S connector

Q4.
Why would a larger bottle inflate a balloon quicker?

Correct answer: more air forced in with each squeeze
it’s easier to hold
less air moving along the tube each squeeze

Q5.
Select all the possible input sources used in pneumatic systems.

Correct answer: wind
pumps
movement
tubes
our lungs

Q6.
Put these statements about creating movement using a simple pneumatic system in order.

1 - Air is squeezed out of the bottle.
2 - It is forced along the tube to the balloon.
3 - It fills the balloon which inflates and expands.
4 - The top jaw of the crocodile toy lifts.

Assessment exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
A design specification is a list of product __________ that are decided before a product is designed and made.

Correct answer: requirements
designs
costs
materials

Q2.
True of false? A design specification should be written before the designer designs and makes a product.

Correct answer: true
false

Q3.
What is another name for notes added onto a design to add information?

Correct Answer: annotations, annotate

Q4.
Which word means the same as drawing?

annotating
generating
Correct answer: sketching

Q5.
Evaluations …

tell you how to build a product.
show what the final product will look like.
Correct answer: check ideas meet design specifications.