New
New
Year 5

Dorothée Pullinger and car design

I can describe Dorothée Pullinger’s contributions to car engineering and discuss sustainable transport.

New
New
Year 5

Dorothée Pullinger and car design

I can describe Dorothée Pullinger’s contributions to car engineering and discuss sustainable transport.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Dorothée Pullinger was an Edwardian car engineer.
  2. Car engineers adapt for the modern world and are developing more sustainable travel.
  3. Electric cars can cause less pollution than petrol or diesel cars.
  4. There may be better sustainable methods of transport in the future.

Keywords

  • Car engineer - someone who designs and builds cars

  • Sustainability - using what we need, while protecting the environment so there is enough for the future

Common misconception

All early engineers were men.

Many women have contributed to the development of engineering.


To help you plan your year 5 design and technology lesson on: Dorothée Pullinger and car design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This is a good opportunity to introduce and discuss other female engineers, including present day examples. Explore links to female engineers working in local universities/organisations.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Pens, paper or worksheet, pencils, colouring pencils, felt tip pens.

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

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a car commonly used for?
cooking
sleeping
Correct answer: travel
Q2.
Which of these can people put into cars as fuel?
wood
Correct answer: petrol
oil
Q3.
What is electricity often used to power?
socks
books
Correct answer: televisions
Q4.
What is pollution?
Correct answer: something that makes the air, land or water dirty
something that smells nice
clean air
Q5.
What is one job of a car engineer?
baking bread
Correct answer: designing cars
walking dogs
Q6.
Match the transport type to its power source.
Correct Answer:car,petrol

petrol

Correct Answer:electric scooter,electricity

electricity

Correct Answer:bicycle,human power

human power

Correct Answer:lorry,diesel

diesel

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Who was Dorothée Pullinger?
a chef who made cakes
a teacher who taught art
Correct answer: a car engineer in Edwardian times
Q2.
What is one benefit of electric cars?
they use more petrol
they are louder
Correct answer: they can cause less pollution
Q3.
Put these travel methods in order from least to most pollution.
1 - electric car
2 - walking
3 - petrol car
Q4.
What word means using what we need while protecting the environment so there is enough for the future.
pollution
Correct answer: sustainability
recycling