New
New
Year 3

Card functional properties

I can use different techniques to shape card.

New
New
Year 3

Card functional properties

I can use different techniques to shape card.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Robert Gair devised the concept of the paperboard folding carton.
  2. Card can be shaped in different ways.
  3. Scoring before folding or cutting improves accuracy.

Keywords

  • Packaging - material used to wrap, cover or protect a product

  • Technique - a particular way of doing something

  • Scoring - pressing a line into paper or card to help with folding and cutting

Common misconception

Packaging has always been the same.

Packaging has developed over time. The rise in plastic use has seen plastic replacing glass, increased use of recycled paper/card, less use of wooden crates used in the past.


To help you plan your year 3 design and technology lesson on: Card functional properties, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Model scoring techniques with pupils. Use age appropriate scissors at this stage. Model the use of a safety ruler and protect surfaces.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Various thicknesses of scrap card (rectangle shapes will work best), safety rulers, scissors and pencils.

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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6 Questions

Q1.
What would the net of this shape look like?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
Why doesn't this type of packaging stack well?
An image in a quiz
the main surface is flat
Correct answer: the main surface is curved
it is made from thin plastic
it is too long
Q3.
Match the words from a design specification.
Correct Answer:user,the person/people who use or need the product

the person/people who use or need the product

Correct Answer:purpose,what the product is designed to do

what the product is designed to do

Correct Answer:material,what the product is made from

what the product is made from

Correct Answer:environment,the world around us

the world around us

Q4.
Which of these is an example of sustainable packaging that helps protect the environment?
a plastic carton that cannot be recycled
a plastic bag that takes hundreds of years to break down
Correct answer: a cardboard box made from recycled paper
a plastic wrapper that cannot be reused
Q5.
Where does new material for paper and card come from (when it is not recycled)?
the sea
it is man-made
underground
Correct answer: trees
Q6.
Which of these materials is made from sand?
paper
Correct answer: glass
plastic
metal

4 Questions

Q1.
Which packaging material has become more common since the 1960s?
wood
paper
Correct answer: plastic
glass
Q2.
What type of product was one of the first to be packaged in Robert Gair's folding box carton?
books
clothes
drinks
Correct answer: biscuits
Q3.
How did Robert Gair's box design save time?
it was folded and assembled at the same time
Correct answer: it was cut and folded at the same time
it was cut first and folded later
Correct answer: it could be assembled quickly
Q4.
What is meant by scoring card?
Correct answer: pressing a line in it
drawing a line on it
cutting through it
bending it