Technologies
Year 3/4 Technologies Curriculum
The technologies curriculum provides a variety of opportunites for students to engage in exciting and engaging activities in the classroom. It engages their crticial and creative thinking skills whilstdeveloping key skills for life. Below some of the band descriptions taken directly from the Australian Curriculum. For more information on the Technologies curriculum visit http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/introduction
Year 3/4 Band Descriptions
Design and Technologies
Learning in Design and Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit, strengthen and extend these as needed.
By the end of Year 4 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions at least once in the following technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems; Food and fibre production and Food specialisations; and Materials and technologies specialisations. Students should have opportunities to experience designing and producing products, services and environments.
In Year 3 and 4 students develop a sense of self and ownership of their ideas and thinking about their peers and communities and as consumers. Students explore and learn to harness their creative, innovative and imaginative ideas and approaches to achieve designed products, services and environments. They do this through planning and awareness of the characteristics and properties of materials and the use of tools and equipment. They learn to reflect on their actions to refine their working and develop their decision-making skills. Students examine social and environmental sustainability implications of existing products and processes to raise awareness of their place in the world. They compare their predicted implications with real-world case studies including those from the Asia region, and recognise that designs and technologies can affect people and their environments. They become aware of the role of those working in design and technologies occupations and how they think about the way a product might change in the future.
Digital Technologies
Learning in Digital Technologies focuses on further developing understanding and skills in computational thinking, such as categorising and outlining procedures; and developing an increasing awareness of how digital systems are used and could be used at home, in school and the local community.
By the end of Year 4, students will have had opportunities to create a range of digital solutions, such as interactive adventures that involve user choice, modelling simplified real world systems and simple guessing games.
In Year 3 and 4, students explore digital systems in terms of their components, and peripheral devices such as digital microscopes, cameras and interactive whiteboards. They collect, manipulate and interpret data, developing an understanding of the characteristics of data and their representation.
With teacher guidance, students identify and list the major steps needed to complete a task or project. When sharing ideas and communicating in online environments they develop an understanding of why it is important to consider the feelings of their audiences and apply safe practices and social protocols agreed by the class that demonstrate respectful behaviour.