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WS01 - Digital project: Rescuing Rapunzel

Technologies, Digital Technologies, Design and Technologies, Science, Years 3 and 4

By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability. They process and represent data for different purposes, follow and describe simple algorithms involving branching and iteration, and implement them as visual programs. For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions. Students select design ideas against design criteria. Students securely access and use digital systems and their peripherals for a range of purposes, including transmitting data. They communicate design ideas using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. Students plan and sequence steps and use technologies and techniques to safely produce designed solutions. They use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours. Students identify their personal data stored online and its risks.  

By the end of Year 4 students create simple digital solutions and use provided design criteria to check if solutions meet user needs. Students process and represent data for different purposes. They follow and describe simple algorithms involving branching and iteration and implement them as visual programs. Students securely access and use digital systems and their peripherals for a range of purposes, including transmitting data. They use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours. Students identify their personal data stored online and recognise the risks. 

Knowledge and understanding | Digital systems

AC9TDI4K01

explore and describe a range of digital systems and their peripherals for a variety of purposes

Knowledge and understanding | Digital systems

AC9TDI4K02

explore transmitting different types of data between digital systems

Processes and production skills | Investigating and defining

AC9TDI4P01

define problems with given design criteria and by co-creating user stories

Processes and production skills | Generating and designing

AC9TDI4P02

follow and describe algorithms involving sequencing, comparison operators (branching) and iteration

Processes and production skills | Generating and designing

AC9TDI4P03

generate, communicate and compare designs

Processes and production skills | Producing and implementing

AC9TDI4P04

implement simple algorithms as visual programs involving control structures and input

Processes and production skills | Evaluating

AC9TDI4P05

discuss how existing and student solutions satisfy the design criteria and user stories

Processes and production skills | Privacy and security

AC9TDI4P08

access their school account using a memorised password and explain why it should be easy to remember, but hard for others to guess

Annotations

 

1. Uses responses gathered as a class to write a user story.  

 

2. Takes the design criteria discussed as a class and explains the importance of each feature.  

 

3. Draws a representation that communicates the intent of the design idea.  

4. Explains how the device works, using technical words such as motor, motion sensor and pulley.

5. Writes a program that requires input from the user (click play block).  

 

6. Captures a screenshot of the program and inserts it into a document. 

 

7. Identifies improvements that could be made to the model. 

 

8. Identifies improvements that could be made to the model. 

 

 

9. Uses a peripheral device (camera) to take 3 digital images. Crops the images and inserts them into the document. 

 

10. Creates a device (digital solution) that meets the identified problem and considers user input in its design.  

LEGO and LEGO Education, are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2025 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved. 

By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability. They process and represent data for different purposes, follow and describe simple algorithms involving branching and iteration, and implement them as visual programs. For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions. Students select design ideas against design criteria. Students securely access and use digital systems and their peripherals for a range of purposes, including transmitting data. They communicate design ideas using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. Students plan and sequence steps and use technologies and techniques to safely produce designed solutions. They use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours. Students identify their personal data stored online and its risks.

By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability. For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions. Students select design ideas against design criteria. They communicate design ideas using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. Students plan and sequence steps and use technologies and techniques to safely produce designed solutions.

Knowledge and understanding: Technologies context | Engineering principles and systems; Materials and technologies specialisations

AC9TDE4K02

describe how forces and the properties of materials affect function in a product or system

Processes and production skills | Investigating and defining

AC9TDE4P01

explore needs or opportunities for designing, and test materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions

Processes and production skills | Generating and designing

AC9TDE4P02

generate and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate attributions, technical terms and graphical representation techniques, including using digital tools

Processes and production skills | Producing and implementing

AC9TDE4P03

select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions

Processes and production skills | Evaluating

AC9TDE4P04

use given or co-developed design criteria including sustainability to evaluate design ideas and solutions

Processes and production skills | Collaborating and managing

AC9TDE4P05

sequence steps to individually and collaboratively make designed solutions

Annotations

 

1. Explains the importance of each feature of the design criteria co-created by the class.

 

2. Draws a graphic representation of the device (designed solution) that communicates the intent of the design idea, and labels its component parts. (Note: the prescribed context for this designed solution is Engineering principles and systems.)  

3. Explains how the device works, using technical words such as motor, motion sensor and pulley.

 

4. Describes the intended user experience of the designed solution.

5. Uses a variety of digital tools including block coding software, digital word processing and screen capture applications to create a sequence of block code, take screenshots of block code and write a reflection.

 

6. Identifies improvements that could be made to the visual programming.

 

 

7. Describes how the model demonstrates the function of a crane.

8. Identifies improvements that could be made to the model. 

 

 

9. Uses digital tools including LEGO robotic hardware and a digital camera (peripheral device) to create and document the designed solution (physical model).

 

10. Creates an automation system (designed solution comprising engineering system and digital components) that meets the identified need and considers user requirements and input in its design. 

LEGO and LEGO Education, are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2025 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved. 

By the end of Year 4 students identify the roles of organisms in a habitat and construct food chains. They identify key processes in the water cycle and describe how water cycles through the environment. They identify forces acting on objects and describe their effect. They relate the uses of materials to their properties. They explain the role of data in science inquiry. They identify solutions based on scientific explanations and describe the needs these meet.

 

Students pose questions to identify patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations. They plan investigations using planning scaffolds, identify key elements of fair tests and describe how they conduct investigations safely. They use simple procedures to make accurate formal measurements. They construct representations to organise data and information and identify patterns and relationships. They compare their findings with those of others, assess the fairness of their investigation, identify further questions for investigation and draw conclusions. They communicate ideas and findings for an identified audience and purpose, including using scientific vocabulary when appropriate.

Science understanding | Physical sciences

AC9S4U03

identify how forces can be exerted by one object on another and investigate the effect of frictional, gravitational and magnetic forces on the motion of objects

Science as a human endeavour | Use and influence of science

AC9S4H02

consider how people use scientific explanations to meet a need or solve a problem

Science inquiry | Questioning and predicting

AC9S4I01

pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations

Science inquiry | Planning and conducting

AC9S4I02

use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment

Science inquiry | Evaluating

AC9S4I05

compare findings with those of others, consider if investigations were fair, identify questions for further investigation and draw conclusions

Science inquiry | Communicating

AC9S4I06

write and create texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified purposes and audiences, using scientific vocabulary and digital tools as appropriate

Annotations

 

1. Describes how the solution addresses the need to rescue Rapunzel safely and efficiently, using scientific understanding of motion, force, and control.

 

(Aligned to: “Identify solutions based on scientific explanations and describe the needs these meet.”) 

2. Explains how the pulley system works to lift the rescue seat, identifying the force acting on the object and how it causes motion.

 

(Aligned to: “Identify forces acting on objects and describe their effect.”)

3. Reflects on the effect of coding errors (e.g. incorrect tilt/shake block) and suggests changes. Uses this testing experience to predict how changes will improve the system.

 

(Aligned to: “Pose questions… and make predictions based on observations.”)

 

4. Documents the testing process and describes steps taken to improve safety and functionality, including modification of the physical design and programming sequence.

 

(Aligned to: “Plan investigations… and describe how they conduct investigations safely.”)

 

5. Uses written explanations, labelled diagrams, and screenshots of code to communicate how the rescue system works. Scientific vocabulary (e.g. “pulley”, “motor”, “motion sensor”) is embedded throughout.

 

(Aligned to: “Communicate ideas and findings… including using scientific vocabulary when appropriate.”)

6. Identifies further questions and improvements (e.g. resizing the model, refining sensors) and draws conclusions based on testing.

 

(Aligned to: “Draw conclusions and identify further questions for investigation.”)

 

LEGO and LEGO Education, are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2025 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.