NZC – Technology Phase 1 (Years 0–3)

During Year 1

During Year 2

During Year 3

During Year 1

During Year 2

During Year 3

Design  

• All made objects begin with a design thought, idea, or experience. 
• Breaking down into steps helps think about design and how things are made. 
• Following steps helps plan, make, and improve design. 

Materials and ingredients 

• Objects are made of different materials. 
• There are hard materials that are strong and durable and do not break easily. 
• There are soft materials that bend and stretch and are flexible to use. 
• Materials can be combined to make objects for different purposes (e.g. a bookbag or a raincoat). 
• Paper — Cai Lun (c.105 CE) developed paper from plant fibres, enabling writing, drawing, and design. 

Design  

• A product can be described by how it looks (aesthetics) and how it works (function). 
• Design ideas are often shown visually using drawings, representations (models), or photographs to explain what is being made. 
• A design brief is a short plan that explains what you are making, who and where it is for, when it is being made, and why. 
• Flying machines and early engineering — Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was a Renaissance thinker and inventor who combined art, science, and engineering. He designed innovative concepts like bridges, crossbows, parachutes, helicopters, and mechanical clocks. 

Materials and ingredients 

• Objects and food products work best when the right materials or ingredients are chosen. 
• Food products are made of different ingredients. 
• Ingredients can be combined to make new food products.  
• Materials or ingredients can be changed using tools and skills to make something new (e.g. cutting a piece of cardboard or mixing flour and water). 
• Stone tools — Early humans, Lower Paleolithic (3.3–2.6 million years ago) developed the first tools for cutting and shaping. This example shows how technology begins with simple material transformations. 

Design  

• Technology has impacts on people and the environment. 
• Whether something is well made can be determined by how it looks (physical) and how well it works (function).  
• The alphabet — Semitic-speaking people, Sinai Peninsula (c.1900–1800 BCE) developed a script evolving from Egyptian hieroglyphs into Proto-Sinaitic, influencing modern alphabets. 

Materials and ingredients 

• Some changes to materials or ingredients can be undone (e.g. melting chocolate), but others cannot (e.g. baking a cake). 
• Materials have different performance properties (e.g. strength, flexibility, conductivity) which affect how they are used in material products. 
• Ingredients have different performance properties (e.g. texture, flavour, moisture) which affect how they are used in food products.  
• Zipper — Whitcomb Judson (1846–1909) developed a fastening device using metal or plastic for strength and flexibility in 1893. 

Computational thinking 

• Clear, step-by-step instructions help complete tasks, and mistakes can be found and fixed. 

Design  

• Using questions to consider design ideas that solve everyday problems  
• Drawing ideas to help plan what to make 

Materials, ingredients, and making 

• Investigating a range of both hard and soft materials through sorting, shaping, and testing 
• Making a product (refer to indicative examples) 

Design 

• Exploring everyday products to identify who and what they are for and how they work 
• Drawing a picture (design) of a product that considers how it might look and work  
• Following the steps of a design brief to make a design (refer to indicative examples) 

Materials, ingredients, and making 

• Investigating how ingredients change when they are mixed or heated  
• Making a product by mixing or heating some ingredients (e.g. play dough)  
• Testing and sorting materials or ingredients to find out what they are best suited for 
• Making a product using either materials or ingredients (refer to indicative examples) 

Design  

• Comparing old and new objects to see what is different and why they have changed 
• Investigating a range of products for their impact on people and the environment 
• Communicating design ideas by drawing, building models, or making simple plans 
• Refining a design brief by identifying what worked (function) or did not and explaining how it could be improved 

Materials, ingredients, and making 

• Observing and explaining how ingredients change when mixed or heated and whether they can change back or not 
• Analysing the performance properties of materials or ingredients to help choose the best ones for making a product (fit-for-purpose) 
• Making a product, using either materials or ingredients, that is fit-for-purpose (refer to indicative examples) 

Computational thinking 

• Breaking a simple task into ordered steps, giving clear instructions, and checking and correcting them as they are followed