Gears and pulleys

Making and designing gear and pulley systems and exploring their uses.

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  1. Subjects >
  2. Design and technology >
  3. Key stage 2 >
  4. Year 5 >
  5. Mechanical systems: Gears and pulleys

Unit outcomes

Pupils who are secure will be able to:

  • Give examples of machines that use gears and/or pulleys.
  • Describe how gears and pulleys work and their purpose.
  • Design and make a gear and pulley system.
  • Write a problem statement.
  • Write questions for market research, provide feedback and research market competitors.
  • Write and use a design brief to guide design.
  • Evaluate a product against a set of design criteria, provide useful feedback and incorporate changes.
  • Draw and annotate an eco-gadget bike design.

Suggested prior learning

Mechanical systems: Mechanical cars

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Lessons

Free!

Lesson 1: Gears

  • To create a working gear system and explain its function.

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Lesson 2: Improving your gear design

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Lesson 3: Pulleys

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Lesson 4: Eco-gadget bike project: Market research

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Lesson 5: Eco-gadget bike project: Design

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Key skills

Design

  • Noticing wider-reaching
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Key knowledge

To know:

  • Mechanical systems that
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Key vocabulary

annotate

axle

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Related content

    Resources

Unit resources

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Design and technology

Knowledge organiser: D&T – Y5 Gears and pulleys

Aimed at pupils, two pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit 'Option 1: *New* Gears and pulleys.'.

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Design and technology

Vocabulary display: Gears and pulleys

A display version of the key vocabulary from the Gears and pulleys unit.

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Subject resources

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Cross-curricular opportunities

Science: Forces.

Geography: Human and physical geography.

British values: Mutual respect.

Build on the learning

Mechanical systems: Automata toys

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