Designing and Improving Shelters

Lesson Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 2 students, aligned with the NSW Curriculum for Technologies. It focuses on evaluating shelters students have designed and constructed, and encourages them to suggest improvements. The hands-on activities, clear success criteria, and differentiated tasks cater to diverse learners and engage advanced students with extension challenges.

Learning Focus (WALT)

WALT: We Are Learning To evaluate our shelter and suggest improvements.

NSW Curriculum Links

Technologies - Design and Technologies strand (ST2-7DT-T):

Explore how design ideas can be communicated and evaluated against criteria.
Evaluate design solutions considering personal preferences and criteria.
Describe how people design and produce designed solutions to meet needs.

Achievement Outcomes:

Students select design ideas against criteria and communicate design ideas using drawings and models.
Students describe use of materials and technologies safely to produce solutions and evaluate outcomes to suggest improvements.

Learning Objectives

Students will explain the strengths and weaknesses of their shelter designs.
Students will suggest improvements to their shelters based on evaluation.
Students will use simple criteria to judge the effectiveness of their shelters (e.g., protection from weather, sturdiness).
Students will communicate their ideas clearly using drawings or spoken descriptions.

Success Criteria

I can describe what works well in my shelter.
I can identify what could be better.
I can suggest clear ways to improve my shelter.
I can listen to and consider others’ suggestions.
I can communicate my ideas by drawing or talking.

Resources

Previously constructed shelters (from Lesson 4 or prior work) or pictures/models of shelters
Evaluation checklist template with guiding questions
Paper, pencils, coloured markers
Large display chart for group feedback
Simple tools for minor modifications (e.g., tape, string, cardboard)

Lesson Structure and Timing

1. Introduction (10 mins)

Recap previous lessons on designing and building shelters.
Introduce today’s WALT and explain the importance of evaluating and improving designs.
Discuss what makes a good shelter (protection, stability, materials, size).
Introduce the evaluation checklist with simple guiding questions ("What do you like about your shelter?", "What could be better?", "How can you improve it?").

2. Partner Evaluation Activity (15 mins)

Students pair up and take turns evaluating each other’s shelters.
Provide sentence starters and question prompts to support communication.
Encourage respectful and constructive feedback.
Use an evaluation checklist to record observations.

3. Group Reflection and Discussion (10 mins)

Bring the class together to share common feedback themes.
Use a large chart to list strengths and suggestions for improvement.
Discuss how different ideas could be applied to improve shelters.

4. Improvement Planning and Modification (15 mins)

Students choose 1-2 improvements they want to try on their shelter based on feedback.
Modify or adapt their shelter using available materials/tools.
Encourage students to draw or label their improvement in their design book.

5. Sharing and Plenary (10 mins)

Volunteer students share their evaluation findings and improvements with the class.
Reflect on the learning process: Why is evaluation important? How did suggestions help improve?
Recap the WALT and success criteria.

Differentiation Strategies

For Diverse Learners

Provide sentence starter cards and visual prompts to support oral communication.
Allow demonstration of understanding through drawings or role-play if verbal explanation is challenging.
Offer one-on-one support during the evaluation activity as needed.
Use small groups instead of pairs for students needing more social support.

For Advanced Learners

Encourage them to think about sustainability aspects of materials used in shelters.
Challenge them to design an extended evaluation checklist with additional criteria (e.g., ventilation, comfort).
Invite them to explain their reasoning and evaluation to younger peers as ‘shelter experts’.

Assessment for Learning

Formative assessment through observation of students’ participation in paired and group evaluations.
Review students’ completed evaluation checklists and improvement plans for understanding.
Anecdotal notes on students’ ability to suggest feasible shelter improvements and communicate effectively.

Extension Activities

Research shelters used by different cultures or in extreme environments to compare and contrast design features.
Create a digital presentation or poster summarising their evaluation and improvement journey.
Design and test shelters with additional constraints (e.g., waterproof, lightweight) using new materials.

Reflective Teacher Notes

Encourage positivity and growth mindset — praise effort in evaluating and improving rather than perfect results.
Scaffold talking prompts extensively for younger learners to ensure participation.
Capture photographs of student shelters before and after improvements to visually document progress.

This lesson plan effectively captures the spirit of the NSW Curriculum by engaging Year 2 students in the iterative design process, fostering critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills while focusing on a tangible, meaningful task within technologies. It balances teacher-led guidance with student autonomy and is adaptable in pace and complexity for varied learner needs.