Needs and Wants

Lesson Overview

• Unit: Designing Our World (Lesson 2 of 10)
• Year Level: Foundation (Prep)
• Duration: 50 minutes
• Class Size: 20 students
• Subject: Technologies - Design and Technologies
• Lesson Title: Identifying Needs

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Australian Curriculum Links

• Design and Technologies Foundation content description:
  • AC9TDEFP01: Generate, communicate and evaluate design ideas, and use materials, equipment and steps to safely make a solution for a purpose.
• General capability focus: Literacy (vocabulary for needs/wants), Critical and Creative Thinking (sorting activity), ICT Capability (digital technology usage)

This lesson specifically develops understanding around identifying needs and wants and how these influence design decisions, aligned with the Foundation level curriculum focus on generating ideas for solutions with a purpose.

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Learning Intentions

• WALT (We Are Learning To):
  Differentiate between needs and wants.

• Success Criteria:

  • Explain the difference between a need and a want.
  • Create a list of 5 needs and 5 wants.

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Resources Needed

• Interactive whiteboard or projector
• Tablets or computers (1 per pair) with a simple digital sorting or drawing app (e.g., Google Jamboard or KidPix)
• Paper templates with sections labelled ‘Needs’ and ‘Wants’ (bullet points style for dyslexia-friendly reading)
• Picture cards showing various items (food, toys, clothes, gadgets, etc.) for sorting
• Markers, crayons
• Poster paper and art supplies for extension activity

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Lesson Sequence

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Welcome and recap: Briefly revisit what "Designing Our World" means and the prior lesson's focus (if applicable).
• Activate prior knowledge: Initiate a whole-class discussion asking:
  • What do you think people need to live? (Prompt examples like food, water, shelter)
  • What do you want but don’t always need? (Toys, sweets, etc.)
• Define terms clearly on the board:
  • Needs: Things people must have to live and be healthy.
  • Wants: Things people like to have, but don’t have to survive.
• Use simple images alongside text with bullet points to support dyslexic learners.

2. Guided Activity - Sorting Needs and Wants (20 minutes)

• Group work: Divide class into 4 groups of 5. Each group receives a set of picture cards.
• Task: Students sort the cards into two categories on their paper template (Needs or Wants).
• Digital option for visual learners: Each pair uses tablets to drag and drop images into ‘Needs’ and ‘Wants’ on a digital board.
• Teacher circulates, prompts discussion, and encourages rationale for choices.
• Regroup and share: Each group shares one example of a need and a want they identified. Teacher reinforces and clarifies any misconceptions.

3. Independent Work - Lists Creation (10 minutes)

• Task: Students individually write (or draw) their own list of 5 needs and 5 wants using bullet points on a worksheet.
• Support:
  • Use sentence starters: “I need...” and “I want...”
  • For students who struggle, allow drawing pictures with labels or scribe for them.
• Extension: Students who finish early start designing a poster titled “Our Needs and Wants” to display pictures and words illustrating their understanding.

4. Conclusion and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Recap by asking volunteers to share one need and one want from their lists.
• Use questioning to highlight how needs influence design – e.g., “If we were to design a backpack, what needs must it meet?”
• Introduce next lesson’s focus briefly (design based on needs and wants).
• Ask students to think about things they use every day—are they needs or wants?

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual learners: Use sorting card activities and digital drag/drop sorting games.
• Dyslexic learners: Employ bullet point lists with simple, clear fonts; use pictorial supports with text labels; allow drawing responses.
• Support learners: Provide sentence starters and modelling of sorting criteria. Buddy support or oral recording if writing is difficult.
• Extension learners:
  • Create a detailed poster showcasing needs and wants, explaining their choices to the class.
  • Include a digital presentation component using classroom tablets or computers.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of group discussion and sorting task.
• Evaluate students’ written/drawn lists against success criteria (5 needs and 5 wants clearly identified).
• Assess extension posters for understanding and communication of the difference between needs and wants.

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Technology Integration

• Use tablets/computers for digital sorting activity which appeals to young students’ familiarity and engagement with screens.
• Optional: Use interactive whiteboard to collectively add examples as students call them out during discussion.
• Extension includes use of simple digital drawing/painting tools to create posters.

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Classroom Management Notes

• Keep group sizes small for better engagement.
• Use a timer for each segment to maintain momentum with young learners.
• Provide clear, simple instructions repeated as needed.
• Regularly check for understanding by asking simple yes/no or choice questions.

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This lesson plan effectively blends hands-on, collaborative, and technology-based activities to build foundational understanding of needs and wants with clear links to the Australian Curriculum Foundation Design and Technologies content description AC9TDEFP01. The inclusion of dyslexia-friendly materials and differentiations ensures accessibility for diverse learners in a Foundation classroom setting.