Presenting Safe Boats

Overview

In this final lesson of the unit "Designing Safe Boats," Year 1 students present their completed boat designs to their classmates. This 30-minute lesson engages students in sharing their design ideas, materials chosen, and the safety features they incorporated. It supports students' communication skills, confidence, and understanding of technological concepts in alignment with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh.

Curriculum Links

Technology Learning Area

• Strand: Technological Practice
• Level: Year 1 (Level 1)
• Achievement Objectives:
• Technological Practice: Develop plans to guide technological practice and create outcomes (designing and developing).
• Technological Knowledge: Understand how characteristics of materials affect their use.
• Nature of Technology: Recognise that technological outcomes are developed within a context to meet needs and opportunities.

Key Competencies Developed

• Using language, symbols, and texts: Students will communicate their design ideas clearly.
• Managing self: Students build confidence and take responsibility for sharing their learning.
• Relating to others: Students listen to peers and show respect.
• Thinking: Reflect on their design choices and relate their work to the boat safety concept.

English Curriculum (supporting speaking and listening)

• Prepare and present simple oral presentations or explanations with scaffolding.
• Use clear, concise language appropriate to the audience (peers and teachers).

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Describe their boat design, including the materials used.
2. Explain one or two safety features they included in their boat.
3. Listen to their classmates’ presentations and ask or respond to simple questions.
4. Demonstrate confidence and clarity when speaking to others.

Resources

• Students’ finished boats.
• “Boat Presentation” prompt cards with simple questions (e.g., “What is your boat made from?”, “How does your boat stay safe?”).
• Visual aids or sentence starters (optional).
• Space arranged for group presentations (e.g., circle seating).
• Timer or stopwatch.

Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up and Introduction (5 minutes)

• Gather the class in a circle.
• Briefly remind students what they worked on during the unit: designing and building safe boats.
• Introduce today’s goal: "We are going to show and tell about our boats!"
• Explain the importance of speaking clearly and listening carefully to others.
• Model a short example presentation with a sample boat or picture:
• “My boat is made of cardboard and plastic. I put big sides on it so it won’t tip over. That makes it safe!”

2. Student Presentations (20 minutes)

• Each student takes a turn presenting their boat.
• Use the prompt cards to help students structure their presentation.
• Encourage students to say:

1. What their boat is made from.
2. What safety feature(s) they chose and why.

• Encourage the audience to listen carefully and clap after each presentation.
• Teachers and peers can ask simple questions after each presentation to encourage interaction. For example:
• “How does your boat float?”
• “Why did you choose that material?”
• Teacher provides positive feedback and acknowledges each student’s effort.

3. Reflection and Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

• Lead a brief group reflection about what they learned from presenting and listening.
• Ask a few students to share what they liked about their classmates' boats.
• Reinforce the vocabulary of materials and safety features.
• Praise students for their hard work throughout the unit.

Assessment

• Formative assessment: Observe each student’s ability to express their ideas during their presentation.
• Use a simple checklist aligned with communication skills:
• Can the student name the materials used?
• Can the student explain a safety feature?
• Does the student speak clearly and audibly?
• Does the student listen respectfully when others speak?
• Provide verbal feedback to promote confidence and growth.

Teaching Tips

• Provide sentence starters for students who may find speaking challenging, for example:
• “My boat has ________.”
• “I used ________ to keep my boat safe.”
• Use visual supports or drawings if helpful for planning presentations in advance.
• Celebrate all efforts to foster a positive and inclusive environment.
• Build confidence through encouragement, reminding students there is no ‘perfect’ answer.

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This lesson encourages young learners to develop foundational communication, technological understanding, and social skills in an engaging, supportive environment aligned exactly with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh’s technology and English learning area objectives for Year 1 students.