Years 3 to 4
Technologies
ASTECTDEY34
Years 3 to 4 Design and Technologies Achievement Standard
5 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability. For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions. Students select design ideas against design criteria. They communicate design ideas using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. Students plan and sequence steps and use technologies and techniques to safely produce designed solutions.
The 5 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability.
Content descriptorAC9TDE4K01 Knowledge and understanding
examine design and technologies occupations and factors including sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration exploring how many First Nations Australians were and continue to be recognised for their specialist skills in designing and producing products made from local materials and providing related services, using sustainable practices to ensure future access to meet community needs, for example traditional adhesives
- Elaboration exploring how design and technologies occupations in the local area (urban, suburban, regional or rural) meet community needs, for example bakers, builders, engineers, farmers, seafood industry workers, mechanics, radiographers, textile designers and others in science, technology, engineering and mathematics roles
- Elaboration examining the suitability of a service or system and proposing improvements, for example a water-saving system for a bathroom at home or school, traffic management systems to reduce traffic jams around the school, remote and regional services including medical services
- Elaboration exploring how Australian designers consider sustainability when designing products, services or environments, for example designing products from 100% recycled materials, designing services that use minimal energy, or designing landscapes that require minimal water
- Elaboration examining products and environments to discover the factors that may have influenced the design and, choice of technologies used, for example discussing energy-efficient cooking with a wok, or sustainable wood products for home use including furniture made from plantation timbers, bamboo toothbrushes or coconut shell bowls
- Elaboration conducting a survey to identify a community need that involves accessibility and social sustainability, for example design features that improve access to the school
For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions.
Content descriptorAC9TDE4K02 Knowledge and understanding
describe how forces and the properties of materials affect function in a product or system
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration researching how First Nations Australians consider buoyant forces as they select materials for watercraft, for example making bark or dugout canoes
- Elaboration looking at models to identify how materials are used and movement is created, for example in the design of a toy with wheels or moving parts
- Elaboration exploring through play how movement can be started by combining materials and using forces, for example releasing a wound rubber band to propel a model boat, how different materials may impact a marble roll speed, or how various surfaces from carpet to grass to concrete might affect a robot’s movement
- Elaboration deconstructing a product or system to identify how motion and forces affect performance, for example in a puppet such as a Japanese bunraku puppet or a model windmill with moving sails
- Elaboration identifying engineered systems and experimenting with available local materials, tools and equipment to solve problems, for example designing a container or parachute that will keep an egg intact when dropped from a height; a pop-up card; a tower; or a vehicle
Content descriptorAC9TDE4K03 Knowledge and understanding
describe the ways of producing food and fibre
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration researching food and fibre production techniques and technologies developed by First Nations Australians, such as burning, tilling, planting, transplanting, watering, irrigating, weeding, thinning, cropping, storing and trading food
- Elaboration describing tools, equipment and procedures to improve plant and animal production, for example when growing vegetables in the school garden and producing environments such as a glasshouse (protected cropping) or animal housing including safe chicken shelters
- Elaboration comparing farming methods for food in Australia and a country in Asia, for example the use of different types of plants and animals and how diverse technologies are used to produce them
- Elaboration researching how animal fibres (for example wool, alpaca) and plant fibres (for example timber, cotton, bamboo) are produced in Australia, for example how production of plantation timbers may be different from bamboo production
Content descriptorAC9TDE4K04 Knowledge and understanding
describe the ways food can be selected and prepared for healthy eating
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration exploring how First Nations Australians consider the nutrient content of seasonal foods as a means of maintaining a balanced diet
- Elaboration recognising the benefits food technologies provide for health and food safety and to ensure that a wide variety of food is available and can be prepared for healthy eating, for example pasteurisation of milk for food safety and freezing of vegetables to retain nutrients and reduce food waste
- Elaboration exploring the differences between fresh food and processed food by researching nutrient content of fresh food using a nutrition calculator app and examining nutrition information labels on processed foods for nutritional values
- Elaboration considering creative ways foods can be prepared for maximum taste and appeal, for example locating and discussing images online that show colourful or fun ways to present food that might encourage healthy eating
- Elaboration describing foods using the senses, for example describing the colour, aroma, sound, texture and taste of the ingredients in a salad or stir-fry and how our senses influence what we select to eat
Content descriptorAC9TDE4P01 Processes and production skills
explore needs or opportunities for designing, and test materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration exploring the designs and performance of models of First Nations Australians’ watercraft, and the opportunities for their designs to inform the design of a floating toy
- Elaboration examining the production of local products, services and environments to enhance their own design ideas, for example discussing the processes and systems that might be used to distribute hot food to a large number of people at a community event
- Elaboration selecting and making judgements about appropriate joining techniques for materials to produce designs, prototypes, structures or working models, for example joining fabric, paper or cardboard in various ways
- Elaboration exploring and testing a range of materials under different conditions for suitability including sustainability considerations, for example the compostability of paper-based materials or the strength and durability of natural materials
- Elaboration exploring the different uses of materials in a range of products, including those from a country in Asia, to inform design decisions, for example in shelters, boats, handmade tools, baskets, wooden items, musical instruments, clothing and fabric
Students select design ideas against design criteria.
Content descriptorAC9TDE4P04 Processes and production skills
use given or co-developed design criteria including sustainability to evaluate design ideas and solutions
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration developing design criteria with others including considering universal design principles to address social sustainability, for example a criterion that specifies flexible or intuitive use or low physical effort
- Elaboration using design criteria to evaluate, revise and select design ideas, for example when designing an e-textile toy for a young child to ensure it will be safe
- Elaboration comparing the amount of waste that would be produced from different design ideas and the potential for recycling waste, for example exploring the choice of materials to construct a toy and whether these materials are repairable or able to be recycled once the toy breaks or is no longer wanted
- Elaboration reflecting on how well their designed solution meets design criteria, such as ensuring safety and wellbeing of users and meeting the needs of communities or different cultures, for example reviewing and discussing the choice of fabrics used to make re-usable bags and how they could be made more appealing to all cultural groups by considering modifications to style
They communicate design ideas using models and drawings including annotations and symbols.
Content descriptorAC9TDE4P02 Processes and production skills
generate and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate attributions, technical terms and graphical representation techniques, including using digital tools
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration visualising innovative design ideas by producing thumbnail sketches, models and labelled drawings to explain features and modifications, for example drawing one or more designs for a machine to collect waste, and including labels and descriptions to explain materials used, their properties and the intended function of components or the whole system
- Elaboration planning, sharing and documenting creative designs, ideas and processes using digital tools and appropriate terms and privacy considerations, for example a class blog or collaborative document that has been selectively shared with peers
- Elaboration communicating design ideas using annotated diagrams, for example labelling a diagram for a pushcart with technical terms and explanations about components such as the chassis, axle, wheels and steering
- Elaboration generating design ideas for solutions using Safety by Design principles, for example designing communication that is accessible for all parents and carers
Students plan and sequence steps and use technologies and techniques to safely produce designed solutions.
Content descriptorAC9TDE4P03 Processes and production skills
select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration exploring ways of joining, connecting and assembling components that ensure success including the impact digital tools have on these processes, for example using virtual reality or simulations to experience assembling materials or using tools
- Elaboration using tools and equipment accurately when measuring, marking and cutting, for example when creating a template or pattern, measuring ingredients in a recipe or preparing a garden bed for sowing seeds
- Elaboration explaining the importance of safe, responsible, inclusive and cooperative work practices when designing and making, for example when handling sharp equipment such as knives and scissors
- Elaboration selecting and using materials, components, tools, equipment and processes with consideration of the environmental impact at each stage of the production process, for example considering how packaging and offcuts could be recycled or used for other purposes before choosing materials for a project
- Elaboration using appropriate technologies terms to describe and share with other students the procedures and techniques for making, for example how to safely make an engineered solution such as a robotic device
Content descriptorAC9TDE4P05 Processes and production skills
sequence steps to individually and collaboratively make designed solutions
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration determining planning processes as a class, for example recording when parts of a project need to be completed on a timeline, in a spreadsheet, calendar or list
- Elaboration discussing the importance of managing time and resource allocation throughout production, for example discussing the roles different people might take in a team and identifying the tasks they will complete and the resources they will each need
- Elaboration identifying the steps in a mass production process, for example drawing a flowchart or making a video recording of a procedure for packing identical boxes of food for community members in need, where each student in a group has a separate task as part of the production process
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 3 to 4 Design and Technologies. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding | Technologies and society | 1 | 6 |
| Knowledge and understanding | Technologies context: Engineering principles and systems; Materials and technologies specialisations | 1 | 5 |
| Knowledge and understanding | Technologies context: Food and fibre production; Food specialisations | 2 | 9 |
| Processes and production skills | Investigating and defining | 1 | 5 |
| Processes and production skills | Generating and designing | 1 | 4 |
| Processes and production skills | Producing and implementing | 1 | 5 |
| Processes and production skills | Evaluating | 1 | 4 |
| Processes and production skills | Collaborating and managing | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 9 | 41 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Years 3 to 4 Design and Technologies?
By the end of Year 4 students describe how people design products, services and environments to meet the needs of people, including sustainability. For each of the 2 prescribed technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and create designed solutions. Read the full standard
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
9 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Knowledge and understanding: 4, Processes and production skills: 5).
How does this compare to Years 1 to 2?
The Years 1 to 2 Design and Technologies standard (ASTECTDEY12) covers the preceding curriculum level. Standards build progressively, with Years 3 to 4 expectations extending what was introduced in Years 1 to 2.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.