Unit Topic: Build a water carrier.
Length of Unit: 4 weeks
Year Level: 2
CONTEXT
School: The P-7 State Primary school is situated in a rural town in South East Queensland. The school is a mixed- gender school and is situated in a low socio economic
environment. The school encompasses the community and its students’, who have a diverse range of backgrounds. Teachers in the school are proficient users of new and
interactive ICTs and keep their skills up to date. The school has a focus on equipping students for the 21st century. The school has a computer room for each sector.
Students: This year 2 class consists of 26 students of mixed abilities. Majority of the students are effective users of ICT’s and enjoy using new technologies. Many students
enjoy hands-on activities and visual learning. Time allocated for this unit is 1 lesson a week for 4 weeks.
Curriculum
Technologies: Design and Technologies processes and production skills. Generating
Content description: Visualise, generate, develop and communicate design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling.
Custom elaboration: Judge whether a created design is effective.
Science:
 Science Understanding: Earth and space sciences
Content description: Earth’s resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways
Elaboration describing how a resource such as water is transferred from its source to its point of use
 Science Inquiry skills: Planning and conducting
Content description: Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas,
and accessing information sources.
Purpose of the unit:
This integrated unit will give year two students the opportunity to engage in the Design and Technologies and Science curriculum. Students will first explore water and how it is
used and transferred from its source. Throughout the unit students will participate in investigations that allow them to explore materials that can be manipulated to form an object
that can carry water (a water carrier). The assessment will allow students to design a water carrier through visualising, describing, drawing and modelling with materials.
Assessment
By the end of the unit…
Students will know…



Why water is needed for all forms of life.
How water can be transferred from its source to its point of use.
What materials are appropriate for carrying water e.g. strength, waterproof
etc.?
Students will be able to…





Visualise, generate, develop and communicate design ideas.
Describe, draw and model their design ideas.
Choose appropriate materials to carry water.
Manipulate materials to form a water carrier.
Answer questions and judge the effectiveness of their water carrier.
Formative:
Summative:
Formative assessment will be used to assess what level students are at and provide
them with supportive feedback.
Summative assessment will be used to get an understanding of the
students learning and will allow the teacher to put them on a scale from A
to E.



Teacher will complete observations and question students.
Students will write a sentence about their learning at the end of each lesson
Students will engage in investigations where they will be monitored.

Students will first need to visualise, develop, and draw a design for
a water carrier. They will then choose and manipulate an
appropriate material that can create a water carrier. Once students
have tested their water carriers they need to judge it for
effectiveness.
Learning Sequence
Learning Experience 1
ACTIVITY (S):
What will the students do?
Length: 1 week
TEACHING STRATEGIES aligned to
activities: What will the teachers do?
Topic: Water
Technologies
Science
-Students will learn about water and
where it comes from. They will
brainstorm the needs for water and what
it is used for. They will learn why water
is needed for all forms life. They will
investigate how water gets transferred to
its point of use.
-The lesson will prompt students to think
about a range of objects that are used to
carry water which could include bags,
containers and cups. Are these effective
for carrying water or not?
Teacher will lead a brainstorming session
Earth’s resources,
and write key words on the board. Teacher Judge whether objects including water, are
will show students pictures of water at its are effective to carry used in a variety of
source to help with student thinking.
water. What parts of ways.
their design makes
Teacher will ignite students’ prior
theme effective?
knowledge and get them to think about
things they have seen carry water.
Learning Experience 2
Length: 1 week
ACTIVITY (S):
What will the students do?
Resources
Australian Curriculum Focus:
General Capabilities /Crosscurriculum priorities
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures:
How water was
traditionally carried
from its source to the
necessary location.

IWB to write
students
brainstorming.
Pictures of water
in different
locations.
Images of objects
that are used to
carry water.


Explore websites such as
http://bit.ly/1AI451u to learn about why
living things need water.
TEACHING STRATEGIES aligned to
activities: What will the teachers do?
They will learn about different materials Investigation with the different materials.
which could include paper, plastic, wood, Investigate for strength, water proof and
cardboard and play dough. Can these
ability to mould.
materials get wet?
Question: What is the material? What is it
Can they be moulded?
used for?
Are they strong?
Give students opportunity to play with
materials and decide whether they could
be appropriate to build a water carrier.
Topic: materials
Resources
Australian Curriculum Focus :
Technologies
Science
General Capabilities /Crosscurriculum priorities
Describing how water is
Generate design
transferred from its
Critical and creative
thinking: students will
ideas through
source to its point of
need to investigate and
learning about
use.
imagine the
different materials.
: Partici Participate in different
effectiveness of the
types of guided
materials.
investigations

Materials for
students to
experiment
with and
manipulate.
Learning Experience 3
ACTIVITY (S):
What will the students do?
Length: 1 week
TEACHING STRATEGIES aligned to
activities: What will the teachers do?
Topic: Developing
Technologies
Science
General Capabilities /Crosscurriculum priorities
The students will have the opportunity to Provide students with an example. How
visualise and draw their own water
would you do it if you were given the
carrier and describe the features they will task?
include and the materials they will use.
Explain the rubric to children and discuss
Students will then develop and design a what they will be marked on.
model water carrier.
Monitor students for understanding. Ask
them to talk their ideas through with a
partner.
Visualise, generate, Describing how water is Critical and creative
develop and
transferred from its
thinking: students will
communicate design source to its point of
need to use their
ideas through
use.
learning to create
describing, drawing
something new
and modelling.
: Partici Participate in different
types of guided
investigations
Learning Experience 4
Topic: Assessment week
ACTIVITY (S):
What will the students do?
Students will conclude the unit by
creating their designed water carrier.
They will conclude the assessment by
judging whether their water carrier for
effectiveness. They will need to
communicate their judgements in
sentences.
Length: 1 week
TEACHING STRATEGIES aligned to
activities: What will the teachers do?

Technologies
Science
Describing how water
is transferred from its
source to its point of
use.
Participate in
different types of
guided investigations
Materials for
students to
experiment
with and
manipulate to
make their
water carrier.
Resources
Australian Curriculum Focus :
Take photos of students’ water carriers.
Question them individually and note their Judge whether a
created design is
responses.
effective.
Get students to write judgements. Provide
them with sentence starters if necessary.
An effective water carrier would be made
out of appropriate materials and should be
able to carry water across the school oval.
Resources
Australian Curriculum Focus :
General Capabilities /Crosscurriculum priorities
Literacy: students will
need to communicate
their judgements in an
effective way


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
Materials for
building water
carrier.
Water
Area for
students to test.
Books and
writing
equipment
Rubric for Summative Assessment
Technologies
Knowledge,
Understanding and
skills.
Science knowledge,
understanding and
skills.
Judgement of
effectiveness and
presentation of task.
A
B
C
D
E
Development of
drawings and design
plan for water carrier
were completed and
well thought out.
Student chose the
most appropriate
material to
manipulate into an
effective water
carrier.
Development of
drawings and design
plan for water carrier
were completed and
well developed.
Student chose an
appropriate material
to manipulate into an
effective water
carrier.
Development of
drawings and design
plan for water carrier
were completed.
Student chose a
material to
manipulate into an
almost effective water
carrier.
Developments of
drawings and design
plan for water carrier
were not completed
appropriately.
Student chose an
ineffective material to
manipulate into a
water carrier.
Developments of
drawings and design
plan for water carrier
were not completed.
Student did not
choose a material to
manipulate into a
water carrier.
Identified and
explained when a
water carrier like their
development could be
used.
Identified when a
water carrier like their
development could be
used.
Stated when a water
carrier like their
development could be
used.
Could not state when
a water carrier like
their development
could be used.
Could not state when
a water carrier could
be used.
Individually made
and wrote detailed
judgements.
Individually made
and wrote
judgements.
Judgements of
effectiveness were
logical and well
thought out.
Required sentence
starters and assistance
write judgements.
Judgements of
effectiveness were not
appropriate.
Did not write
sentences even with
the assistance of
sentence starters.
Judgments of
effectiveness were
logical, well thought
out and descriptive.
Required sentence
starters or assistance
to write judgements.
Judgements of
effectiveness were
logical.