Mechanisms: Fairground wheel
Designing and creating a functional fairground wheel so that the wheel rotates and the structure stands freely.
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*New* Mechanisms: Fairground wheel
Please note
This unit offers a simplified wheel design made from repurposed materials and an additional lesson where children design and conduct a survey to gather opinions. The Archived unit: Mechanisms: Fairground wheel will no longer be updated.
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Describe how axles help wheels move a vehicle and design and label a working fairground wheel.
- Evaluate different designs.
- Describe the properties of different materials and select appropriate materials for the wheel.
- Build a stable structure, test elements of the design and adapt the design as necessary.
- Make the wheel rotate, evaluate a wheel mechanism and adapt it as necessary.
- Recall that a survey is used to find out what people like, tally results and use the results to inform the design.
- Add pods for the correct number of people and ensure that the pods stay upright when rotating around a fixed point.
- Explain the decisions for the pod design.
Suggested prior learning
Option 2: Mechanisms: Wheels and axles
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: Design a fairground wheel
- To explore wheel mechanisms and design a fairground wheel.
Lesson 2: Planning the build
- To select materials with appropriate properties.
Lesson 3: Building the frame and wheels
- To build and test a moving wheel.
Lesson 4: Surveying design opinions
- To conduct a simple survey to gather opinions.
Lesson 5: Adding pods and decoration
- To finish and evaluate a structure with a rotating wheel.
Key skills
Key knowledge
Related content
Unit resources
Knowledge organiser: D&T – Y2 Fairground wheel
A concise summary of the key knowledge from this Year 2 Mechanisms: Fairground wheel unit, featuring annotated diagrams and definitions…
Vocabulary display: Mechanisms: Fairground wheel
A display version of the key vocabulary from the Mechanisms: Fairground wheel unit.
Cross-curricular opportunities
Mathematics: Geometry – properties of shapes.
Science: Uses of everyday materials.
British values: Mutual respect, Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.