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Lesson 1: Design a fairground wheel

Understanding how wheels work and creating a design for a fairground wheel.

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Learning objective

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Before the lesson

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Lesson plan

1. Recap and recall

Before starting this unit, check that the children can recall:

  • A mechanism is the parts of an object that move together.

  • A wheel needs an axle to move.

  • A wheel needs to be round to rotate and move.

  • An axle moves within an axle holder.

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Originally created by:
Image Specialists 8
Tom Turnham Design and technology specialist

Tom has been a teacher for seven years and, as Head of Upper School at The Belham Primary School, he has a keen interest in young people and good causes. For the past seventeen years he has volunteered with various youth organisations ranging from scouting to a narrow boat charity. At the end of a long day, Tom loves nothing more than to go for a run or a cycle and can often be found on his window seat with a good book, watching the world go by. He spends the school holidays wisely, visiting ski resorts or travelling to warmer climes to eat alfresco in the sunshine.

Among many D&T lessons, Tom has created a textiles project for pupils that allows them to make their own hand puppets while learning a range of technical skills.

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Maintained by: Kapow Primary teamLast update: 12 March 2026

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