Technological and applied studies
These detailed units of work offer 2-4 weeks of learning activities and associated resources that can adapted to suit the context of your students.
Stage 4 units of work – Technology mandatory, agriculture and STEM
Units under the elective headings of Agriculture and STEM can also be used for Mandatory Technology.
Mandatory Technology
Nutrients and food for health (5 hours)
In this unit of work students source information on the recommended dietary guidelines and apply this information to produce a meal plan for adolescents.
Transformacase (6 hours)
In this unit students individually design, produce and evaluate a dual purpose pencil case and desktop stationery organiser by recycling and upcycling household materials.
Virtual crack the code (4 hours)
In this unit students will develop a fundamental understanding of the Arduino microcontroller and the basic range of inputs and outputs that can be used with it.
Agriculture
Agriculture, climate and weather in NSW (4-5 hours)
A unit that explores the complex atmospheric phenomena that affect Australian farmers.
Climate Agriculture (DOCX 6KB)
Animal production (4-5 hours)
In this unit students explore the NSW Animals in Schools website to find information on the general environment requirements.
Food and Agriculture (4-5 hours)
A unit of work that combines agriculture and food technology. Students examine dairy food production and prepare food.
Agriculture and food (DOCX 68KB)
Vegetable production (4-5 hours)
A unit that explores fruits and vegetables, how they are grown and their nutritional value, students will create fact sheets describing simple planting and care instructions.
STEM (Science
Computer hardware (5 hours)
In this unit students explore the suitability of hardware with particular performance characteristics against the needs of different users.
Design careers (5 hours)
A unit of work that guides students to identify career opportunities in technology, the role of a designer, intellectual property and the rights and responsibility of designers, new and emerging technologies and factors that affect design.
Virtual Arduino coding using Tinkercad (3 hours)
In this unit students examine algorithms for digital solutions and implements them in a general-purpose programming language.
Stage 4/5 unit of work – Textiles
The following unit can also be used for Mandatory Technology.
Loom weaving (3+ hours)
In this unit students examine different fabric structures and create a mini wallhanging by weaving yarn on a basic loom.
Stage 5 units of work – Agriculture, design and technology, food technology and textiles
Agriculture
Animal production in egg enterprises (6-7 hours)
A unit that investigates the three primary egg production systems in Australia and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of each system for the farmer, the hen, and the consumer.
Exploring agricultural issues (6 hours)
This unit explores agricultural issues and provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of current topics faced in Australian agriculture that are considered socially or ethically debatable.
General content, work health and safety (3-4 hours)
A unit that examines the relationship between the agricultural sector and Australia’s economy, culture and society.
Design and technology
Design and preferred futures (5 hours)
In this unit students analyse the work and responsibilities of designers and the factors affecting their work.
Food technology
Bush tucker (5 hours)
In this unit students explores bush tucker including where to find it, how to prepare it and how to consume it.
Textiles
Properties and performance of textiles (5 hours)
In this unit students explore the properties and performance of a range of textile items including their usage.
Textiles properties (DOCX 269KB)
The textiles industry (5 hours)
In this unit students outline the textile production process, with a focus on fast fashion and analyse its impact on the environment.
Stage 5 unit of work – Industrial technology
Risk assessment (5 hours)
In this unit students explore the risks and WHS issues associated with the use of a range of tools, equipment, materials, processes and technologies.
Stage 5 unit of work – Information and software technology
Hardware – processing power and storage of data (4-5 hours)
In this unit, students analyse the effects of past, current and emerging information and software technologies on the individual and society.
Additional resources
Some of the programs linked above have associated teacher and student books that are located in our filterable resource library, along with other single activities, term long and/or cross curricular units of work.
You can also find ideas and activities on our curated list of external links.
Distance education resources
Stage 4-5 distance education resources developed to support students working off campus. The Distance education network offers these documents to support teachers delivering off-campus learning. They are not designed for all learning contexts and are not anticipated to address all syllabus outcomes. Curriculum experts are reviewing them and when quality-assured versions are available they will be highlighted.
While the resources support independent student study, they must be used in consultation with their subject teacher.