Technology

 

Taupaki Technology

Our Year 7 and 8 students attend the Taupaki School Technology Centre each Tuesday. In Technology, students learn processes in order to create a solution for an authentic issue. This process includes learning knowledge, researching, developing skills, being creative and producing and evaluating the final outcome.

• Term One: Year 8
• Term Two: Year 7
• Term Three: Year 8
• Term Four: Year 7

They rotate around the three technology rooms every six weeks experiencing Hard Materials, Soft Materials and Food Technology. The students develop knowledge of the Technology process and begin to understand the language of Technology.

 

We have the privilege of running specialist days at Whenuapai Senior campus where students have access to purpose-built facilities that enable them to participate in the STEAM curriculum. Teachers craft units based on an area of passion, weaving in design thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and outputs that celebrate the learning of their students.

 

Below is an overview of each subject covered, with explicit links to the relevant parts of the New Zealand Curriculum that teachers address, as well as some student feedback.

Year 5&6

Performing Arts

Overview: The Performing Arts specialist provides students with opportunities to explore and express themselves through dance and drama. The activities are designed to align with the NZ Curriculum’s The Arts learning area, focusing on Dance and Drama strands.

Visual Art

Overview: Art sessions provide students with opportunities to experiment with various mediums and techniques. The activities link closely with the NZ Curriculum’s Visual Arts learning area, focusing on Visual Arts Practices and Understanding the Arts in Context.

Digital Technology

Overview: The Digital Technologies curriculum focuses on both Computational Thinking and Digital Design, aligning with the NZ Curriculum’s Technology learning area.

Sewing

Overview: In Sewing, students engage in practical textile projects, linking with the NZ Curriculum’s Technology learning area, particularly Technological Practice.

 

Years 5-8

Garden to Table

Overview: The Garden to Table program provides practical learning experiences in gardening and cooking, aligning with the NZ Curriculum’s Health and Physical Education, Science, and Technology learning areas.

Science

Overview: In this unit, students explore Planet Earth and beyond and Living World strands of the NZ Curriculum, integrating Nature of Science skills throughout. 

 

Years 7-8

Performing Arts

Overview: Our specialist program exposes students to various Performance Arts strands of The Arts learning area in the NZ Curriculum, including Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Drama. Each lesson focuses on a different area, exploring transferable skills and their application to broad topics. Students also learn about the historical and cultural impacts of these arts and their purposes in our lives.

Design Year 7

Overview: In Design Technology, students focus on creating a tealight candle holder, integrating principles of symmetry and design with practical skills in using design software and laser cutting technology. This project links with the NZ Curriculum’s Technology learning area, particularly Technological Practice and the Characteristics of Technology.

Design Year 8

Overview: In this unit, students explore the design and creation of automata toys, integrating principles of mechanics and engineering. This links to the NZ Curriculum’s Technological Practice and the Nature of Technology strands.