Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Design and Technology
Lesson Topic: Environmental and ethical considerations in product design
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the key stages of a product life‑cycle and where environmental impacts occur.
  • Explain how ethical issues such as labour standards and product safety influence design decisions.
  • Apply an evaluation checklist to assess a product’s sustainability and produce a brief report.
  • Compare alternative design concepts using weighted environmental and ethical criteria.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Printed life‑cycle diagram handouts
  • Worksheet with evaluation checklist
  • Sample product (e.g., plastic water bottle) or images
  • Markers and chart paper for group scoring
 Introduction:
Begin with a short video showing plastic waste in oceans to hook students. Recall previous lessons on product design briefs and criteria. Today they will identify environmental and ethical factors and learn how to evaluate them against a rubric.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students list everyday products and note any visible environmental or ethical concerns.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Present life‑cycle stages and impact categories using the projector.
  3. Group activity (15'): Using the sample water bottle, fill out the evaluation checklist and assign weightings.
  4. Whole‑class debrief (10'): Groups share scores, discuss trade‑offs and ethical implications.
  5. Exam practice (10'): Students write a brief answer outline responding to a design brief question on sustainability.
  6. Reflection (5'): Exit ticket – one improvement they would make to the product’s sustainability.
Conclusion:
Summarise how systematic evaluation supports responsible design and improves marketability. Students complete an exit ticket stating one key learning and receive a homework task to research a product’s recycling rate.