VCDSTS004: Explore the use of familiar designed solutions to meet their needs.
VCDSTC005: Explore the characteristics and properties of familiar designed solutions in at least one technologies context.
VCDSCD006: Experience and explore how designed solutions are created and produced safely to meet personal needs.
Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework: Cultural Responsiveness Standard - Staff embed Aboriginal cultural knowledge, such as traditional marking techniques for metal tools like spears, to demonstrate respect for community values and environmental stewardship.
Cross-Curriculum Priority: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures - Students explore traditional metal use practices to understand sustainable and culturally appropriate design solutions.
Marking out and measuring are essential techniques in metalwork to ensure accuracy and precision. These processes are divided into measuring tools, which determine dimensions and sizes, and marking tools, which transfer those measurements onto the material for cutting or shaping.
Measuring Tools: These tools help quantify lengths, widths, depths, and other dimensions accurately. Common examples include: - Rulers (steel rules): Used for straight-line measurements in millimeters or inches. - Calipers (vernier or digital): Ideal for internal and external measurements, such as diameters of holes or thicknesses. - Micrometers: Provide high-precision measurements for small dimensions, like the thickness of sheet metal. - Height gauges: Used on a flat surface to measure vertical distances or scribe parallel lines at specific heights. - Tape measures: Flexible for longer or curved measurements in larger projects.
Marking Tools: These tools apply visible lines, points, or shapes onto the metal surface, often coated with engineer's blue (a dye for better visibility) or using permanent markers. Examples include: - Scribes (scribers): Sharp-pointed tools for scratching fine lines into metal. - Center punches: Create small indentations to mark points for drilling or prevent drill bits from slipping. - Dividers: Adjustable tools for scribing circles, arcs, or transferring measurements from one point to another. - Try squares (engineer's squares): Ensure right angles (90 degrees) and scribe perpendicular lines. - Combination squares: Versatile for measuring angles, depths, and marking 45-degree or 90-degree lines.
Accurate measurements and markings prevent waste and errors in design by ensuring parts fit together correctly. Techniques involve double-checking readings and using safety precautions, such as wearing gloves when handling sharp tools. Indigenous methods, like using body parts or natural objects for measurements in traditional tool-making (e.g., spears), emphasize sustainable and culturally respectful practices. Year 7 students practice these skills for effective design projects, building confidence in technology contexts.
Proper marking and measuring support sustainable practices by reducing material waste and promoting efficient use of resources. This fosters precision and innovation in metalwork and broader engineering fields.
Here are 20 words from the reading for spelling practice (click to hear the word and a sentence):