Mid week catch up, no Year 11 Food group today due to their English Mocks, wishing them all the best.  Will be seeing the Product design group for another hands on practical development lesson.  It has been good to see the group gettng involved after wading through the theory work!!
Yesterday was the day for the Year 8's and Year 10's.  Here is a snapshot of some of the fantstic work that they did yesterday:

Year 8 pastry plaits, ready made puff pastry, egg glaze and a choice of filling.  The fillings ranged from Christmas themed mincemeat and marzipan to a quite adventurous skittle and chocolate filling - taste the rainbow!!

Year 10A group were challenged with timing to get their profiteroles made!

Year 8P Graphics are making boardgames and spent the first part of the lesson being quality controllers and using self and peer assessment to progress their work

Where to start........

Last week both Year 10 groups took part in a cake decorating competition in preparation for making and decorating their Christmas cakes!
Here are some or the 10A group:

And some of the 10B group:

 

ALL students that took part should be really proud of themselves.  Cannot wait to see what they produce for their Christmas Cakes!

 

 

Also last week my 2 current Year 9 groups P and T completed their assessed practical task.  Taking on the design brief - 'Design & Make a product suitable to be sold in the diner'

 

Here are the 9P group:

 

And 9T:

 

Plenty of chocolate to tempt hungry diners!!

YEAR 11 - Last week also saw the start of mock exam revision
Product Design - the group was given the preparation for the design task: Perfume Bottle Packaging and asked to design 2 different types of packaging and feature a range of important design considerations from colour to material and transport.
Food - design 2 different main meal high protein products.  The group was given the starting point of Shepherds Cobbler and Lasgane. 

Both papers have similar structures in that they have a design question worth 20-30 marks in total and the latter part of the paper is based around Year 10 revision work.

The school uses a virtual learning platform (FROG) where the students are able to access revision notes that I have prepared for them in and out of school.  This has been fantastic for controlled assessment guidance as well.





Why?

After teaching now for 6 years, ticking boxes, changing lesson plans to jump through hoops.  I find myself asking this question: WHY did I become a teacher.  The simple reason is the students.  To have 75 minutes of their time and see what they can do with the framework that I give them.  To see students who possibly don't sit still anywhere else, come into the Technology rooms and spend 75 minutes thinking, developing, creating and evaluating.  Watching them leave knowing that they have learnt at least one thing!
I am using this blog to celebrate the students that I teach.  KS3 to KS4.  Food, Product Design and Graphics. 
To share what they probably won't.  Being a parent myself all I get at the end of the day is a grunt and 'yep did lots today'. 
When in fact they have done many fantastic things in just one day, 7 days a week.........
So it begins :)