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Summary The resources are designed to help pupils to understand more about cams before creating their own devices. Although some pupils will benefit from hands-on exploration of cams, the ability to imagine and think more abstractly is fundamental to good design. Using this resource will enable pupils to think about cams from this perspective. Teachers can use the workings of a cam to assess pupils' understanding before showing them a real working cam or to further clarify the role of different components in this mechanism. Ask pupils to draw a diagram of the workings of the cam and illustrate it with arrows showing the direction of movement and label the parts. Suitable for Years 4, 5 and 6 Using a non-interactive whiteboard Pupils can explore a cam mechanism for themselves. They can take the mechanism apart and see how all the components work together. Prior learning required Pupils will need to have explored wheels with axles before. Aims and objectives Pupils will understand how a rotary movement can be converted into linear movement, cams and the design issues involved in building a working model. Timings Teachers should use the resource to answer any questions the pupils may have. This could take around 20 minutes in some cases. Suggestions for group activities Pupils can be set the task of thinking up various uses of cams. Toys are a good starting point especially if they are part of a story. A group of pupils could create a different cam-operated toy each to illustrate a different part of a group story. Suggestions for differentiation Pupils should try using construction kits with cams to turn rotary movement into linear (back and forth) movement. Some pupils may need help to create guides for the follower to travel up and down and to fit the cam and axle together. Further activities www.howstuffworks.com/engine-cam2.htm www.flying-pig.co.uk/Pages/cam.htm Curriculum links KS2 Design and technology Knowledge and understanding |
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