No Rush

This lesson plan titled “No Rush!” introduces children to engineering and construction roles through storytelling and interactive activities. It features characters Rush, an engineer, and Orrin, a builder, to help children understand the planning and building processes involved in constructing drawing on the example of bridges.

• Characters and Industry Sectors: The story focuses on two primary characters, Rush (engineer) and Orrin (builder), with supporting characters Bear (medical) and Fumfy (young bird), set in Fledge Town.
• Introduction to Engineering Role: Rush is introduced as an engineer who plans builds, decides materials, and designs structures like bridges, highlighting the importance of safety and purpose in engineering.
• Bridge Types and Uses: Various bridge types are presented, including foot bridges, the Tay Bridge, pedestrian railway bridges, and a wooden country park bridge, emphasising their functions and maintenance needs.
• Builder Role Explanation: Orrin, the builder, constructs what engineers design using tools like hammers, spanners, drills, whilst wearing safety gear, illustrating the practical aspects of building.
• Storytelling and Sequencing Activities: The lesson includes the story “No Rush!” with animated slides for sequencing objects and characters, enhancing comprehension and recall.
• Design and Build Activities: Children engage in drawing and building a Lina’s Den, taking on roles of engineer and builder, encouraging creativity and hands-on learning using paper, pencils, and building blocks.
• Self-Reflection and Skills Assessment: Worksheets guide children to reflect on how much they relate to Rush and Orrin’s roles, using physical gestures and marking scales to assess their values, interests and skills.
• Dot Collection and Career Education: A dot system tracks children’s affinity to characters across lessons, culminating in transitioning dots into feathers, to support ongoing career education engagement.
• Bridge Challenge and Interactive Games: Activities include a bridge-building challenge using paper and coins to explore structural strength.
• Fledge Town Swap Shop: An optional activity involves colouring cards which are collected and used for playing the Swap Shop game.