Under The Microscope

Beginners' Technology

A series by David Drew in the Rigby Realization Technology range are interactive, interesting, attractive and encourage young readers.

There are eight titles, including Looney Tools, Clever Island (looking at how natural materials can be used to fashion tools), and What should I use? (taking the technology of simple machines as a game relating a variety of tools to a series of tasks). This particular book would have applications for older children as it introduces the concepts of compound and simple levers and gears.

In all cases, the books deal with technologies that the students are likely to be familiar with such as kitchen utensils, bridges, concrete and pens and pencils.

Also by David Drew in the Technology series is Misbuildings and Untransport, which combines two books flipped end-to-end. One end is about building function and design, the other deals with transport design. It is aimed at getting students to think about relating function to design, and is full of excellent illustrations which have design flaws. The students are simply asked to look carefully at the pictures and identify the faults -- spot the mistakes.

All these books are published in New Zealand by Heinemann Education and retail for $13.05.

Greg Walker, NZSM