Workshop Challenge Cards
DT Workshop ยท Autumn Term 2026–27

Workshop Challenge Cards

One card per year group, tied to the project currently running. Three tiers each — pupils who finish the core task self-select into the next tier without waiting on you. No separate table, no extra prep once printed.

Use themPrint one card per table, or per pupil for those who reach it. Ticked boxes are the record — no separate tracking needed.
Pace themTiers follow the unit's own lesson order, so a pupil can pick up Tier B mid-project, not just at the end.
Talk themEvery tier asks for a justification, not just a harder make — that's the stretch, more than the difficulty of the model itself.
Y3

The Straw Bridge Challenge

Structures · Brunel & truss design
paper strawsmasking tapecard deck
Tier A · Spec it
Name the truss pattern you're using — Pratt or Warren — then calculate the exact number of straws it needs before you cut a single one. Zero waste.
Tier B · Reinforce
Build in diagonal bracing or a double-layered joint so your bridge resists racking under load, then explain the fix using tension and compression, not just "stronger".
Tier C · Prove it
Weigh your bridge before testing, work out its strength-to-weight ratio, and propose one material swap that would improve it without adding bulk.
TrussRigidityAbutmentSpan
Y4

The Desk Tidy Project

Wood & vacuum forming
jelutong woodHIPS sheetvacuum former
Tier A · Design
Fit one extra item the brief didn't ask for — a phone, scissors, headphones — into your grid without growing the frame's footprint. Show the maths on your plan.
Tier B · Join
Cut one internal divider at an angle rather than a plain 90° butt joint, and be ready to explain why it needs different clamping while the glue sets.
Tier C · Form
Before it goes near the vacuum former, sketch the draft angle your wooden buck needs so the plastic releases clean with no undercuts. Get it checked before you form.
ToleranceButt jointThermoplasticDraft angle
Y5

Isometric Drawing

30° projection & rendering
isometric grid2H pencilfineliner
Tier A · Form
Draw a "holed" cube or an interlocking block — not a solid shape — keeping every diagonal locked to the 30° grid.
Tier B · Light
Pick one light source and stick to it: tonal shading across all faces, plus a cast shadow on the ground plane, so the object sits in space rather than floating on the page.
Tier C · Engineer
Redesign one part of your structure as if it had to be built for real from jelutong wood with a hacksaw and bench hook — what would you simplify, and why?
RenderingHorizon lineCratingForm
Y6

3D Forced Perspective Streetscape

Vanishing points & paper engineering
cartridge papercardstock netsscoring tool
Tier A · Grid
Push past one vanishing point — plan a second one, or a curved street — and prove on paper that your convergence lines still hold up.
Tier B · Build
Engineer a stepped building or an overhang using card reinforcement, so it holds its own shape rather than sagging under the overlap.
Tier C · Explain
Write a technical explanation of exactly how you used scale to trick the eye into reading false distance — reference the real measurements from your model.
Vanishing pointScaleFlangeParallax