Year 7 & 8 Technology

Opunake High School is privileged to provide support to some of its feeder primary schools through providing opportunities to learn and make use of our technology resources.
Year 7 & 8 students from Kaponga, Rahotu and St. Josephs (Opunake) and St. Pats join us on for a day each, once a fortnight to make use of our Hospitality suite, Workshop and Graphics suite for practical project-based learning. Mr Griggs & Mr Clement head up this programme, making these students feel welcome and delivering a top-class educational experience.
As these primary students often choose Opunake High School as their secondary school, it is also a great way to bridge that gap between primary and secondary school and have these students feel a sense of familiarity with us before joining us as Year 9 students later on.

Year 7 Technology

In Term One the Year 7 students learnt about the Design Process and applied their knowledge to make a desk tidy.
Students were given their design brief then researched existing desk tidy designs. After practicing 3D drawing they sketched their ideas.
They also learnt computer drawing with Google Sketchup. A scale model was made to realise designs before heading to the workshop.
Constructing, sanding, painting and assembling resulted in a range of solutions.
Term two is all about Food Technology. So far students have learnt to make a cheese sauce as part of their macaroni cheese dish.
Next students learn to make the dough to make pizzas.
Muffins, fritters and a healthy snack bar slice will complete the term.

Year 8

Term One | Nutritious and Delicious
In this unit the students learn many different types of cooking skills, techniques and how to correctly use both basic and more sophisticated cooking equipment. The students work in small groups to produce specific outcomes (food/dishes) to an expected level.
This is in preparation for the “POP- UP Restaurant” unit at the end of the year. This is the grand finale to two years in our Year 7 & 8 technology programme where families are invited to join us and celebrate the students’ success.

Term Two | Sound Good Unit
Leading on from Term Two, students have worked diligently and with a bit of resilience to complete their speakers. As students found out individualising their projects require a lot more problem solving and critical thinking but the results have been as impressive as much as they have been varied.  

Term Three | Metal Magic
This unit allows students to continue to develop their project planning skills, taught in the “Sounds Good” unit and plan their own project. This project must have a metal component within it. This unit aims to give students the freedom to choose the context of the project use their imagination, creativity and construct skills.  

Term Four | POP- UP Restaurant
Over this Unit the students will be developing and running their own restaurant. Through a planning process small group (2-4 students) research, select, develop the concept/theme of their restaurant design and make a unique menu and table setting. This authentic task requires the students to design a themed menu, stage a restaurant that includes such learning as table layout, cooking part of the menu to a set timing, plating up food and serving.  All this is done within a small group (2-4 students) setting that challenges and requires all the soft skills. (Leadership Skills, Teamwork. Communication Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Work Ethic, Flexibility/Adaptability, Interpersonal Skills).

To be a successful group students employ a multitude of knowledge and skill developed over their time at technology and at primary school.