icon-background-square
New
New
Year 3

Design a robot

I can demonstrate how a robot’s purpose influences its design and features.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 3

Design a robot

I can demonstrate how a robot’s purpose influences its design and features.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Select recycled materials for your robot, considering their strength, flexibility, and purpose.
  2. Researching artists can inspire unique designs.
  3. Role-playing as a robot helps understand its purpose and how its features work.

Keywords

  • Recyclable material - the process of converting waste into reusable material

  • Purpose - a reason for doing something

  • Sustainability - capable of continuing or or being kept up over time

Common misconception

Pupils may assume robots have only one job, not understanding how versatile robots can be when designed for different tasks such as cleaning, farming, or saving resources.

Remind children that robots can have many different purposes! Show images of robots used in various ways, like cleaning oceans, planting trees, or sorting recyclables.


To help you plan your year 3 art and design lesson on: Design a robot, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to think creatively about how they can combine different materials and designs to give their robot a unique purpose.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Computers/tablets and recycled materials, masking tape and mark-making media.

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Select all the images which show a recyclable material.
Correct answer: cardboard tubes
Correct answer: plastic bottle
grass
Correct answer: aluminium can
Q2.
A is a machine capable of carrying out complex actions automatically.
human
Correct answer: robot
toy
Q3.
Which of these can be used to create a drawing?
ruler
paint and paintbrush
Correct answer: pencil
Q4.
This image is an example of ...
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: a recyclable material
a colourful material
a soft material
Q5.
A board is a visual tool that gathers images, materials and ideas for inspiration.
Correct Answer: mood
Q6.
When creating a robot sculpture, what order should you perform these steps in?
1 - Plan your robot’s purpose and decide what your will robot do.
2 - Research artists who depict robots in art to inspire your design.
3 - Design your own robot based on its purpose and your sources of inspiration.
4 - Create your own robot sculpture using your chosen materials.

6 Questions

Q1.
Robots can appear in various forms and may be different in ...
Correct answer: pattern
Correct answer: colour
Correct answer: shape
Correct answer: size
Q2.
Fill in the missing words: can be included in a mood board.
Completed artworks only
Correct answer: Images, colours and words
Sculptures and 3D models
Q3.
How can you personalise your mood board?
Use your own sketches.
Use colour swatches.
Get material swatches.
Note down design ideas.
Correct answer: All of the above
Q4.
Robots can have than one job and may perform multiple tasks.
Correct Answer: more, greater
Q5.
You can combine different and designs to give their robot a unique purpose.
paint colours
ingredients
Correct answer: materials
Q6.
Match the word to the definition.
Correct Answer:recyclable material,the process of converting waste into reusable material
tick

the process of converting waste into reusable material

Correct Answer:purpose,a reason for doing something
tick

a reason for doing something

Correct Answer:sustainability,capable of continuing or or being kept up over time
tick

capable of continuing or or being kept up over time