Hold up three objects from the tray (for example a spoon, a torch and a classroom calculator) one at a time so the whole class can see them. Ask the class what job each does. Keep the beat light: curiosity only, not the full sort yet.

Key question: Is a spoon technology, or is technology only things with screens? Expect some pupils to say only gadgets count. Hold that idea gently; the next step will teach the wider meaning.

Have the tray ready nearby but do not hand it out yet.

Teach the idea of technology first, before the digital split. Project only the short board text. Use the full table below yourself for reference; digital and non-digital labels arrive with the tray sort.

Worked example (model aloud with one object before groups handle the tray):

Hold up the bell from the tray (bicycle bell or small hand bell — same script either way). Say something like: I wonder what job this bell does. Did people make it? Does it do a job? Yes — it rings so someone can give a clear warning or get attention. So it counts as technology, even with no screen.

Misconception to head off: technology is only new or only digital. A quill, a pencil and a keyboard are all technologies for writing — they just belong to different times. Hold the digital / non-digital labels for the sort step.

Nature of STE cue: people have always invented tools. The job stayed; the tool changed.

LO language note: Learning objective 3 uses the same child-friendly pair you hear in class — good thing / not-so-good thing (not advantage / drawback).

Before the lesson

• Gather one tray per group with the same safe set: spoon, bicycle bell (or small hand bell), manual / hand-crank pencil sharpener, torch, and a classroom calculator or digital watch as the digital example.
• Print the provided sorting labels: Digital and Non-digital (one pair per group).
• If a group has no calculator, name the interactive board as the shared class digital example and point to it clearly when groups sort.

During the step

Groups explore freely for a few minutes. Circulate and ask: What job does that do? Could you do the job without it? What did people use before this existed?

Safety: torch beams stay off faces; no taking devices apart; pencil sharpener used only to look at, not to sharpen unless you choose to allow it under watch.

Give each group the two sorting labels. Keep the board short: the action line plus the chip-or-screen test and the torch worked example. Say the fuller dual definitions aloud only if a group needs them — do not project a wall of text.

Model once, then protect the minutes for the hands-on sort: Hold up one object and ask: Does it need a chip or a screen to do its main job? Then pupils physically place objects into the two groups on the desk. Spend most of the 12 minutes on group sorting and short justifications. If time is tight, keep the whole-class share to one or two objects rather than every tray.

Full definitions for you to say if needed:

• Digital technology needs a computer chip (a tiny computer inside) or a screen to do its job, and usually needs power.
• Non-digital technology does its job without a chip or screen, even if it uses batteries.

Expected sort for the core set:

• Digital: classroom calculator or digital watch (or the interactive board if that is the shared class example)
• Non-digital: spoon, bicycle bell (or hand bell), manual pencil sharpener, torch (a simple battery torch still counts as non-digital here because it has no computer chip or screen — if your torch is a smart torch with a display, treat it as digital and say why)

If debate starts about the torch, praise the thinking. The decisive test is: does it use a computer chip or screen to do its main job? A plain torch uses a battery and a bulb, so for this lesson it sits in non-digital.

Look-fors: every object has a named job; groups can justify the digital / non-digital choice in a short sentence.

Fold the whole class in while one group shares: Do you agree with their sort? What job did they miss?

Pupils record on the paper Investigation Journal page. They do not type into the platform.

Prompt them to include: object name, digital or non-digital, and a short job phrase (for example: spoon — lifts food; calculator — works out sums).

Support: sentence starter on the board — The ___ is digital/non-digital because ___. Its job is ___.

Extension: add one more classroom technology not on the tray (clock, scissors, interactive board) and place it on the page.