Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - JHS 1

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Describe different methods of joining materials.
• Identify tools and equipment for joining and assembling.
• Explain why we must choose the right joining method.
• Analyze a simple joining project.

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces the fundamental concepts of joining and assembling. In our daily lives in Ghana, from the wooden benches we sit on in church, to the metal gates that protect our homes, to the school uniforms we wear, almost everything is made of smaller parts put together. Understanding how these parts are joined is a critical skill for making new things, repairing broken ones, and appreciating the world around us. This topic provides the foundation for practical skills in carpentry, metalwork, sewing, and general home maintenance, which are valuable for both personal life and potential future careers.

Lesson notes

A. What are Joining and Assembling? Joining: This is the process of putting two or more separate pieces of a material together to form a single unit. Think of a carpenter taking two pieces of wood and making them one. Assembling: This is a broader term. It involves putting together various pre-made parts or components to create a finished product. Think of fixing the legs, seat, and back of a chair together. Assembling often involves several joining processes.

Analogy: Imagine you are cooking jollof rice. *Joining* is like the moment the rice grains absorb the water and stew to become one cohesive dish. *Assembling* is like putting the finished jollof, chicken, and salad together on the plate to serve the final meal.

B. Types of Joints

Joints can be classified based on how easily they can be taken apart. Permanent Joints: These are joints that cannot be separated without damaging or destroying the materials or the fastener. Once made, it is meant to last forever. Examples: Gluing wood together, welding metal parts, riveting metal sheets, or sewing a seam with strong thread. Ghanaian Context: The welded joints on a burglar-proof window frame are permanent. You would have to cut the metal to separate them. Temporary Joints: These are joints that can be easily taken apart without damaging the materials. This allows for disassembly, repairs, or adjustments. Examples: Using screws, or bolts and nuts. Ghanaian Context: The desks in your classroom are likely assembled with bolts and nuts or screws. This allows them to be tightened if they become wobbly, or taken apart for transport.

Evaluation guide

• B7.3.3.1
• Demonstrate
• understanding of joining
• and assembling

Reference guide

• and, most importantly, write a step-by-step guide explaining which joining methods (e.g., gluing, screwing) they would use at each stage and why they chose them. They could also research and report on a more advanced joining technique, like the "dovetail joint" in woodworking, and explain why it is so strong.