This lesson develops the concept of making sense of the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of positive integers. In particular students will work on the following areas:

• Improving conceptual understanding of why and how the algorithms work.
• Developing...

This activity away from the computer is from the Barefoot Computing project. It is intended to provide a theoretical understanding of why and how variables are used in computer programming, using the example of score-keeping in a classroom quiz. Involving several volunteers from the group, the activity uses...

This brief activity uses false-colour images of the Columbia glacier to introduce the idea of using sequences of satellite images to monitor change and focuses on the selection of appropriate data for an investigation.

This short activity introduces students to the ideas of the footprint and resolution of an image, asking them to choose and use appropriate methods to calculate how these quantities would change as they moved a camera to a series of vantage points above the surface of the Earth

The Nuffield Foundation provide this resource which can be used to introduce the idea of representing objects using plans and elevations. Students will have the opportunity to identify everyday objects photographed from plan and elevation views, draw 3D sketches of solids from their plan and elevation views, as...

This activity can be used to explore the relationship between shape and hydrodynamics (resistance).

Curriculum links include aerodynamics, resistance, forces, buoyancy and thrust. There are a number of useful links to...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

In this lesson, students investigate the claim that using a Nintendo Wii computer game is a good way to keep fit and that people, therefore, should be encouraged to use them. They compare how their resting pulse rate changes when they have been playing a normal games...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the uses of communications technology in the modern world. There is an opportunity to audit the students’ skills such as visualisation or map-reading to form a scale...

This engineering activity, suitable for children in computing lessons, looks at the basics of flowchart construction. Simple examples, such as the decisions made by a dog chasing a stick, are used to make flowchart representation of algorithms accessible to younger children. A simple design activity requires...