In this adaptable lesson plan by Barefoot Computing, children create a simple model (out of Lego or similar) and then take photos to create instructions (an algorithm) for other children to recreate their model. By removing one block at a time they are decomposing the problem into manageable steps. Teachers may...

This collection of activities gives pupils the opportunity to use a BBC micro:bit to programme their own compass. This activity also provides a link with the art activity in the same collection, giving pupils the chance to code their own tessellating pattern using Scratch. This activity is part of a series of...

A practical project that helps students to understand how client-server relationships are established, and what they might be used for. The example uses parallel computing across multiple Raspberry Pis to calculate a solution, as is often done when faced with complex scientific or engineering problems. The project...

Catherine holds a PhD in Robotics and a BSc Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science. She studied A-levels in Physics, Maths, and Computing with an AS-level in Electronics.

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A learning activity guide, from Barefoot Computing, for teachers in primary schools. It provides structure for an introductory programming session using Scratch. The activity involves tinkering within the Scratch environment - initially using existing Scratch projects then moving on to the creation of new projects...

In the 4th lesson of a series for lower primary school computing, children use the online Rapid Router environment to learn more about algorithms. They learn that there can be more than one algorithm to achieve the same outcome, and that these can be selected according to efficiency. They further debug sequences in...

In this activity SEND pupils develop their understanding of the computing curriculum by identifying that objects have similarities, finding patterns in groups of objects and sorting them accordingly and explaining the similarities between groups of objects. Pupils are given the opportunity to sort objects according...

Using analogies to teach the topic of the TCP/IP networking is often a very useful strategy. This Computing at School community resource consist of three documents. The first provides a theory overview of the communication process. The second provides a range of links and activities, although some are aimed at...

Suitable for students throughout secondary computing, including those studying at an advanced level, this exercise introduces the Heap Sort and explores why it is more efficient than the Bubble Sort in another Scratch Patch article. Students learn about tree data structures, including the correct terminology for...

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...

This is an electronic version of the Teach Computing Curriculum summative assessment for the Year 3 unit - Branching databases. The links below enable teachers to duplicate a copy of the question banks into their own Google or Microsoft accounts, so they can assess pupils' knowledge on the topic.

This is an electronic version of the Teach Computing Curriculum summative assessment for the Year 3 unit- Connecting computers. The links below enable teachers to duplicate a copy of the end of topic assessment questions into their own Google or Microsoft accounts, so they can assess pupils' knowledge on the topic...

This is an electronic version of the Teach Computing Curriculum summative assessment for the Year 6 unit on spreadsheets. The links below enable teachers to duplicate a copy of the end of topic assessment questions into their own Google or Microsoft accounts, so they can assess pupils' knowledge.

This is an electronic version of the Teach Computing Curriculum summative assessment for the Year 6 unit on variables in games. The links below enable teachers to duplicate a copy of assessment questions into their own Google or Microsoft accounts, so they can assess pupils' knowledge on the topic.

The first video explains why data is represented in binary using examples of RAM, a hard disk, optical disks and solid state memory.

The second video illustrates simple circuits built using components to create AND, OR and NOT logic gates.  GCSE students need to be able to combine gates to create more...