Diary of a Lead Teacher: Decorating decomposition
This month, Year 3 have been busy engaging with some unplugged activities using the secondary facilities.
Unlike traditional ICT lessons, children have been getting hands-on with 3D printing devices, creating Christmas decorations to sell at our Christmas fair.
The focus of their learning was decomposition – an understanding of all the elements of the outcome before it is created.
Diary of a Lead Teacher: A constructivist start
These first few weeks of the new term have been busy, busy, busy. To say the least!
It’s always exciting starting a new year; new shoes, big baggy jumpers and lots of loose teeth (Primary School life!). A lot of your time as a class teacher is dedicated to getting to know so many new names and faces, and then get to know that same, grown up face that picks them up!
Playful Computing activities added!
Computing is fun and learning through play is a great way to both teach and learn computing. Therefore, we have begun to extract and separately document some of the standalone activities that have been working so well in our workshops. Each activity is designed to be a short, fun and unplugged way to introduce an important computing concept (or two).
Suitable for almost all age groups, the sky is the limit with the range of possibilities for our extendable play based activities.
Crazy Mazes
What makes a maze crazy? This workshop will inspire pupils to rise to the challenge to discover the answer for themselves. Developed at the Townley Grammar Digital Schoolhouse, this workshop provides pupils with an excellent foundation for programming and development. Pupils begin the day by working through the facts related to computers and using these as a starting point for discussion.
Let's Doodle: What will you create?
This is a computing lesson with a difference. This cross-curricular workshop developed with 3Doodler involves no programming, but covers every strand of the Computational Thinking Framework and allows pupils to accelerate and work towards Key Stage 3 strands in the Programmes of Study. The new Design & Technology Programmes of Study are also partially covered at both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3.
Scratch Stories: Storytelling…with a twist!
Storytelling is something that captures the hearts and minds of all children. This workshop uses that to engage pupils in a day that not only inspires them to write their own story but to do so in a way that furthers their own learning and development in programming.
This enrichment day covers both the Computing and English programmes of study at Key Stage 2, and many of the learning outcomes (particularly 1 – 5) are taken from the Upper Key Stage 2 Programme of Study for English.
Generating Art: Creating a Shape Calculator in Scratch
Helping students understand the importance and relevance of calculating the internal angles of shapes is something that can become a challenge to deliver. This project aims to address that whilst teaching computational thinking concepts i.e. problem solving. The Digital Schoolhouse has worked with the Langley Grammar School Maths and IT/Computing departments to ensure that the project meets the curriculum needs of KS2 teachers but also gives pupils the opportunity to experience teaching techniques used at KS3.
The Maths Quiz
Taken from the material originally developed at Langley Grammar School, this workshop combines mental maths skills with computing and algorithmic thinking. The day begins by encouraging pupils to think about about algorithms and introduces this concept through magic. Early on pupils are encouraged to decompose existing puzzles and tricks to identify the algorithm behind them as well as extend their learning to develop their own puzzles and magic tricks. Pupils then move onto the concept of variables and random numbers using unplugged activities before the quiz is introduced.
Funky Maths Calculator
This workshop addresses the concepts of simple algebraic equations and variables by teaching pupils to create their own calculator using the Scratch programming environment.
