Computer Science resources for KS3-4, with a focus on programming.
Programming resources include Scratch, Microbit, Small Basic and Visual Basic for now, with other languages potentially in the future, such as C#.
I have worked with the AQA specification throughout my teaching career and so these resources will be suitable for anyone teaching the new AQA spec.
Please review any resources, suggestions are welcome for improvements etc.
Computer Science resources for KS3-4, with a focus on programming.
Programming resources include Scratch, Microbit, Small Basic and Visual Basic for now, with other languages potentially in the future, such as C#.
I have worked with the AQA specification throughout my teaching career and so these resources will be suitable for anyone teaching the new AQA spec.
Please review any resources, suggestions are welcome for improvements etc.
This resource includes a short PowerPoint presentation including a brief starter, a finished maze game with two levels and a tutorial.
I usually show them the finished game, then begin a new program and show them how to create the maze sprite using the line tool, and moving the sprites (they should have covered this by now). I also show them how to get the program to know if they are touching the other sprites (maze or end of the level). Once they start to make their mazes I give them the tutorial (on computers or can be printed) so they have step-by-step instructions for making their game and help if they are stuck.
This usually takes at least two lessons for them to have a finished maze game with two levels. Some students will customise the game further with added features suggested at the bottom of the tutorial.
This resource is for students who have already completed an introductory unit of Scratch, or are older students who might be more familiar with programming. They will create a program on Scratch using sequencing and selection.
Included is a short powerpoint presentation, with a sample program and tutorial instructions for making the animation program on Scratch. After the starter task on the Powerpoint I give them a look at the finished program, before starting a new program and showing them the first few steps. After this they begin creating their own programs, using the tutorial for reference or if they are stuck.
This resource is for students who have completed an introductory unit of Scratch or who are older and more experienced in programming.
The lesson is based around creating a scrolling maze, which is more advanced than a normal maze game, and introduces variables. It includes a tutorial, Powerpoint to introduce variables, the full game code and starter code for the students to begin programming with.
GCSE lesson based around making the malware/cyber security topic related to programming.
Looked online but couldn't find anything useful so created a 'virus' program to teach the students without giving them information on how to do anything illegal.
Code works in Visual Basic, and is a good way to get the students hooked. Also worth mentioning that the 'virus' they create doesn't actually do anything malicious, it just appears that way, and gives them a chance to practice their programming techniques.
Then they have instructions on the worksheet that they follow through until they have a working program. Powerpoint is also included.
This resource is for students who have experience in Scratch or other programming languages, including those who have completed the introductory unit of Scratch.
The resource contains a powerpoint presentation to introduce subroutines, and a tutorial for students to create the game. It also includes the full game for demonstration and debugging purposes.
This lesson is for students who have completed the introductory unit of Scratch, or have other experience in Scratch or other programming languages.
The lesson focuses on creating a game using subroutines, and includes a presentation which introduces the task, the complete code for demonstration purposes and starter code for the students.
There is also a tutorial for the students to complete the creation of the game following the demonstration.
Included in this resource is a short PowerPoint presentation which includes a quick starter and introduces the idea of using Scratch to create an Etch-a-sketch type drawing program.
I usually then show them the finished program, and then give them instructions on creating the sprite, and moving it with the arrow keys. After that, they begin to work on their own programs and use the tutorial if they are stuck or need a hint.
If there is time at the end, they can have a drawing competition using their newly created programs!
This lesson is based around using indefinite iteration in Scratch, through creating a game where the player catches randomly falling objects.
This resource includes the full game code, a presentation to introduce indefinite iteration, and a tutorial for students to create the game.
Included in this resource is a tutorial for programming a joke animation on Scratch, as well as a sample program. I usually begin by showing the finished program, then give them some step-by-step instructions. When it is their turn to program, the tutorial is made available to give them any help they need and remind them of what needs to be added to their program next.
A programming lesson designed to help the students improve their programming skills, as well as learning about brute force attacks. The lesson begins with a research task and ends with a step-by-step activity to create a program that will guess a password that the user has entered.
Included is the PowerPoint presentation, programming instructions for students, and the final code in a text file for the teacher.
This lesson is based around programming skills and knowledge, as the students work through the worksheet (on the computers is best a they can copy and paste code snippets into the other document).
Once they have answered the questions on the worksheet they should also have the Bitmap Calculator Code document containing the code snippets required to create the program. Then they can go onto Visual Basic to write the program, and test it to see if it is working correctly. There are also a couple of extension tasks at the bottom of the worksheet.
I have also included the final code that I used to demonstrate the program working at the start of the lesson, and the PowerPoint which I used to outline the task and give them instructions on how to complete the tasks.
This spreadsheet is used to generate individual QLAs from a whole class QLA. You just copy and paste in the question number, marks and question subject, along with the class scores and it will create individual sheets for students to then rate using a RAG system.
The individual QLAs are designed to be 2 per page of A4. The columns auto-resize during the creation of the sheets so be careful if using full names, as it may mean that one sheet is wider than the rest which can cause issues when cutting!
Included in this resource is a Powerpoint which is helpful in recapping flowcharts and then leads into a programming task involving a number guessing game.
The students should be aiming to make a flowchart based on the first two tasks in the project, which will help them move on to programming them in Scratch in the second lesson. There is a card sort which involves writing the instructions onto blank paper symbols to form the flowchart, and examples of each task as a flowchart and scratch game.
This has been used with Year 7 following two previous units using Scratch, as a warm up for programming as well as a reminder of flowcharts and their usefulness in planning programs.
This resource includes a finished Space Invaders-style game made with Scratch, as well as a starter code version of the game and a tutorial/help sheet. This is intended for one lesson to help teach variables and subroutines.
The finished version can be shown as a demonstration of how the game should work, then the students can be shown the starter code. This version does not work, and they will need to complete the tasks on the tutorial to get it working correctly. The tutorial includes screenshots of code snippets and explanations of how any why they work to get the game functioning correctly.
This resource is a set of instructions for KS3 students to create their own game. Ideally they will be at or near to finishing with Scratch before moving on to more complex programming languages. This is intended for the end of my KS3 Scratch Unit of work.
Included is the Word document which details what they will need to include in their game (and what they might want to include), as well as an example game evaluation written in Powerpoint to make it easy for them to write about. There is also a skeleton evaluation which describes what they need to include in their evaluation.
As the students can create their own game and need to write about how they have made it, this is likely to take a minimum of three lessons.
This resource is a tutorial to help students understand how variables and iteration are used to create a simple scrolling game. The tutorial includes screenshots of code snippets and instructions on how and why the code works to create the finished version of the game. The resource also includes the finished version of the game, which I use to demonstrate the game before showing the first few steps in making it.
The tutorial can be used as a help sheet for students who push on further with the game before the rest of the class, or who might need help in getting their game to work as intended.
In this resource is a working version of a ‘slug trail’ maze game, and a Word document tutorial to go with it. The tutorial can be given to students as a help sheet once they have been given an introductory demonstration, or if they are pushing on further than the rest of the class.
The tutorial help sheet includes screenshots of code and explains how and why this code is used to create the finished version of the game.
This resource was used for Year 7 Computing following a unit involving learning about variables, selection, iteration and random number generation using the Microbit. They loved playing the game, especially as they helped to create it!
The idea is to have them use the Microbit as part of the board game. They will program in a dice function for shaking the Microbit, and other features for when they press Button A or B. The game works similarly to Snakes and Ladders. Button A moves the player either forwards or backwards, 6, 4, or 2 spaces (picked randomly by the program), and Button B moves the player up or down by flashing up to 3 up or down arrows (again randomly).
Instructions were given via a worksheet, where the first page (two of the tasks) were given in the first lesson and the final one was given at the start of the second. When they had finished their program they could then download it to the Microbit and play their game. My students ended up with between 10-25 minutes playing time depending on how quickly they programmed their game. They can provide their own playing pieces from pencil cases etc. and the board is provided (A4 printout is fine).
The code is in the screenshots in the PowerPoint slides and can be made up quickly.
This resource contains tasks for a complete programming lesson based on Run Length Encoding. If students have looked at the theory this lesson is a good follow up as it improves their programming skills and reinforces the theory learned previously.
Included in this resource is a self-marking Excel starter document, and Powerpoint presentation for the lesson. The code with tasks is included for students to copy and paste into Visual Basic, or pseudocode for more of a challenge.
EDITED: Now includes a basic Testing table in a Word document so the students can prove that their program is working and become familiar with the process for their coursework.