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 10-lesson unit consists of the following lessons:
Computer Systems
Hardware Components
Input and Output devices
CPU
Software
Operating Systems
Logic Gates
Storage x2
Revision
This resource is an information sheet useful for an introduction to logic gates, revision or for absent students to help them catch up. Double side of A4.
This lesson is the ninth in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
It includes a PowerPoint presentation for the teacher to talk through each type of storage, which can build on the main task in the previous lesson. Towards the end the students can create a table to fill in information about each type of storage. There is also a template for this included for weaker students.
This resource contains a PowerPoint presentation to introduce different types of storage, another containing questions for the main activity (each will need to be printed for each team), and information sheets for the students to research the answers to the questions. It is best to keep these on the computer, rather than print them for each student.
For the main activity, students team up in 3s, and take the first question from the teacher. They use the information sheets to find out the answer, write it down and then bring it up to check with the teacher. If correct, they hand back the first question and take the second. If incorrect, they go back to find the correct answer. The winning team is the first to answer all 10 questions.
Questions and answers are also included in a text file for easy access for the teacher.
This is the eighth lesson in the topic 'How a Computer Works'.
This is the tenth and final lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic, and includes a worksheet, online quizzes and games for students to play to revise everything from the previous lessons.
This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation that teaches about logic gates, with a worksheet designed to be used on the computers, and an online link to practically find out about logic gates. It also includes a double sided homework sheet.
This is the seventh lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
Presentation with information on computer software, including the differences between application, system software and operating systems.
This is the fifth lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
This resource consists of a PowerPoint presentation giving information about the CPU. It also has links to youtube and revision games to play at the end.
This is the fourth lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation, starter worksheet (designed to be readable when printed A5 size), and homework sheet (A4).
The lesson builds on hardware components and looks at input and output devices. The lesson is the third in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
This PowerPoint can be used to show students the components that go inside a computer. I used a laptop disassembly to go along with this, but have left in slides including images of the different components so it can be used without.
Following this the students go online to look at important features of each component, and how they work to make the computer as a whole work.
This is the second lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.
Included in this resource is a PowerPoint, information sheet for students to answer questions about computer systems, and another PowerPoint mix and match activity which the students can use on their computers.
This is the first lesson in the How a Computer Works topic.
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.
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 homework is intended for students to complete without having to use a computer (useful if they don't have one at home). The instructions are given on the left hand side of the sheet, and they can cut and stick the code blocks onto the right hand side. If students wish to complete on the computer then they can, and this also allows them to test their code to see if it works.
Answers also included in the form of an image.
Two worksheets, the second harder than the first, which can be printed in A5 size. Suitable for GCSE students learning about sound and can build towards practice exam questions. Answers are included in a separate file.
This Unit of Work includes 10 lessons worth of Microbit programming skills and knowledge.
Each lesson has a PowerPoint presentation to go with it, with all other resources also included as Word documents. All resources including PowerPoints are numbered to make it easier to follow the unit, and there is also a teacher’s guide included. The Unit begins with an introduction to Microbits, and concludes with revision, end of unit test and DIRT reflection lesson.
Topics included are Variables, Selection, Iteration, and various programming challenges in the form of games that the students can create. It also includes the Microbit Board Game project that takes 2 lessons, which is also available from the Programmer’s Paradise shop on TES Resources.
A homework is also included, where the students can create a program using printed code blocks, cut and stick them onto the other half of the paper. This can be used after the first couple of lessons, or later if they are less familiar with the concepts.
Included is a DIRT lesson following a microbit unit of work. Includes a fake Kahoot leaderboard to display top scores, and questions used to reinforce knowledge of the topic.
Included is an assessment for the end of a microbit programming unit. Topics included variables, selection, definite and indefinite iteration. The test also includes specific practical knowledge of programming using microbit blocks.
This presentation is to be used for revising programming concepts such as variables, selection, iteration using the microbit. There are tasks included such as creating definitions, thinking about how to program a certain game and a Kahoot quiz (link included on the powerpoint).