Introduction

Recap the last lesson. Ask the class to explain what these three methods mean for searching a database:

• Sort
• Group
• Filter

What sort of charts did we create last time?

Why can charts be a useful way to present data?

 

Building a shared class database

In this lesson we will create a shared class database, based on the children in your class. You, as the teacher, will create the database and then the children will all contribute to adding the data. To do this, you need to have a teacher account set up on Purple Mash that is linked to the children in your class. You need to have a shared folder set up in Purple Mash that both you and the students can access. 

You can see your folder structure in the Work section, from the Purple Mash home page.

 

 

Like this example, you should have class or year group folders if you expand the class section.

 

 

If you are not sure about this, contact whoever has an admin account for Purple Mash in your school.

 

 

Creating the record card

In the lesson, open Tools > 2Investigate > Card Mode.

You will see the Database setup screen. You will always begin with three fields: Name, Image and Sound. These fields cannot be edited or removed.

 

 

Explain that we will be creating a database about our class and that we are going to add more fields to our record card before we add any data. Click Add new field and name it Age on the righthand side of the screen. The Type dropdown menu gives us a choice of what sort of data this field will hold:

• Text,
• Number,
• Date,
• Date and Time.

Ask the class, which of these options should we choose for Age?

 

 

Number should be selected.

Continue adding the fields listed below until your record card is complete. For each one, ask the class what type of data we should set it to. The chosen fields aim to avoid collecting anything too personal, as well as a couple of categories that will provide numerical data:

• Age (number)
• Number of siblings (number)
• Favourite food (text)
• Favourite drink (text)
• Favourite TV show (text)
• Favourite book or author (text)
• Favourite band or singer (text)
• Favourite place to visit (text)

 

Once the record card is complete save it into your shared class folder.

 

 

Once saved, turn on collaborating mode.

 

 

 

Adding records

The database is now ready for the class to open it and add their data. Invite them to go to the Work section and then direct them to find and open it from your shared class folder. 

 

 

Once open, they should click Add record and begin to complete a record for themselves. Remind them to be very careful about spellings. Our data needs to be accurate if we hope to work with it afterwards. For example, the computer would read piza, pizza and pisa as three different things in the favourite food category.

They can finish their record by adding an image of themselves using the drawing tools that are provided. If needed, demo using the key tools of:

• Pens
• Circle tool (useful for drawing an oval for a face)
• Fill tool
• Colours
• Pen size
• Eraser
• Undo

 

 

As this is a shared database, everyone will see each other's cards appearing as they are saved. Remind everyone that they should NOT open or edit anyone else's card. When complete it should look a bit like this in card mode.

 

 

Encourage anyone who is finished to switch to table mode and scan the data for any typing or spelling mistakes. They should NOT edit these themselves, but let the person who made the record card know, so they can edit it themselves. You can click the pencil button to edit the records.

 

Searching and sorting

Once complete, the children can then search and sort the database to answer the questions in the Our Class Data worksheet(opens in new tab)..

 

   

 

Review the answers with your class and the methods they used to search and sort the database.

 

To finish

Review the lesson objectives and the children's understanding:

• What other categories could we add to the database?
• Would our database be useful to the school office staff?
• Did you successfully add a record into a class database. 
• Were you able to search a class database to find information.