Computational Thinking – Alien Contact!
National Curriculum Links - Computing KS2
The content of this plan cover the following National Curriculum strands:
- design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts
- use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
- use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.
Why this? What does it build on?
This unit builds on the Key Stage 1 unplugged computer science unit Action algorithms. It examines computational thinking concepts through a series of problem solving lessons for the students. Through the unit, they will need to use and understand logic, evaluation, abstraction, pattern recognition, decomposition and algorithms. We will be hoping to see them use a variety of approaches as they solve the problems, which build on work from a number of other curriculum areas such as maths shape and number problems, P.E teamwork and barrier games, computer science concepts such as encryption, binary data and how it is used to represent images, and digital literacy and online safety when using social media.
What comes next?
The digital literacy content in this unit will be built upon in our Digital Literacy and online safety units for Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6.
The IT content in this unit will be built upon in What is a computer? where students revisit binary data and how it can be converted to represent anything on a computer, and also in and Inside the internet(Year 6) and Physical computing with a Raspberry Pi (Key stage 3).
The computational thinking skills learned will also be applied in all of our programming units Building retro games - pick a project (Year 5), Getting started with the BBC micro:bit (Year 6), LEGO robotics (Year 5) and our optional unit Getting started with Crumble.
View our full curriculum map
Take a look at our full curriculum map to see how units across all year groups, from Year 1 to Year 6 link.
Unit Resources
Key computing vocabulary for this unit
Abstraction - Removing unnecessary detail to help you solve a problem (a computational thinking concept)
Algorithm – an unambiguous procedure or precise step-by-step guide to solve a problem or achieve a particular objective. A set of instructions for achieving a goal or solving a problem.
Binary - Binary is the language computers use. It is a series of 1s and 0s and is also used in mathematics.
Command – a step or line of programming.
Cyberbullying - using digital devices, sites, and apps to intimidate, harm, and upset someone
Debug – to detect and correct the errors in a computer program.
Decomposition - Breaking a problem down into smaller parts (a computational thinking concept)
Digital footprint - a record of what you do online, including the sites you visit and the things you post; it can also include things that others post that involve you.
Evaluation - Making judgements (a computational thinking concept).
Inference - an educated guess based on evidence
Logical reasoning – a systematic approach to solving problems or deducing information using a set of universally applicable and totally reliable rules.
Online - using a digital device to visit a website or app that makes use of the internet.
Output – the information produced by a computer system for its user, typically on a screen, through speakers or on a printer, but possibly though the control of motors in physical systems. Also an action performed by the computer e.g. switching on a light, moving a turtle or sprite across the screen.
Patterns - Spotting and using similarities to solve problems (a computational thinking concept)
Personal information - information about you that cannot be used to identify you because it is also true for many other people (e.g. your hair colour or the city you live in)
Private information - information about you that can be used to identify you because it is unique to you (e.g. your full name or your address)
Program – A sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task on the computer
Repetition (also known as ‘Loop’ or ‘Iteration’) – a programming construct in which one or more instructions are repeated, perhaps a certain number of times, until a condition is satisfied or until the program is stopped.
Sequence – to place programming instructions in order, with each executed one after the other.
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