Digital technologies / Year 5 and 6 / Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Curriculum content descriptions

Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)

Elaborations
  • following a diagram of a simple method of sorting numbers or words
  • following, modifying and describing the design of a game involving simple algorithms represented diagrammatically or in English, for example creating a flowchart with software that uses symbols to show decisions, processes and inputs and outputs
  • experimenting with different ways of representing an instruction to make a choice, for example branches in a tree diagram or using an ‘IF’ statement (a common statement used to branch) to indicate making a choice between two different circumstances using a spreadsheet or a visual program
  • experimenting with different ways of representing an instruction to make a repetition, for example loops in a flowchart diagram or using a ‘REPEAT’ statement
  • designing the instructions for a robot, for example a robot vacuum cleaner to clean a room
  • using different design tools to record ways in which digital solutions will be developed, for example creating storyboards or flowcharts to record relationships or instructions about content or processes
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Decision making,  Design,  Algorithms

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Computational thinking poster

This infographic provides an overview overview of the concepts related to computational thinking.

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Computational thinking cut out cards

This set of printable cards provides definitions of six aspects of computational thinking.

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Scratch 2.0 tutorial

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to support the learning of Scratch, a visual programming language. The tutorial is designed for educators who would like to learn how to use Scratch.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 12

This is the final in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. See next steps for suggested courses and learning sequences after this lesson. It builds on the coding concept of functions (by introducing the concept of return values. Functions are ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 8

This is the eighth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It brings together skills from the previous lessons to design and develop a Higher Lower game, where the player tries to guess ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 10

This is the tenth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces the coding concept of functions. Functions can help organise code, reduce repetition and more to be explored later.

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Project Quantum: Online assessment system

Project Quantum helps computing teachers check their students’ understanding, and support their progress, by providing free access to an online multiple-choice assessment system and question bank. To use Project Quantum, you will need to create a free account.

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Describing an everyday object

In this lesson, students act like the inventor of an everyday object that does not yet exist. Students abstract the essential details, and describe what need would be fulfilled by the new object and how, specifically, it functions. They will then translate the description into a format appropriate for modeling the object ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 6

This is the sixth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It builds on the previous introduction to arrays (also called lists) and brings in the length property.

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DT Challenge - 7-8 Python - Turtle

Control a turtle and draw amazing pictures with code. In this challenge you'll learn the fundamentals of programming by using instructions to position a turtle on the screen, drawing lines, patterns and shapes in the same way computers draw images. Computers use the input from users and the environment to give us feedback ...

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Scratch 3.0 tutorial

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to support the learning of Scratch, a visual programming language. The tutorial is designed for educators who would like to learn how to use Scratch.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 3

This is the third in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to generate and use random numbers.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 7

This is the seventh in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces iteration (also called loops).

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Visual to text coding: Setting Up

This series of lessons is to help students to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This section provides guidance on how to set-up the particular programming environment including Scratch, Python and JavaScript.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 1

This is the first in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to create variables, get user input and perform maths operations.

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digIT Games workbook

This lesson will help students develop a basic understanding of computer programming structures by using block language Scratch. It will also introduce student to using Python with the Makey Makey electronic input device to create a game controller.

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Micro:bit missions: Take a chance on me (Integrating Mathematics): years 6-8

This resource comprises two activities that allow students to explore the concept of chance in Mathematics. Students use computational thinking while using a micro:bit as a digital system to generate and collect data. Students implement programs involving branching and iteration in visual and general-purpose programming languages.

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Classroom ideas: Micro:bit environmental measurement (visual and general-purpose programming): years 5-8

This tutorial shows ways in which environmental factors such as lighting and temperature can be measured and improved using micro:bits and sensor boards, and programmed using pseudocode, visual programming and general-purpose programming.

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Visual to text coding: The Basics

This series of lessons is to help students to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This section provides the basics in order to use the programming environments: Scratch, Python and JavaScript.

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PyGame in a Day

As a general purpose programming language, python has a number of libraries that can be used for different purposes. PyGame is a free and open source python library that makes it easier to make multimedia applications like games.