Helping plants grow

KS3 computing curriculum

Curriculum aims:

• can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems

Students should be taught to:

• design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems
• understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems
• undertake creative projects that involve selecting, using, and combining multiple applications, preferably across a range of devices, to achieve challenging goals, including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users
• create, reuse, revise and repurpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design and usability

Read the full KS3 computing curriculum

KS3 DT curriculum

Design

• develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations

Evaluate

• investigate new and emerging technologies
• test, evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, taking into account the views of intended users and other interested groups
• understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment, and the responsibilities of designers, engineers and technologists

Technical knowledge

• understand how more advanced electrical and electronic systems can be powered and used in their products (for example, circuits with heat, light, sound and movement as inputs and outputs)
• apply computing and use electronics to embed intelligence in products that respond to inputs (for example, sensors), and control outputs (for example, actuators), using programmable components (for example, microcontrollers)

Read the full KS3 DT curriculum

Science and technology

Progression step 4 - computation is the foundation for our digital world:

• I can decompose given problems and select appropriate constructs to express solutions in a variety of environments.
• I can select and use data structures that efficiently manage data in algorithms.
• I can plan and implement test strategies to identify errors in programs.
• I can select and use multiple sensors and actuators that allow computer systems to interact with the world around them.
• I can explain how systems communicate, in order to design a network.
• I can explain the techniques used to store and transfer data and understand their vulnerabilities.
• I can identify, define and decompose problems, choose appropriate constructs and express solutions in a variety of environments.
• I can test, evaluate and improve a solution in software.
• I can design and create physical systems that use appropriate components and logic to complete tasks and achieve goals.

Read the full science and technology curriculum

Digital competence framework

Progression step 4 - data and computational thinking - problem-solving and modelling:

• I can create a simple model or self-contained algorithm.
• I can identify the different parts of an algorithm to determine their purpose.
• I can detect and correct errors in algorithms.

Progression step 5 - data and computational thinking - problem-solving and modelling:

• I can independently create and design models, and explain how they represent real-world problems, e.g. selecting and correctly using an appropriate method for illustrating a problem, such as a flowchart or spreadsheet.
• I can develop logical solutions to determine the input, outputs and processes of a program, e.g. following pseudocode or a flowchart to come to an outcome, developing a written sequence of steps that could be followed.

Read the digital competence framework

CS Discoveries

Unit 1

Concepts included:

• problem solving
• inputs and outputs
• storing and processing information

Unit 4

Concepts included:

• social impact of computing
• understanding the needs of others when designing a solution
• team project
• testing and acting on feedback
• iteration

Unit 6

Concepts included:

• hardware
• sensors
• inputs and outputs

Read the full Code.org CS Discoveries curriculum

Grades 6-8

• 2-CS-02 - Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.
• 2-AP-10 - Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as algorithms.
• 2-AP-13 - Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.
• 2-AP-17 - Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.
• 2-AP-18 - Distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively developing computational artifacts.

Read the CSTA Standards in full.