Lessons summary
This series of five lessons is aimed at pupils aged 10-11 years. They are introduced to variables and develop their understanding of planning, coding and debugging through a mixture of unplugged and practical programming activities.
Pupils use variables to design and program the micro:bit to be star-jump and step counters. They then use random numbers and selection to code a times table test and an activity selector.
The sequence comprises five lessons of approximately 60 minutes each:
- Describing with variables
- Using variables in algorithms and programs
- Analysing, programming and evaluating step-counters
- Code random number times table tests
- Programming and evaluating a family activity picker
Learning objectives
- can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
Additional skills
Creative thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, debugging, evaluation.
You will need
Downloadable resources:
- Lesson plan
- Lesson slides
- Student handouts
- HEX files
Other resources:
- colour marker pens
- MakeCode editor
- micro:bits (optional)
- paper - large sheets
- printouts of slides
- stacking games
- student work from previous lesson
- whiteboards & dry-wipe marker pens
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