This highly interactive lesson that requires the pupils to work in teams and use computational thinking skills to solve a range of puzzles. This activity perfect for pupils about to learn Python programming and you want to show the importance of computational thinking skills. **This resource was shortlisted for the Teach Secondary Awards, a very rare honor for an independent resource creator. ** Your class need to work together to escape a locked laboratory in a spaceship and start the engines to avoid being sucked into a black hole by completing different challenges which will use a variety of computational thinking skills. They are given most of the lesson to work together and at the end of the lesson, time is dedicated to discuss the computational thinking skills they used during the activity. This gives them a practical application for the computational thinking theory rather than using the tired old “making a jam sandwich” or “getting up in the morning” scenarios which are commonly used. This activity is not a handout driven escape room, it involves using an interactive PowerPoint presentation and physical tasks that moves away from pupils filling in yet another worksheet, to working together in a team to solve interesting and challenging puzzles. Pupils enjoy the lesson and are fully engaged whilst developing the key computational thinking skills of decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithms. Please note: This lesson does require teachers to prepare some props beforehand and it is highly recommended the teacher reads through the teacher’s instructions and creates the props well before they want to use the lesson. Also please note that this resource does not work with Google Slides. Written primarily for key stage 3, this activity can be used in a variety of situations: Introducing pupils to computational thinking skills before they are introduced to a text-based programming language Used as an end of term fun lesson which still has an education element A fun activity to use on a year 6 transition day Allow your new year 7s to get to know their new classmates and grow team sprit Helping a reluctant class see the benefits of learning programming skills . What are you waiting for? Download this interactive escape room NOW, to help students learn about computational thinking skills in a fun and memorable lesson they will love and remember. You may also be interested in my Computational Thinking Worksheets which you can buy from here.

Computational Thinking (learning to think in a logical/problem solving way) is the buzz word in the teaching of programming. By teaching students to predict the outcome of small pieces of code they naturally become better at building their own programs. Although this homework uses Scratch program code, the code is simply a vehicle to ask the questions and the homework may be used with students who have never seen Scratch. Permission has been granted by the Scratch team to uses images of Scratch code. Have fun. My students loved these! Previously downloaded 30,000 times on a few websites comments have included: "Thanks, these look like really good examples and introduce code in a fun and engaging way." "Very useful. I'll use for a Maths class as well." "Great examples to understand code. Thank you for sharing it."

12 computational thinking worksheets you can use with your class, no preparation necessary. You even have the answers, making these a brilliant easy to use addition to your teacher toolkit. They can be printed out or completed on-screen as they are PDF files with editable areas for students to enter their answers. HOW CAN I USE THEM? These worksheets are ideal for An easy grab-and-go classroom activity, homework tasks and cover worksheets. . Perfect for computer science teachers, non-specialists and new teachers. WHAT IS INCLUDED? The 12 PDF worksheets included: Decomposition: Delivery Robot – A 2-page worksheet where students break down larger tasks into smaller tasks. A great starter activity. Decomposition: Make a Snowman – This simple worksheet where students put the steps in order and then decompose one of those steps further. This is perfect for a starter or a plenary. Decomposition: Robot Arms – This asks students to break down the tasks a robot arm in a factory would need to do. Great as a homework task. Pattern Recognition: Finding Order – Students decide on the order or steps that are required to follow a recipe successfully. A nice starter. Pattern Recognition: Spot the Correct Pattern – a 3-page worksheet where students need to pick the correct set of instructions to draw the shape. Perfect for a homework task or plenary. Pattern Recognition: Create a Pattern – a 2-page worksheet. Students follow the example given and adapt it to match the scenarios. A great way to check progress. Abstraction: London Underground – Students look at the London underground map, then answer questions about why the map has been simplified. A nice way of introducing the topic of abstraction in computational thinking. Abstraction: Film – Students describe answer questions on abstraction about a film synopsis. A nice in-class activity to reinforce learning. Abstraction: Gathering Important Facts – Students read a statement and answer questions. A nice homework task or plenary. Algorithms: Writing Instructions – A fun in-class pairs activity to write instructions for a secret handshake. A great interactive starter activity which reinforces the need for clarity in instructions. Algorithms: Pseudocode – Students write pseudocode. A nice homework task, in-class tasks to reinforce learning or plenary to check understanding. Algorithms: Flow Diagrams – A 3-page worksheet where students need to answer questions about flowcharts. Great as a plenary activity or homework task. What are you waiting for? Buy them now and use them straight away to enhance your lessons whilst saving yourself hours of preparation.

This unit of work introduces students within KS3 to the concepts of computational thinking by helping Rob-bot the robot make a jam sandwich. Through the activity, students will learn about decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithm design (through both basic flowcharts and pseudo code). They will also lean about the importance of debugging their algorithms. The duration of this work usually takes between 2-3 hours to complete, so is perfect as an introductory unit to computational thinking and programming. ***Please leave a review!***

(Greg Reid has written two Computing text books for the Scottish education system. His resources are used in thousands of schools all over the world.) Computational Thinking (learning to think in a logical/problem solving way) is the buzz word in the teaching of programming. By teaching students to predict the outcome of small pieces of code they naturally become better at building their own programs. Although this homework uses Scratch program code, the code is simply a vehicle to ask the questions and the homework may be used with students who have never seen Scratch. Permission has been granted by the Scratch team to uses images of Scratch code. Have fun. My students loved these! Previously downloaded 30,000 times on a few websites comments have included: “Thanks, these look like really good examples and introduce code in a fun and engaging way.” “Very useful. I’ll use for a Maths class as well.” “Great examples to understand code. Thank you for sharing it.”

Get your students into the right mindset from the off with these fantastic starter activities! With 20 different puzzles for your students to try and solve, there are enough activities to cover a full 8 week term! This resource includes a range of puzzles such as code breaking, symbol grids, number pyramids, understanding algorithms and many more! Solutions included!

There are several skills required to be a good programmer. One of these is being able to modularise programs by identifying blocks of code. This Scratch homework is based around the “broadcast” block which can be used to modularise programs allowing greater control over order, reuse of code and gives sprites the ability to communicate with each other. The homework starts with a worked example. There are four questions making this homework about a 10-15 minute task. Note that question 4 will be out of reach of most younger pupils and should possibly set as a challenge (possibly with a certificate or prize for those who successfully solve it) Students love this style of problem solving homework. Have fun!

A great introduction to understanding computational thinking including decomposition, pattern recognition and abstraction. These ready to use computational thinking lessons will save you hours of preparation and can easily be adapted to meet your own requirements. WHAT IS INCLUDED? In this unit you have 3 ready-to-use lessons: Decomposition Pattern recognition Abstraction including a computational thinking team task . Please Note: This unit DOES NOT teach pupils about algorithms. In this unit pupils will be using everyday examples to help them understand the principles of computational thinking. This lesson includes everything you need is included such as: a very high-quality accessible PowerPoint presentation for every lesson that effortlessly leads the teacher through the lesson and includes all the answers to the many questions and tasks the students need to complete an editable worksheet for every lesson an easy-to-follow editable lesson plan for every lesson . PRIOR LEARNING This unit does expect pupils know that computers use programs to tell them what to do, and assumes they have had some experience of writing Scratch programs. EASY TO USE These ready to use resources are so straightforward that although I have included a lesson plan, most teachers can teach straight from the PowerPoint presentation without any further assistance. And best of all, the answers are included saving you time and energy. This makes these lessons suitable for experienced computing specialist teachers along with non-specialists and early career teachers (ECTs). EDITABLE RESOURCES I understand that teachers want to adapt their resources, so I’ve made the bold decision to make these resources editable. Therefore, if you need to use a particular template style for your school or pupils with special educational needs, you can change the PowerPoint presentation, worksheet and lesson plan to suit your needs. SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TEACHING TECHNIQUES These teaching resources have been specifically designed to aid pupils using educational psychology backed theories including dual coding, Mayer’s theory and the best techniques to alleviate cognitive load. These lessons are highly interactive and engage students straight from the start. I have created another unit called Understanding Algorithms which teachers pupils the basics of writing algorithms and drawing flowcharts which teachers can use after this computational thinking unit to make a complete 6 lesson unit, alternatively you may want to split them up and teach them as 2 discreet units with 3 lessons in each. [You can view the Understanding Algorithms lesson here (http:// Start reaping the benefits today of incredibly high-quality, professionally designed teaching resources that you can use with virtually no preparation. Just click on the BUY NOW button to download them straight away. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.

There are several skills required to be a good programmer. One of these is being able to identify the order of code. In this Scratch homework students are given a description of a short animation and the blocks required to build it, Their task is identify the correct order of the blocks. The homework starts with a worked example. There are three questions making this homework about a 10-15 minute task. Students love this style of problem solving homework.

There are several skills required to be a good programmer. One of these is being able to debug programs by identifying errors in code. In this Scratch homework students are given a description of a short animation and are required to find the errors in the code. The homework starts with a worked example. There are three questions making this homework about a 10-15 minute task. Students love this style of problem solving homework. Have fun!

(Greg Reid has written two Computing text books for the Scottish education system. His resources are used in thousands of schools all over the world.) Computational Thinking (learning to think in a logical/problem solving way) is the buzz word in the teaching of programming. By teaching students to predict the outcome of small pieces of code they naturally become better at building their own programs. Although this homework uses Scratch program code, the code is simply a vehicle to ask the questions and the homework may be used with students who have never seen Scratch. This homework focuses on move and rotate. Permission has been granted by the Scratch team to uses images of Scratch code. Have fun. My students loved these!

Computational Thinking Worksheet - formative assessment for DP1 student in IB program

This set of computational thinking starters and plenaries will support the teaching of all aspects of computer science. Ranging from simple to difficult, a great way to develop students ability to think and prepare for new computer science curriculum.

5 Computational thinking lessons for GCSE. Each lesson includes three levels of differentiation by task rather than outcome. Each lesson has an engaging starter activity that students can get on with straight away. The lessons were originally written to be used with exercise books as well as some computer based work but could easily be adapted to make them 100% computer based. The lessons cover abstraction, decomposition and algorithmic thinking. Programming opportunities are included (python) as well as links to identifying programming errors and flowcharts. Lessons include literacy and reading opportunities.

This unit of work helps users think in computational terms, it looks at topics like algorithms, logic gates. It contains presentations, worksheets and HW.

The fifth of the set takes the learner onto the intriguing topic of Programming Paradigms. Updated for Visual Studio 2022. Paradigms covered include: • Object Oriented Programming (OOP) • Event Driven Programming (EDP) • Procedural Programming Completely invaluable series of resources for the BTEC National Computing and IT Courses, the Level 3 Cambridge Technical IT, A Level Computer Science as well as many others where Programming and Coding are a required skills set as well as a developed understanding of the concepts. Programming is now one of the most sought-after skills sets, particularly OOP. The presentation includes practical activities on each Paradigm and learner challenges to measure learning and distance travelled. To support the learners and teachers, a learner activity sheet is included to capture learning outcomes from the lesson. Multi-formats are included to enable customisation (PPT and Word) and avoiding loss of any content (PDF). All resources in the set are project-based to introduce concepts and embed programming skills. Great for both teachers and students alike. There is a combined set of resources available on TES. See what you think!

Thinking Quilt is a good starter task as a retrieval, feel free to make changes according to what you have covered.

Included in pack - PDF and PPT versions. Includes; Procedures, Functions, IF then Else statements Loops (Repeat, Forever, Forever IF) Getting around (Moving jumping techniques) Game based (Scoring, collecting objects, timers) Scratch specific techniques (Broadcasting, variables, costumes) Bouncing off things (edge of screen, walls) Creating a scrolling background Ideal for KS3, but also suitable for KS2. Also includes flowchart diagrams to help explain the concept of the programming. *****************************************Please leave a review!***************************************

A set of informative posters to support the delivery of computational thinking within the classroom across all subjects and years! With particular relevance to the Digital Competence Framework within Wales, this resource was created as a guide to educators at all levels on how to incorporate Computational Thinking into lessons. This resource also provides suggestions on how the terminology can be simplified and delivered at different levels of education. There are a broad range of practical ideas on how to integrate computational thinking questions, tasks and games into subjects across the curriculum. I hope you find it of use! Update: Now in high definition 2560x1440 **Please Leave a Review!!!**

A set of three PowerPoints that cover some essentials for A-Level Computer Science students, looking at Object Oriented Programming Recursion GUI programming … in Python.