Included is an assessment for the end of a microbit programming unit. Topics included variables, selection, definite and indefinite iteration. The test also includes specific practical knowledge of programming using microbit blocks.

This Unit of Work includes 10 lessons worth of Microbit programming skills and knowledge. Each lesson has a PowerPoint presentation to go with it, with all other resources also included as Word documents. All resources including PowerPoints are numbered to make it easier to follow the unit, and there is also a teacher’s guide included. The Unit begins with an introduction to Microbits, and concludes with revision, end of unit test and DIRT reflection lesson. Topics included are Variables, Selection, Iteration, and various programming challenges in the form of games that the students can create. It also includes the Microbit Board Game project that takes 2 lessons, which is also available from the Programmer’s Paradise shop on TES Resources. A homework is also included, where the students can create a program using printed code blocks, cut and stick them onto the other half of the paper. This can be used after the first couple of lessons, or later if they are less familiar with the concepts.

This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation that teaches about logic gates, with a worksheet designed to be used on the computers, and an online link to practically find out about logic gates. It also includes a double sided homework sheet. This is the seventh lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.

This resource is a tutorial to help students understand how variables and iteration are used to create a simple scrolling game. The tutorial includes screenshots of code snippets and instructions on how and why the code works to create the finished version of the game. The resource also includes the finished version of the game, which I use to demonstrate the game before showing the first few steps in making it. The tutorial can be used as a help sheet for students who push on further with the game before the rest of the class, or who might need help in getting their game to work as intended.

In this resource is a working version of a ‘slug trail’ maze game, and a Word document tutorial to go with it. The tutorial can be given to students as a help sheet once they have been given an introductory demonstration, or if they are pushing on further than the rest of the class. The tutorial help sheet includes screenshots of code and explains how and why this code is used to create the finished version of the game.

This resource contains a PowerPoint presentation to introduce different types of storage, another containing questions for the main activity (each will need to be printed for each team), and information sheets for the students to research the answers to the questions. It is best to keep these on the computer, rather than print them for each student. For the main activity, students team up in 3s, and take the first question from the teacher. They use the information sheets to find out the answer, write it down and then bring it up to check with the teacher. If correct, they hand back the first question and take the second. If incorrect, they go back to find the correct answer. The winning team is the first to answer all 10 questions. Questions and answers are also included in a text file for easy access for the teacher. This is the eighth lesson in the topic 'How a Computer Works'.

Included in this resource is a Powerpoint which is helpful in recapping flowcharts and then leads into a programming task involving a number guessing game. The students should be aiming to make a flowchart based on the first two tasks in the project, which will help them move on to programming them in Scratch in the second lesson. There is a card sort which involves writing the instructions onto blank paper symbols to form the flowchart, and examples of each task as a flowchart and scratch game. This has been used with Year 7 following two previous units using Scratch, as a warm up for programming as well as a reminder of flowcharts and their usefulness in planning programs.

This resource includes a finished Space Invaders-style game made with Scratch, as well as a starter code version of the game and a tutorial/help sheet. This is intended for one lesson to help teach variables and subroutines. The finished version can be shown as a demonstration of how the game should work, then the students can be shown the starter code. This version does not work, and they will need to complete the tasks on the tutorial to get it working correctly. The tutorial includes screenshots of code snippets and explanations of how any why they work to get the game functioning correctly.

This resource is a set of instructions for KS3 students to create their own game. Ideally they will be at or near to finishing with Scratch before moving on to more complex programming languages. This is intended for the end of my KS3 Scratch Unit of work. Included is the Word document which details what they will need to include in their game (and what they might want to include), as well as an example game evaluation written in Powerpoint to make it easy for them to write about. There is also a skeleton evaluation which describes what they need to include in their evaluation. As the students can create their own game and need to write about how they have made it, this is likely to take a minimum of three lessons.

Two worksheets, the second harder than the first, which can be printed in A5 size. Suitable for GCSE students learning about sound and can build towards practice exam questions. Answers are included in a separate file.

A powerpoint introduction to arrays (GCSE) including why they are used, and a programming task at the end. Also included in this resource is the full code (Visual Basic) for all four tasks at the end of the presentation.

Presentation with information on computer software, including the differences between application, system software and operating systems. This is the fifth lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.

Included is a Powerpoint used to teach binary addition and shift to a mixed ability GCSE class. Includes lots of chances for students to practice the techniques with questions and follow up by writing notes on how to calculate the addition and shifts.

A 60 minute lesson delivered for Year 8 in an observed lesson. All tasks are on the lesson plan/powerpoint notes, there are more than enough so I have not delivered this lesson using every task. Worth running through the memory game slide to see how the animation works before using it. This is the sixth lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.

This resource consists of a PowerPoint presentation giving information about the CPU. It also has links to youtube and revision games to play at the end. This is the fourth lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.

Included is a presentation reviewing the Bubble Sort method, and an interactive Excel activity that can is self-marking and can give students immediate feedback. There is also a help sheet for anyone who has missed the Bubble Sort theory or needs help with the activities, and differentiated instructions for writing a Bubble Sort program (I used Visual Basic but the code hints could be adapted to another language quickly). I have also included the lesson plan that I used for a lesson observation. There are notes on AfL and differentiation included in the plan.

This PowerPoint can be used to show students the components that go inside a computer. I used a laptop disassembly to go along with this, but have left in slides including images of the different components so it can be used without. Following this the students go online to look at important features of each component, and how they work to make the computer as a whole work. This is the second lesson in the 'How a Computer Works' topic.

Included is a programming project to recreate a well known game that I have used with a mixed ability Year 10 class. The project took 3-4 lessons and includes the powerpoint highlighting the main challenges in creating the game, the full code (Visual Basic), pseudocode for the whole program and images of code/pseudocode for each challenge that the programmers face. Images were used for this to prevent students copy and pasting the code. To differentiate, after talking through solving each challenge as a class, the students were able to load up the image of either the code or pseudocode, and type the code required into their program. The pseudocode is more challenging as it needs translating into code, and the code has key words missing so it is not just about copying the code into their program. I have also included teaching notes on how to discuss the different challenges, and a help sheet on 2-dimensional arrays.

Included is a presentation on iteration using Small Basic. Includes some theory and programming tasks, including all of the code required, instruction sheets and code snippets useful for helping students who might otherwise struggle with programming. I have used this with multiple mixed ability Year 8 classes, who have all managed some success with programming. Also included at the end of the presentation is a link to a Kahoot quiz written specifically for this lesson. One of the early tasks involves changing the background colour of the graphics window. Be aware that if students play around with the timing then it could potentially affect students with epilepsy. I made sure that none of my students would be affected before planning this lesson.