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Y7 Computing
Head of Department
Mr J Evason
Organisation of the subject:
Learners have 1 x 50 minute lesson each week in Year 7. Group sizes range from 22 to 34.
Key Concepts (The big ideas underpinning the subject)
- Understand how to stay safe online
- Understand core computer skills and be able to use them effectively
- Understand computational thinking skills and apply them into non-computing contexts
- Understand the use of spreadsheet software to solve problems
- Understand different types of input and output hardware
- Understand how to construct algorithms using sequence, selection and repetition
- Understand some of the types of security threats that are posed by connecting a device to the internet
What will your child be learning?
Year 7 students will be doing aspects of Digital Literacy, Computer Science and Information Technology under the umbrella of Computing. Starting with eSafety unit about staying safe online and a Basics unit where we explore our online digital learning platform and how to fully engage with it successfully. They then turn to Computational Thinking, where they will be learning about abstraction, decomposition, pattern recognition and generalising through some creative activities. Next, they will complete a Modelling unit using spreadsheets about being a spy where they will use-functions and formulae, sorting and filtering data and represent data graphically. Moving on to Hardware and Block Programming, where students work with small physical computers using their input and output devices to solve algorithmic thinking problems
Key 'Learning Capacities' in this subject
- Be able to work both independently and collaboratively
- Develop the confidence to ask for help and answer questions in the classroom
- Be able to tinker and strategically discover solutions to problems
- Inspire students curiosity to learn more about the technological world around them
- Persevere with more challenging work
- Apply techniques learned in previous years and other subjects
How will your child be learning?
- Practical lessons
- Thinking for themselves using reason and logic
- Paired work and group work
- Individual teacher interactions
- Teacher instruction/exposition
- Learner discussion
How will learning be assessed?
- Checks for understanding (CFU), including Do Now Activities (DNA), use of Mini Whiteboards (MWB), low-stakes quizzes
- Formative assessments
- Homework
- Deep marking opportunities through the year
- Knowledge assessments
What can you do to support your child?
- Speak to them about what they have been doing in their lessons
- Discuss changes in technology and the impact on society
- Support them to develop healthy habits with the use of technology
- We ensure that the majority, if not all, of the software we use is freely available to students. If there is the capacity to make it available
Equipment needed for this subject
- Pen, pencils, rubbers, ruler, calculator
Extra -Curricular / Enrichment Opportunities
- A wide variety of enrichment resources and materials: https://ulverstonvictoria.sharepoint.com/sites/ComputingIdeas
- Bebras computational thinking competition in November (in class and at lunch)
- Coding Challenge in March (at lunch)