Author: pddring

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Free primary computing remote learning resources

I am in awe of primary teachers who are managing to teach students in school and send out home learning videos and resources at the same time. Thank you and well done!

6 years ago I worked with some amazing primary teachers across York to come up with some resources for the introduction of Computing to the National Curriculum for England including some keyword posters to help with the weird and wonderful words used in the computing programme of study.

To help with remote learning, I’ve put together a load of free online activities that students can do on (almost) any device without needing to sign up or login. They’re all based around keywords and definitions linked to each part of the KS1 and KS2 Computing programme of study.

There are loads of other computing resources out there but I hope that these save someone some time and stress.

Key Stage 1 Computing

Key Stage 1 Computing
Free primary computing remote learning resources for KS1

Key Stage 1 Computing is split into Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. You can find keyword games for each learning objective here or play a random game here

Key Stage 2 Computing

Key Stage 2 Computing
Free primary computing remote learning resources for KS2

Key Stage 2 Computing is also split into Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy. You can find keyword games for each learning objective here or play a random game here.

Free online activities

There are keywords and matching definitions for each learning objective for both KS1 and KS2 Computing. You can share a link to any of the following activities that use these keywords and definitions:

BugZap

Bug Zap free computing games
This activity is really quick for students to do. Click on the right word to zap a bug.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2

Eliminate

eliminate: free computing games
This activity is also really quick but makes them think a little more. They have to click on all the words that don’t match the definition.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2

Flappy Word

flappy word: free computing games
Are primary children too young to have played flappy bird? This is a shameless copy of the idea where you have to avoid the pipes to collect letters. When you’ve collected enough letters you have to rearrange them to spell the right word.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Hangman Definitions

hangman: free computing games
Hangman is a pretty morbid game when you think about it. But undeniably fun. You have to choose the letters to guess the definition of a keyword.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Hangman Keywords

hangman: free computing games
This is just like the other hangman game but a little more reading and less guessing. You are given the definition and you have to guess the keyword.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Jumble Keyword

jumble: free computing games
This one is great for spelling. You’re given a definition and you have to rearrange the letters into the right order to spell the keyword.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Snake

snake: free computing games
My students love this one but I’m not keen. You have to control the snake to collect the letters in the right order to spell your keyword. It takes quite a long time to do but students say it’s fun.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Type Race

snake: free computing games
This is probably my favourite. You have to type out the keywords and definitions. The faster you type the faster a little dinosaur runs on the screen. It will work on a touch screen but it’s designed to help build speed and accuracy typing on a keyboard.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Word search

word search: free computing games
You can do these on screen by clicking on the first and last letter or you can print them / export as PDFs so you can send them out for students to do offline.

Here’s an example for KS1 and KS2.

Competitions and tracking student progress

All of the activities are designed to work without needing to log in or sign up, but if you make a (free) teacher account then you can create competitions so you can track the score, accuracy and progress for each game. Go to https://tools.withcode.uk/keywords/user/ to create an account or manage your competitions.

Students don’t need to make accounts to take part in your competitions – they’ll be asked to enter their names and a code (which you decide when you make the competition). If you share this code with your students you can keep it private so that only your students can join in.

Students can’t see each other’s names – you’re the only one that can do that. Personal data is encrypted and stored in the UK to be GDPR compliant. You can find out more here or contact me if you have any questions.

Continue ReadingFree primary computing remote learning resources

18: Parameters in python

Functions and procedures are both examples of sub programs. They both allow you to re-use code to make your programs more efficient and easier to read.

Parameters allow you to customise how procedures or functions work to make them even more powerful and flexible.

This tutorial guides you through what a parameter is and how to use them effectively in your own programs.

Parameters in python: Adapt and reuse sections of your code

Contents:

Page 1: Intro

Page 2: The theory: learn what you need to know as fast as possible.

Page 3: Try it: try out and adapt some working python code snippets.

Page 4: Debug it: Learn how to find and fix common mistakes.

Page 5: Extend it: Choose a project idea to use your newfound python skills.

Continue Reading18: Parameters in python

17: Functions in python

Functions are just like procedures but with one key difference that makes them even more useful.

This tutorial guides you through what a function is, how to use them and how and when you should define your own functions.

Reuse sections of your code
Functions in python: Reuse sections of your code

Contents:

Page 1: Intro

Page 2: The theory: learn what you need to know as fast as possible.

Page 3: Try it: try out and adapt some working python code snippets.

Page 4: Debug it: Learn how to find and fix common mistakes.

Page 5: Extend it: Choose a project idea to use your newfound python skills.

Continue Reading17: Functions in python