Year 8

Term 1

Lesson 1 – Get in gear

Recall that a general-purpose computing system is a device for executing programs; Recall that a program is a sequence of instructions that specify operations that are to be performed on data; Explain the difference between a general-purpose computing system and a purpose-built device.

Lesson 2 – Under the hood

Describe the function of the hardware components used in computing systems; Describe how the hardware components used in computing systems work together in order to execute programs; Recall that all computing systems, regardless of form, have a similar structure (‘architecture’)

Lesson 3 – Orchestra conductor

Analyse how the hardware components used in computing systems work together in order to execute programs; Define what an operating system is, and recall its role in controlling program execution

Lesson 4 – It’s only logical

Describe the NOT, AND, and OR logical operators, and how they are used to form logical expressions; Use logic gates to construct logic circuits, and associate these with logical operators and expressions; Describe how hardware is built out of increasingly complex logic circuits; Recall that, since hardware is built out of logic circuits, data and instructions alike need to be represented using binary digits.

Lesson 5 – Thinking machines

Provide broad definitions of ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘machine learning’; Identify examples of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the real world; Describe the steps involved in training machines to perform tasks (gathering data, training, testing); Describe how machine learning differs from traditional programming; Associate the use of artificial intelligence with moral dilemmas.

Lesson 6 – Sharing

Explain the implications of sharing program code

Introduction to Python Programming

Lesson 1 – First steps

Describe what algorithms and programs are and how they differ; Recall that a program written in a programming language needs to be translated in order to be executed by a machine; Write simple Python programs that display messages, assign values to variables, and receive keyboard input; Locate and correct common syntax errors.

Lesson 2 – Crunching numbers

Describe the semantics of assignment statements; Use simple arithmetic expressions in assignment statements to calculate values; Receive input from the keyboard and convert it to a numerical value.

Lesson 3 – At a crossroads

Use relational operators to form logical expressions; Use binary selection (if, else statements) to control the flow of program execution; Generate and use random integers.

Lesson 4 – More branches

Use multi-branch selection (if, elif, else statements) to control the flow of program execution; Describe how iteration (while statements) controls the flow of program execution.

Lesson 5 – Round and round

Use iteration (while loops) to control the flow of program execution; Use variables as counters in iterative programs

Lesson 6 – Putting it all together

Combine iteration and selection to control the flow of program execution; Use Boolean variables as flags.

Term 2

Lesson 1 – Website building blocks

Describe what HTML is; Use HTML to structure static web pages; Modify HTML tags using inline styling to improve the appearance of web pages

Lesson 2 – Words are not enough

Display images within a web page; Apply HTML tags to construct a web page structure from a provided design.

Lesson 3 – Taking Shortcuts

Describe what Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is; Use CSS to style static web pages; Assess the benefits of using CSS to style pages instead of in-line formatting.

Lesson 4 – Searching the web

Describe what a search engine is; Explain how search engines ‘crawl’ through the World Wide Web and how they select and rank results; Analyse how search engines select and rank results when searches are made.

Lesson 5 – Tightening the web

Use search technologies effectively; Discuss how the choice of search terms affects the information you find; Create hyperlinks to allow users to navigate between multiple web pages.

Lesson 6 – Navigating the web

Implement navigation to complete a functioning website; Complete summative assessment.

Lesson 1 – Get into shapes

Draw basic shapes (rectangle, ellipse, polygon, star) with different properties (fill and stroke, shape-specific attributes); Manipulate individual objects (select, move, resize, rotate, duplicate, flip, z-order)

Lesson 2 – Paths United

Manipulate groups of objects (select, group/ungroup, align, distribute); Combine paths by applying operations (union, difference, intersection)

Lesson 3 – Icon challenges

Convert objects to paths; Draw paths; Edit path nodes

Lesson 4 – What you will make

Combine multiple tools and techniques to create a vector graphic design

Lesson 5 – Under the hood

Explain what vector graphics are; Provide examples where using vector graphics would be appropriate

Lesson 6 – Showcase

Peer assess another pair’s project work; Improve your own project work based on feedback; Complete a summative assessment

Term 3

Lesson 1 – App development

Use a block-based programming language to include sequencing and selection; Use user input in a block-based programming language; Use variables in a block-based programming language; Reflect and react to user feedback

Lesson 2 – Tappy Tab App

Recognize that events can control the flow of a program; Use a block-based programming language to create a sequence; Use user input in an event-driven programming environment; Use variables in an event-driven programming environment; Develop a partially complete application to include additional functionality

Lesson 3 – School Lab Studios

How to identify and fix common coding errors using App Lab; How to pass the value of a variable into an object; Understand the need to establish user needs when completing a creative project

Lesson 4 – User Input

Apply decomposition to break down a larger problem into more manageable steps; Use user input in a block-based programming language; Use a block-based programming language to create a sequence; Use variables in a block-based programming language

Lesson 6 – Project completion

Use a block-based programming language to include sequencing and selection; Use user input in a block-based programming language; Use variables in a block-based programming language; Evaluate the success of the programming project

Lesson 1 – Across time and space

Describe examples of representations; Recall that representations are used to store, communicate, and process information; Provide examples of how different representations are appropriate for different tasks

Lesson 2 – Lights and Drums

Recall that characters can be represented as sequences of symbols and list examples of character coding schemes; Measure the length of a representation as the number of symbols that it contains; Provide examples of how symbols are carried on physical media

Lesson 3 – Binary digits

Explain what binary digits (bits) are, in terms of familiar symbols such as digits or letters; Measure the size or length of a sequence of bits as the number of binary digits that it contains

Lesson 4 – Numbers in binary

Describe how natural numbers are represented as sequences of binary digits; Convert a decimal number to binary and vice versa

Lesson 5 – Large quantities

Convert between different units and multiples of representation size; Provide examples of the different ways that binary digits are physically represented in digital devices, including electricity, magnetism, light, and even holes in paper