curriculum Intent
Computing supports the school Curriculum Intent
Values:
Values are at the heart of most Computing lessons. Children are encouraged to assist one another but not do it for someone else! They are also encouraged to be Curious in their questions and explorations as well as be Ambitious for themselves and become Happy, and Compassionate productive members of society. In WHA Computing we are life long learners and are in Awe at the natural World and some of the actions of our predecessors.
Online Safety and becoming a Good digital Citizen uses many Values as a bedrock including: Respect, Tolerance, Honesty, and Resilience.
Many Reception children have to dig deep into their reserves of Courage in order to climb the stairs and enter the new and unusual world of the Computer Suite. To some it is quite an overwhelming challenge that also tests their Resilience.
Year 2 work together using Teamwork and Friendship to produce their Beebot world maps then turntaking when they come to program and supporting each other.
Year 5 in their project on Careers in technology (Gender Based Research) had Ambition and Curiosity as key elements.
Year 6 use Respect, Curiosity, Teamwork and Resilience when blogging and when working together to create their Crumble programs and circuits.
Knowledge:
Children explore through play, research and produce documents, files and programs with their creativity, skills, thoughts, findings and ideas. They gain the practical skills to produce that work as well as the content and subject matter. Examples include:
Reception learning how to select, order, sort & group.
Year 1 looking at Vincent Van Gogh's artwork using Google Arts and Culture then using cameras to photograph lillies growing in the school grounds to finally produce their own version of Lillies using paint programs.
Year 2 learning how each of the drawing and paint tools work e.g. rectangle tool - drag from corner) and given time to become more adept with them.
Year 3 went on a virtual field trip using Google Earth to explore the Ring of Fire and navigate around the hundreds of tagged volcanoes.
Year 4 look at the history of technology and Computing. We study Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace and discuss who is most important and why. They need knowledge to have an opinion!
Year 5 building a 3D model of The Parthenon.
Year 6 learning about microbes and building computer models in code to represent their behaviour.
Equality:
Children explore and learn about equality as well as different places, cultures and points of view and broaden their experience.
For example, Year 3 deepen their understanding of the Stone Age by looking at the ancient hand prints left on cave walls. The discussions about why they were made are interesting and we create our own modern version using the tools available to us now - digital camera and paint programs. We discuss why some of the handprints are made by children and the evidence showing diseases, injury and even how a Neanderthal group may have cared for and even been led by a man with a badkly withered arm but lived to a relative old age.
For example, Year 4 learn about Computing History and we learn about and discuss the contributions made by Charles babbage and Ada Lovelace. We discuss how in Victorian Britain girls did not go to school, why and how amazing it is that Ada Lovelace was such a brilliant mathematician as well as why she is perhaps less celebrated than she should be.
Black History Month is celebrated and each year group looks at individuals and groups
Experience:
Children explore and learn about different places, cultures and points of view and broaden their experience beyond their immediate lives.
Reception use Simple City in Mini Mash to click on different places and learn about them. These include a Garden Centre, Vet, Farm, Cafe, Garage, and Building Site. Each place has a video explaining and describing it and several multimedia and interactive activities to explore further.
Year 3 using Google Earth to explore the Ring of Fire and navigate around the hundreds of tagged volcanoes.
Year 4 learn about and use simulation programs. We discuss why simulations are created, critique how realistic and useful they are before finally using a flight simulator to learn to fly.
Year 6 combine all their skills in maths, science, DT as well as 'soft' skills to build circuits, solve problems and create real world systems using Crumble circuit boards i.e. light circuits with switches, random moving pointers and vehicles.