For the g-forces activity pupils will be able to discuss how astronauts use forces to simulate the effect of launch and landing on their bodies, when preparing to go into space. The pupils look at the forces on a ball at the end of a piece of elastic and discuss the forces on an Astronaut in a centrifuge. For the...

NASA’s Mars exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity were sent to the planet to investigate its geology. Accurate images of the surface were needed so that possible areas to investigate could be selected and then the rover directed towards them. The cameras on board the rovers can only record black and white...

Produced by the Health Protection Agency, this e-Bug resource contains teacher guidance, stimulus materials and student activity suggestions. It looks at a variety of infectious diseases caused by harmful microbes.

Students are required to act as scientists and group a range of diseases under different...

In this, the final activity of a sequence of eight, children are asked to use their knowledge to create a challenge using Rapid Router, solvable using Python. It will ask their partner to use procedures, increment variables and apply different methods of control flow.

The resource includes an overview of...

This activity makes the leap from Blockly to Python programming. The 'grocery van driving challenge' is reduced from previous lessons to allow students to concentrate on syntax and correct coding using a limited set of instructions. Matching of Blockly and Python code is encouraged to assist the transition.

This activity in the Rapid Router series takes children further in their transition to text-based programming in Python.

By creating Blockly programs and comparing them to the automatically-generated Python code, children are encouraged to identify code which matches. The complexity of the problems is...

This activity follows-on from previous exercises using the Blockly editor on the Rapid Router website. It reviews what the children have learned before they proceed to using text-based programming.

The exercise looks at the most advanced ideas used with the Blockly-based phase of the Rapid Router scheme,...

This activity goes further into Python programming by expanding the range of repetition and selection commands used. Students also practice debugging of code.

Variables are explained before making use of incremented variables to solve challenges in Python.

Other programming practices, including...

This lesson activity further develops Python programming ability by introducing additional commands such as WHILE, IF, ELSE and ELIF. Debugging of programs is featured, and extension activities lead to the writing of functions that use COUNT IN RANGE() to control repetition. Students are also encouraged to mark-up...