This extension activity, from the Rapid Router Key Stage 1 course using Blockly, adds further complexity and challenge to simple sequenced commands.

Paired programming and unplugged activities build understanding of algorithms, with consideration of complexity and efficiency.

Included are wall...

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...

This activity, one in a series, uses traffic lights and control of vehicles to explore if-else, if, and wait commands, and to learn about variables.

A set of onscreen programming challenges are supported with teacher guides, worksheets, model solutions, assessment activities, wall displays and overview...

This lesson utilises challenges created by children during lesson 9 of the Blockly 'Rapid Router' course. While attempting to follow a programming challenge written by someone else, debugging skills and logical thinking are encouraged. Children are also required to use loops and other constructs independently....

In the third lesson of the course, children use direct 'remote control' of the Rapid router van to gain experience before starting to program their own sequences of commands. They also start to debug simple sequences.

The resource contains assessment records, wall displays, and activity solutions.

In this Rapid Router activity, children progress from block-based programming to the textual environment of Python. In doing so they learn about the nature of text-based coding, including the need for precise syntax and how it is structured.

The progression is handled gently, with code compared in both...

This Blockly lesson from the Rapid Router course examines selection using IF statements. Nesting IF statements within loops is also studied, and a video explains the importance of selection in programs.

An 'unplugged' activity reinforces understanding before the children code their solutions in Rapid Router...

This activity explores the concepts of pattern recognition and problem decomposition. It illustrates these ideas using a popular children's book, "We're going on a bear hunt" by Michael Rosen.

Children are asked to apply their understanding by then creating functions using the Blockly editor on the Rapid...

The second lesson using Blockly in upper primary within the Rapid router game-like environment. This activity introduces conditional repeat statements that loop until a condition is met. Videos are included that explain to children why conditionals are useful. Also included are worksheets, assessment forms, model...

Scratch is widely used in primary schools to teach children basic programming. This resource goes deeper, making use of the familiar Scratch environment to take students deeper into programming concepts such as:

• Algorithm design
• Parallel and sequential instructions
• Event-driven...

This resource contains a variety of activities and teacher resources to help students develop their problem solving skills, these are mostly through the use of unplugged activities which also encourage the development of skills associated with creating algorithms. The resources consist of teacher guides for each of...

The twenty seven challenges contained in this booklet are designed to challenge and inspire students whilst helping them on their journey to becoming a ‘computational thinker’. The ideas contained in the booklet will also provide useful teacher stimulation when planning lessons.

Many of the challenges...

Our society is linked by many networks: telephone networks, utility supply networks, computer networks, and road networks. For a particular network there is usually some choice about where the roads, cables, or radio links can be placed. This resource explores the need to find ways of efficiently linking objects in...