This short activity for primary school computing uses art to introduce the concept of abstraction. During a ‘guess what’ game the children are asked to represent a word on a card using drawing or modelling – in doing so they unconsciously concentrate on just the most important aspects of the idea they are...

This resource has been developed by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) and the BCS Academy of Computing. It will seek to consolidate learners’ understanding of modern information systems concepts, through study of web technologies, including HTML.

Whilst this resource has been designed to be used as a...

This introductory guide explains how to use the LINUX shell known as BASH (Bourne Again Shell). BASH is useful for linking together various programs for creating innovative solutions, and can unleash the power of a Raspberry Pi.

The guide covers running BASH, the syntax used, how to chain together commands,...

This worksheet is aimed at GCSE students aged 14 - 16. It is best used as a plenary activity at the end of the unit, after the students have been introduced to the fetch-decode-execute cycle and simple assembly code. Alternatively, the resource could be used as a home-learning task or an end of topic assessment....

The cs4fn magazine is a magazine on the fun side of all things to do with computer science. The authors write up computing research in a fun and accessible way that puts across their enthusiasm for the subject. Unplugged computing, computational thinking and practical applications of computers in many areas are...

"Computing isn't about computers" - this quote from one of the CS4FN authors, Paul Curzon, should give you an idea about the resources in this collection. Designed to inspire, these activities are about people, solving puzzles, creativity, changing the future and, most of all, having fun. Magic tricks, philosophy,...

This lesson focuses on the statement: Modern Society relies heavily on computers, without computer systems there would be chaos. Students are asked to reflect on this statement and discuss whether they believe this to be true. In groups they are asked to look at different areas of modern life and to research where...

This booklet is an example of a programme of study for ICT and Computing produced by Matt Britland. The programme contains details of the ICT strands and aims and fourteen original projects for students in years 7-9. Each project includes a link to a presentation that...

This edition of the Computing at School newsletter focuses on pedagogy, and contains articles covering:

*Barefoot Computing teaching resources and ready-to-deliver CPD with QuickStart Computing

*BCS Certificate in Computer Science Teaching

*Baseline assessment of computing

*Bebras...

This resource consists of a presentation and some supporting materials to enable students to research and create their own presentation around the ideas that there are Ethical, Legal and Environmental Issues surrounding the use of ICT in Business and Educational surroundings. The presentation sets the scene,...

This is an unplugged resource to simulate the fetch-decode-execute cycle in a processor. It is a frantic starter activity aimed at students aged 17-18. The teacher acts as the computer memory, passing out instructions to the students. The students take on three different roles, fetcher, decoder and executer.  At...

Students will need to be given various aspects of both secondary storage devices and what is expected of them in terms of creating the top trumps themselves. As background to the task the teacher needs to start by explaining the three main types of secondary storage magnetic, optical and solid state.

After...

This is a set of resources for students aged between 11 and 13, focusing on the internal components of a computer. The main presentation introduces the topic and contains links to external resources. Students are challenged to create storyboards and short stories to retell how the components work together. The...

Astro Pi is the name of a small computer developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA).

There are two very special Astro Pi’s. Their names are Ed and Izzy, and they have been qualified for spaceflight. They are now onboard the...