Computing at Cotsford.
Computing at Cotsford is a combination of digital literacy skills and key computing skills. As the technological world advances, Computing at Cotsford will equip your child with all the necessary skills and experiences to excel in the world around them.
Please click the link for Computing National Curriculum Information
Summer 2
In Computing the children have consolidated their skills and knowledge from their work this year; taking photographs, operating Mrs Laverick’s whiteboard and also talking about internet safety. They have also explored Beebots and the rugged racers beginning to program them to how to move.
Year 1 have looked at coding using both Beebots and Purple Mash on the iPad’s. They have debugged to fix errors, written code for their friends to follow and enjoyed watching their code make a sprite move, hide and do different things.
Computing this half term has been amazing in Year 2! The children have continued to be confident at coding – Scratch Jr is their favourite. They have moved their character in all directions and challenged each other to move it to a specific place on the screen. They have explored following instructions as well as programming their character to a set criteria. They are becoming more confident at debugging and are very good at supporting each other. The children have continued to use the ipad for several research projects and are finding printing easier. They have used PicCollage and Purple Mash to create information booklets.
The children in Year 3 have enjoyed their computing lessons this half term. They have mainly worked on Scratch to complete various tasks including creating backgrounds and characters with movement and sound. The children have also been able to make their characters into a small game. They have enjoyed creating a set of instructions to make their game and have begun to debug their programme when needed.
Year 4 continue to impress us with their coding skills on Scratch. They have further developed their skills by exploring what each part of a code does and using it to create variables. Year 4 have been working very hard on their multiplication knowledge this year so they were able to create a multiplication game for their partner to play. They gave each other a star rating out of 5. Some children wanted some harder questions so they only gave their partner a 3.
Computing has been all about coding using scratch for Year 5. The class are really confident with their understanding of debugging so were able to correct issues in their codes to program accurately. After following a tutorial to reinforce the different buttons available, the class were able to produce their own moving and sounding codes, based on their interests. Some children even designed simple computer games!
Year 6 have also improved their coding skills. They have used Purple Mash, Scratch and Kodu to create their own games where they can make a sprite move around the screen and create a point scoring system.
Summer 1
Reception have used the Rugged Racers in computing this half term to move through the different worlds they have created with blocks. They’ve had so much fun making bridges and roads for their cars to travel through although this has been a little tricky at times.
Children in Year 1 recapped e-safety and how to stay safe online. They also looked at computers and how they an be used, saying which devices can be used to go online and which cannot. They also looked at the parts of a desktop computer such as the keyboard, monitor and mouse and how these are used and then used the keyboard to add text to their pictures from their class story Traction Man. They put their pictures and text together to make a book showing all the outfits Traction Man wore in the story.
Computing has been amazing in Year 2! The children have continued to be confident at using PurpleMash for a range of purposes including to support their work in History and English. The children have had fun researching Buckingham Palace; especially how many toilets and doors it has! They used this information to create a Palace leaflet. At first they researched the information and added the text, followed by drawing or inputting pictures into their leaflet. The children also enjoyed using a range of coding programs to make a sprite move.
In the Year 3/4 class the children have been finding out about how technology actually works. They have been learning about what networks are and how they work. The children also looked at the internet and were amazed to learn that it passes through so many routers across the world!
We have seen some great examples of coding in Year 4 this half term. The children have really looked forward to using Scratch each week to create sounds and loops which they were finally able to put together into an animation. You can try Scratch too, https://scratch.mit.edu/.
In year 5, the children have continued to develop their coding skills, building on the effort they made earlier in the year. The challenges have been more difficult and enabled the children to build their resilience and understand the need for debugging! They also went through more ways of staying safe online and making the internet a safer and healthier place for all.
Year 6 have been learning that not everything they see or read online is true. They have watched videos of fake adverts and discussed how they can use trusted websites to find accurate information. Alongside this, they have been working on coding using Scratch. They have learned how to create a simple game by precisely programming a set of instructions to create a ‘catch the hedgehog game’.
Spring 2
In Reception this term the children have begun to explore Rugged Racers and programming them to move in a certain way. These have been a big hit and they’ve had lots of fun making them move in certain directions.
The Year 1 children have been looking at coding. They explored and practised positional language using it to direct a partner forwards, backwards, left and right. They then explored these directions using Beebots and the Beebot app on iPads. They then wrote their own algorithms (set of instructions) to direct Beebots around a map and debugged using the clear button.
Computing this half term has been amazing in Year 2! The children have continued to excel in their research skills using a search engine. They have used this to support their Geography and English. The children have had fun exploring the bee bots. At first they started with reacquainting themselves with the different buttons and what happens when they press them. They learnt the hard way of ‘clearing its head’ before starting to programme them. The children then moved to creating algorithms to make the bee bot move and beginning to guess where the bee bot would stop. From this, the children then created algorithms to move the bee bots to specific places on the world map (linking their geographical knowledge).
The children in Year 3/4 have also practised their coding skills and have learned how to debug the instructions. They are able to use codes to make a set of instructions work.
They have also used the internet to research Horden. From this, they then presented their findings in a leaflet, then shared their findings with each other.
In Year 4 they started the half term by revising their understanding of internet safety and as you can see in the picture below, they made some posters to display around the school. The children then started to learn about networks and used the internet to research volcanoes, which they used to create fact files on Purple Mash. Finally, the children made their own databases, firstly with a partner and then individually on Purple Mash.
Year 5 have had an amazing time with computing. They have worked with professional animators and created both stop motion and digital animation to make an information video all about mine water heating and what it can do for the local community. The class made and decorated the backgrounds, created models, took pictures and pieced them together to create the final video! Great job everyone!
Year 6 have been learning about blogging this half term. They have developed their understanding of what a blog is and how these are used appropriately and with respect. Whilst blogging, Year 6 have kept in mind the Be-kind rules and have kept in mind that a blog should be a safe place to share views and comments.
Spring 1
In Reception, the children are becoming increasingly independent when using the iPads and they can take some amazing photographs of their work, always remembering to ‘fill the frame’! Here are some images that they have taken.
In Year 1 the children have investigated how to stay safe online and they have used this information to create a class poster to help other children in school to stay safe when online. Children know what is safe to share and what is not and they know what they have to do if they are unsure. They also learnt Buddy’s song to help them and other children remember the safety rules. They also used Purple Mash on the ipad to design a funny face linked to their art unit using 2paint.
Year 2 have also gained a deeper understanding of how to keep safe online. They did this by watching a series of ‘Hector’s World’ videos. Each video focused on a different part of keeping safe online i.e. use a nickname not your real name, don’t tell anyone your date of birth or where you live. From this the children wrote a letter to someone who had not used the internet before, outlining how to keep safe. Many children began to make references to their own experiences and the importance of telling an adult if something does not look correct. They also created safety posters to display in school! The children have continued to use the ipads to research in history, art and Spanish. Wow! The way children have used Google to find fantasy settings to write about and to research alternative adjectives has been amazing.
Y3/4 are able to identify ways of reporting anything that they are worried about online and how to identify someone that they trust. The children have used websites and videos to help them understand what personal information is, what information should be shared and also how to say ‘no’ when they are not comfortable with something. The children have created posters about ways of staying safe online including the main ‘dos and don’ts’. Finally, the children have been exploring how easy it can be to guess passwords, by using security.org to check how secure they are – they were quite shocked!
In Year 4, the children have had some very thoughtful discussions about age limits on social media and the need for privacy (Article 16). They made some class rules about staying safe (Article 19) online and how to use the internet safely including how to use search engines effectively. They made comic books on Purple Mash to explain how and why they should keep safe online, you can see some examples of their work below.
Year 5 have looked into cyberbullying and understanding why people do mean things online. The children know exactly what to do if they come across unacceptable things online, in chats and in messages and have taken part in role play to act out different senarios. They had a fantastic visit from David Burn (Be Safe North East) and he discussed more about online abuse and how to keep ourselves and others safe.
Year 6 have compared bullying and cyberbullying and can explain how to deal with different scenarios. They also investigated spreadsheets and could change the font size, colour and identify rows and cells. Moving on from this, the children created a formula using the SUM function. They can use a formula to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Autumn 2
This term the children in Early Years have used iPads to take images of their own creations in the areas. They have used the interactive whiteboard on lots of different games including Phonics Pop and Gingerbread Man counting.
Year 1 have explored Purple Mash. They have learnt how to open the app, use their own password to login and to go to and use tools abc. They enjoyed creating a poster to share their knowledge of the seasons.
Computing this half term has been amazing in Year 2! They have excelled in their research skills using a search engine. They have realised that they can’t just type a word in, instead they need to make it into a question to get the best results. The children researched St Cuthbert to support their work in RE and animals to help them write a report as well as find out about the different stages of an animal’s development. They have used Ipads in nearly all Geography lessons alongside atlases to research continents, oceans, mountains and rivers. As well they have continued to log into Nessy regularly to support their reading and have enjoyed playing the spelling games. Using Purple Mash they have created lifecycles of animals using To Publish. They can confidently save their work, open it and make necessary changes before printing.
Year 3/4 have used research skills to find out about physical features of rivers and how they are formed. They have also used the Ipads to look at maps and also Google Earth, which has really helped them in their Geography lessons. The children have also used the web to research the river dolphin – they couldn’t believe it was pink! The children have also began looking at coding, through 2Code on Purple Mash.
I have been so impressed with Year 4’s coding work. They used Purple Mash to improve their coding skills starting with the Chimp challenges and some children were even able to move on to the Gibbon challenges. You can try their favourite challenge here-https://www.purplemash.com/app/code/timers/clock.
In Year 5 have had a great half term looking at coding. They have been able to complete some difficult challenges and developed a great amount of resilience when it comes to debugging their codes. They have learned about binary form and how to write and solve codes in their computational thinking sessions.
Year 6 have also improved their skills in coding. They have learned to create algorithms both plugged and unplugged. They have created a set of instructions to guide a tourist around New York and have programmed a sprite to move in different directions. They have also debugged algorithms to ensure the intended outcome is achieved.
Autumn 1
In Early Years this term the children have used the interactive whiteboard to create pictures using a drawing program. They have begun to use a camera and iPad to take photographs of our friends.
Computing in Year 2 has been a rollercoaster ride! The children enjoyed exploring the bee bots and creating different paths for the bee bot to follow. Creating an algorithm practically was fun as the children kept sending their friends in the wrong direction. Writing their own algorithm however was something they found tricky!
The children have worked really hard logging onto a range of apps. They have had to learn the importance of resilience and independence. The more they did it the better they became! They used Purple Mash for drawing, typing and saving work. They linked some of this to their History topic about Horden. From this the children used the ipads to take pictures and create a pic-collage. The most impressive part is, printing. The children have followed several complicated steps to print their work but were so proud of their achievement. I have promised it will get easier and it did!
In the Year 3/4 class, the computing lessons focused on using Microsoft Word. The children spent some time getting used to the basic controls of a computer, then they began opening and saving word documents. They then typed up some notes and were able to change the font, size and colour of their text.
Year 4 have used Computing to present their understanding of the Roman’s topic. They have created PowerPoint presentations about the Roman Empire. Their favourite part was adding animations and transitions to each slide. They have also tried to add pictures and hyperlinks.
Year 5 have linked their computing learning with their science topic this half term. They have created PowerPoints about space, starting with safely and effectively researching using a trusted search engine; this was important to make sure the information they recorded was accurate and reliable! After creating their presentations, they learned how to change the design and layout, insert pictures, change the font and insert text boxes. Finally, they found out about hyperlinks and how to insert these into their presentations.
In Year 6 the children have improved their computing skills using Microsoft Word and Power Point. They have used the word programme to draw and fill shapes and have been able to manipulate these into clever interpretations of homes from the past. They had fun and lots of laughter using an aging app to show time travelling, seeing what they could look like as they get older.