What the National Curriculum says
The national curriculum key stage one programme of study requires pupils to be taught to-
- understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented as programs on digital devices, and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
- create and debug simple programs
- use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
(Taken from the National Curriculum in England: Computing programmes of study, 2013)
Broken code
Broken code can be used in different ways to meet the national curriculum aims-
- Editing code
- By removing or adding information pupils can debug and create solutions.
- Muddling code
- Pupils having to rearrange code to find the correct order and helps them to produce clear algorithms from code given
- Predicting code
- Giving pupils a section of code, they can predict the behaviour of programs, allowing them to use reasoning and judgement.
This can also be done by-
- Using Scratch remixes to give children broken code and let them predict, work practically and problem solve the effects.
- Printing copies of code, cutting them up and getting the children to re-built them as a starter or plenary. (Followed by completing this on the interactive whiteboard or their own computer/laptop/tablet at school)
- Giving partial information or hints on the whiteboard to help students piece back together the code and problem solve.
- Designing decomposition or abstraction activities to develop of understanding of algorithms and sequencing.
Below is an example of broken code for a game created in Scratch. (See here for more information) The code below will enable the Micro:bit to be used to control the movement of Tyson the Tractor in the game. In this instance we have provided certain information for the pupils…
They know
They do not know
- The order
This example could be done on the interactive whiteboard as a class or printed and cut out for the children to re-arrange in pairs.
Decomposition and Abstraction
However, there are steps before this that the children can take to enhance their computational thinking. These two examples below can help to elicit skills and develop thinking and problem solving.
Including skills of
- selection, repetition, abstraction, decomposition and sequence
Example of instructions
Another example of an instruction activity can be found here.
Example of a flowchart created to problem solve
Three examples of types of flow charts that could be created or progression that could be made throughout a module.
- image 1- basic flowchart
- image 2- colour coordinated with the blocks on scratch (or could be a pupils own key created to show block functions)
- image 3- addition of other command blocks used in code
See KS2 for further ideas
