Using the PrimaryConnections Science Program to Teach Technology

Using the PrimaryConnections Science Program to Teach Technology

Learning Area

Design and Technology

Year Level

Four

Strand

Technologies Contexts

Sub-Strand

Engineering principles and systems

Forces, and the properties of materials, affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011)

This is from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) however the equivalent for the Australian curriculum can be found online.

Link to the Resource

Hard Copy ($42):

https://www.primaryconnections.org.au/shop/2PC405-BK

Online resource available on Scootle for free; however, you will need to create an account:

http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/S7161/Package-it-better-2012/index.html

To watch PrimaryConnections in action within the classroom click here and it will take you to their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmx-UK7n-78qwCi4tnJYdDQ

Cross Curricular Priorities

Critical and creative thinking (CCT), Personal and social capability (PSC)

Links to Other Learning Areas

Science, Literacy, Mathematics

Some Background on the Creators

The Australian Academy of Science has linked science with literacy through the innovative program that is PrimaryConnections. The many lesson ideas and units created through PrimaryConnections use an inquiry-based approach to develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in both science and literacy; however, many of the lessons can be adapted to suit teaching different aspects of the curriculum. To find out more, please visit the PrimaryConnections website at https://primaryconnections.org.au/about.

Using this Resource

Whilst this resource is set to a quite specific year level and section of the curriculum, it is very easy to implement in the classroom. The program is an eight week course that is designed to cover an entire section of the year four chemistry curriculum. However; looking deeper into the content and tasks required of the students, it is actually a program that coincides very closely with the technologies curriculum. The program is essential lesson plans that include diagnostic, formative and summative assessments; with sequential lessons that build on each other with every activity. The entire program is extremely hands on, with each child being placed into groups and assigned a role, which is linked to improving personal and social capabilities. It caters for visual, audible and kinaesthetic learners. Much of the work is already done for you, it just needs to be adapted to have more of a technology focus if you so desire. If year four is not your year, PrimaryConnections offer science programs for every year level K-12, all of which have ideas on how to teach lessons based on technology. It is just up to you to adapt the program accordingly!

Unplugged: Computational Thinking

code.org

Year Level:  3 – 6

Strand: Digital Technologies – Processes and Production Skills.

Sub Strand: Digital Implementation

Content Descriptor

  • Year 4 : Use simple visual programming environments that include a sequence of steps (algorithm) involving decisions made by the user (branching) ACTDIP011.

Links to other learning areas

  • Mathsmonster
  • English

General Capabilities

  • Personal and social capability
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

Link to Resources

Link to lesson plan – Unplugged Computational Thinking Monsters Lesson

Use this fun, unplugged activity to introduce your students to the four steps of computational thinking – decomposition, patterns, abstraction and algorithms. All you need is paper and markers! This activity will also cultivate collaborative skills and create an engaging, fun environment for children to think like computer scientists. You can adapt this activity to suit most grades, and some adjustments have been suggested in the resource.

This resource is a lesson plan, offered as the third lesson in a twenty hour course introducing computer science by Code.org. Students will be given the task of identifying monsters from the planet Zuron. They need to progress through the four steps of computational thinking to achieve the goal. Teams work together to create a monster using a range of features. They then write an algorithm that will guide another team to draw their monster to scale without having seen it.

Using this in your classroom

You can simply download the lesson plan from the link provided in this blog and use it as a stand alone lesson.  Alternatively you can start a 20 hour course with your class by signing up to code.org….it’s free!