Computing

Desktop Publishing

During this unit, learners will become familiar with the terms ‘text’ and ‘images’ and understand that they can be used to communicate messages. They will use desktop publishing software and consider careful choices of font size, colour and type to edit and improve premade documents. Learners will be introduced to the terms ‘templates’, ‘orientation’, and ‘placeholders’ and begin to understand how these can support them in making their own template for a magazine front cover. They will start to add text and images to create their own pieces of work using desktop publishing software. Learners will look at a range of page layouts thinking carefully about the purpose of these and evaluate how and why desktop publishing is used in the real world

Events and Actions in programming

This unit explores the links between events and actions, whilst consolidating prior learning relating to sequencing. Learners will begin by moving a sprite in four directions (up, down, left and right). They will then explore movement within the context of a maze, using design to choose an appropriately sized sprite. This unit also introduces programming extensions, through the use of pen blocks. Learners are given the opportunity to draw lines with sprites and change the size and colour of lines. The unit concludes with learners designing and coding their own maze tracing program.