Year 5-6: Digital Systems, micro:bits, Programming, and Magic!

This unit has been designed for students with little to no prior knowledge of digital systems.

Includes:

• 14 x 1hr lessons
• Year 6 DT Learning Continuum
• 9 x Coding cards

Objective: At the end of the unit, students should be able to explain digital systems, the difference between hardware and software, and hardware components, including storage, CPU, motherboard, input and output devices/peripherals. Students should be able to use software to write programs in Blockly code to solve simple problems using the input and output capabilities of the Micro:bit, plus some extended functionality using the Grove Inventor kit and BitBot robots.

Achievement Standard: Students explain the fundamentals of digital system components (hardware, software and networks) and how digital systems are connected to form networks. Students incorporate decision-making, repetition and user interface design into their designs and implement their digital solutions, including a visual program.

Content Descriptors:

• Examine the main components of common digital systems and how they may connect together to form networks to transmit data (ACTDIK014)
• Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input (ACTDIP020)
• Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)
• Define problems in terms of data and functional requirements drawing on previously solved problems (ACTDIP017)