This collection includes a wide range of resources to bring the Christmas theme into Science, Maths, Computing, and design and technology lessons.  Activities include:

• deciding which planet Santa might live on
• a coding lesson for lights on a Christmas tree,
• making a Rudolph the red...

Two worked example coding challenges that are useful for teachers as a teaching aid. These can be used to illustrate the relationship between a flow chart, pseudo-code and program code.

• Fruit Machine...

In this video from Osiris Educational Bill Rodgers discusses what effective colleague support can reasonably be given when dealing with behaviourally...

This full program code demonstrates how arguments can be passed to Python programs at the command line. The program dynamically generates graphics, and the user can change parameters for the graphics using command line arguments. Suggestions for additional challenges are also included.

This resource consists of two documents. One is a theory sheet and the other a structured workbook for students to complete. This would form a useful independent learning resource so could be issued as a homework task.

This is a very comprehensive resource covering a range of pathfinding algorithm activities using graphs. It includes the Knight’s Tour puzzle as well as other examples. This is a highly readable resource that could be used for smaller activities including homework.

This briefing note, intended for Governors and Senior Management Teams, fleshes out the background to the introduction of computing in schools and is intended as a basis for a strategic debate about reform of the ICT curriculum. It has been written mainly with schools in mind, but the broad outline of the argument...

"Computing isn't about computers" - this quote from one of the CS4FN authors, Paul Curzon, should give you an idea about the resources in this collection. Designed to inspire, these activities are about people, solving puzzles, creativity, changing the future and, most of all, having fun. Magic tricks, philosophy,...

• Entrants create an original key-frame computer animation, up to one minute in length, using eligible software including: Alice, Flash, Scratch, Blender, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, Autodesk Maya, and Serif DrawPlus. Entries can be from individuals or from small teams. Prizes are awarded by...

Mark is a 3D modeller at Jagex, a computer games design company. He discusses his role in this video. He role involves the creation of 3D characters, areas and environments , taking briefs for art teams to bring it to life. He enjoyed art at school, was a keen gamer as a child and wanted to pursue his dream job....

This book is an introduction to the graphical language Snap!. Snap! is a free graphical programming language. Inspired by Scratch, it builds upon its foundations and expands its functionality.

This resource is suitable for both the novice and experienced programmer. The author, attempts to bridge the gap...

Mathematics plays a vital part in space flight, it gives us a way both to predict what should happen in the future and also ways to measure what’s actually happening in the present, and adapt to it. In this resource we look at a few places where maths helps in space flight. The maths is made simple here (it’s far,...

This edition of the Computing a School (CAS) newsletter includes articles covering:

*Pedagogy of computational thinking and programming

*Modelling and simulation with StarLogoTNG

*Scratch and RoboMind

*Text-based programming with Small Basic

*Route finding with graphs at A-Level...

This edition of the Computing at School newsletter contains articles on:

*Using Scratch4Arduino in primary schools to make musical instruments

*Learning algorithms with folk dancing and fairy tales

*Kodu programming

*Developing computing schemes of work

*Functional programming...

This textbook takes an ‘unplugged’ approach to learning the critical concepts in computer science. It relies heavily on metaphors as a means for readers to grasp new topics and relate them to their current understanding. It also contains puzzles which aid understanding.

The book includes chapters covering...