Computing (Key Stage 3)
Key knowledge is defined for Key Stage 3; we know what our pupils need to know at the end of Year 9 in computing and digital literacy in order to progress onto Key Stage 4 successfully. Knowledge is sequenced carefully from Year 7 through to Year 9, allowing practice and recap throughout the Key Stage as new knowledge is acquired. The Key Knowledge that we deliver is as follows:
Computing (Key Stage 3)
Reading for Pleasure
| Book Title | Publishing Information | What's it about? |
| Willful Machines by Tim Floreen | Margaret K. McElderry Books 978-1481432788 | In this near future thriller, scientists have created “Charlotte” - an artificial human with intelligence, who has uploaded her consciousness to the Internet and started terrorising the American people. |
| Six by Mark Alpert | Sourcebooks Fire 978-1492632634 | A teenager with muscular dystrophy whose main outlet is virtual reality video games has to save the world from the threat of a rogue artificial intelligence program. |
| Diary of Minecraft Skeleton Steve the Noob Years by Skeleton Steve | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 978-1979934978 | The very first diary of Skeleton Steve himself! Welcome to a new adventure. Follow along the 'The Noob Years' of Skeleton Steve, Minecraft writer and adventurer, back when he first started his travels on Diamodia! Fresh out of the "Enderman Ninja" series, Skeleton Steve and Elias the Enderman Ninja are traveling east to explore a distant village on the Enderman's map. The village's library is a great place to find an empty journal for Skeleton Steve's first diary, right? |
| Bash Bash Revolution by Douglas Lain | Night Shade Books 978-1597809160 | Matthew Munson is an unambitious kid from a broken home. His father is often absent and also working on a highly secretive government project looking to create a sentient artificial intelligence. |
| Ready Player One by Ernest Cline | Arrow 978-0099560432 | "Ready Player One” takes place in the not-so-distant future--the world has turned into a very bleak place, but luckily there is OASIS, a virtual reality world that is a vast online utopia. People can plug into OASIS to play, go to school, earn money, and even meet other people (or at least they can meet their avatars), and for protagonist Wade Watts it certainly beats passing the time in his grim, poverty-stricken real life. Along with millions of other world-wide citizens, Wade dreams of finding three keys left behind by James Halliday, the now-deceased creator of OASIS and the richest man to have ever lived. The keys are rumoured to be hidden inside OASIS, and whoever finds them will inherit Halliday's fortune. But Halliday has not made it easy. And there are real dangers in this virtual world. |
| Trigger Happy: The inner life of videogames by Stephen Poole | Fourth Estate 978-1841151212 | A witty, comprehensive and passionate discourse on the videogame explosion. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in this industry. |
Websites
| Website Address | Description of what is offered | Password |
| https://www.khanacademy.org/computing | Khan Academy is a non-profit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. There are lessons that will provide students with independent learning on topics such as coding and cryptography. | |
| https://code.org/learn | Free courses and activities to assist students in coding and computational thinking. | |
| https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize | Excellent resources that allow for students to learn independently, revise and test themselves on the topics covered in KS3 computing |
Enrichment
We encourage all of our pupils to engage in enrichment and extra curricular activities in school. We are currently offering the following enrichment in KS3 but for up to date information, please consult the latest edition of the Parent Newsletter.
| Club or Activity | When & Where | Who can I ask for more information? |
| D&D Club | Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after school - A206 | Mr Cowley |
| Computing homework and catchup | Every night - Various computer rooms | Miss Johnson |