Cover Lessons - DCF Cymru

Crediting Art in an Online Class Gallery

Year 3 · Art · Beginner Presentation

DCF: Citizenship → Digital rights, licensing and ownership

An invented Year 3 class in Llandeilo is making an online gallery of art about their town. Using a pretend gallery screen with six pictures, pupils spot the copyright symbol and a SAMPLE watermark, sort the pictures into 'yes, with credit', 'only if they say yes' and 'no', and explain when it is fair to use someone else's art. They then write the gallery's words: they fix the punctuation in five credit sentences, write a polite message asking a classmate for permission (with a question mark and an apostrophe), and write credit labels and a list sentence with commas, so their punctuation is marked from the sheet. Paper-based; no computers needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Programming a Mars Rover to Collect Rock Samples

Year 3 · Computing · Beginner Presentation

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling

Pupils program a toy rover to collect rock samples on an invented floor map of a crater on Mars, using 3 command cards: forward, turn right and turn left. They trace two programs, find and fix the bug in two broken programs (one turns the wrong way, one is missing a step and gets stuck in soft sand), write and test their own route, and shorten a program with a repeat. Every turn is named as a quarter or half turn, clockwise or anticlockwise, in a turn table that is marked as numeracy. Science link: why rovers on Mars follow programs and collect rocks. Paper-based; no computers or robots needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Debugging a Library Shelving Algorithm

Year 3 · English · Beginner

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling

Pupils follow a library flowchart to sort 10 returned books onto a story shelf and a non-fiction shelf, put the non-fiction spine numbers (398 to 942) in order with the < sign and the story books in A to Z order, then debug 2 mistakes: a shelf with two books swapped and a written algorithm that stops after one book because it has no repeat. They predict where 3 new books go, write spine numbers in words and figures, and add a new question to the algorithm for a Cymraeg shelf. Unplugged: no computers needed. The ordered numbers and number words give numeracy evidence for the number system.

Resources required

Pupil worksheet: Debugging a Library Shelving Algorithm
Worked example and answer key: finished shelves, bugs fixed and the new Cymraeg shelf rule
Print the worksheet in colour if possible: the book spines and flowchart are on the sheet

Tools required

Pen and paper

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Making a Pictogram of a Street Traffic Survey

Year 3 · Geography · Beginner Presentation

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Data and information literacy

Pupils help an invented Year 3 class at the invented Ysgol Pen y Bryn decide if the village high street outside school is busy enough to ask the council for a crossing. Working from an invented 10 minute survey shown as a numbered strip of 30 vehicle pictures, they sort and tally the vehicles, total them in a table, draw a pictogram where 1 circle stands for 2 vehicles, answer questions from the data, fill in a paper computer record card and write to the council. Steps 1 to 4 give the numeracy evidence: a tally chart, a table totalling 30 and a pictogram with a key.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils
Ruler

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Programming a Litter-Picking Robot with Compass Directions

Year 3 · Maths · Beginner

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling

Pupils program Robi, an invented litter-picking robot, on a paper map of Parc Glan yr Afon, an invented park. They label a compass and use north, east, south, west, next to and between to describe where things are. Then they predict and trace an algorithm, write their own arrow algorithm to collect 3 pieces of litter, and write the same route in words. Last, they debug Ffion's algorithm, shorten algorithms with repeat and change one to get a new ending. Everything is unplugged, so no computers are used.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Screen Time and Green Time Pictogram

Year 3 · PSE / Well-being · Beginner

DCF: Citizenship → Health and well-being

Pupils sort 12 everyday activities into ones that use a screen and ones that do not, spotting a digital device with no screen. They tally 24 invented answers from Class 3 at Ysgol Bryn Coed about Saturday mornings (Videos 5, Games 4, Park 6, Bike 3, Reading 2, Swimming 4), draw a pictogram where one face stands for 2 pupils, and read it to find that 9 pupils chose a screen activity and 15 did not. They finish by writing good and not so good things about screens and planning a balanced Saturday morning with at least 60 minutes of activity. Paper-based; no computers needed.

Resources required

Pupil worksheet: Screen Time and Green Time Pictogram
Worked example and answer key: sorted activities, tally, pictogram and model answers
Coloured pencils for the pictogram

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Coding a Pixel Art Welsh Dragon

Year 4 · Art · Intermediate Presentation

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling

Digital art from code. Pupils check a row-by-row pixel code (such as 9W 2R 1W) by adding each row to 12, then follow it to colour a pixel Welsh dragon on a 12 by 10 grid. They count the red, white and green pixels (47, 61 and 12) and check the total against 12 x 10 = 120, find and fix three bugs in a copied code (two found by the totals, one only by testing the picture), rewrite repeating rows as loops with a number sentence to prove each makes 12, and design and code their own pixel picture for a partner to test. Paper-based; no computers needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pencil
Coloured pencils

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Building a Branching Database of Minibeasts

Year 4 · Computing · Intermediate

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Data and information literacy

Using picture cards from an invented school minibeast hunt, pupils enter 12 minibeasts into a database table of records and fields, search it with one and two rules, and build a branching database of yes or no questions that names every minibeast, writing their own questions to split the 5 with wings. They then sort the minibeasts with 2 rules in a Carroll diagram and draw a bar chart of how many were found, with a scale in 2s, which is marked as numeracy. Paper-based; no computers needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Ruler

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Planning a Video Call with a Children’s Author

Year 4 · English · Intermediate

DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication

An invented children’s author emails Class 4 to offer a video call. Pupils compare letters, email, phone and video calls and explain the advantages of communicating online, read times on analogue clocks in words and 12-hour digital, use the author’s free times and the class timetable to find a 30-minute slot that avoids PE, assembly, break and lunch, draw the start and end times on clock faces, then write the reply email on a paper email form and swap with a partner, who replies as the author. The clock and timetable work gives numeracy evidence for measurement (time).

Resources required

Pupil worksheet: Planning a Video Call with a Children’s Author
Stimulus: the author’s email, the Class 4 timetable and 4 ways to get in touch
Worked example and answer key: clock times, possible call times and a model email
Pupils swap sheets with a partner for the last step

Tools required

Pen and paper

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Saving and Naming Photos from a Trip to St Fagans

Year 4 · History · Intermediate

DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Storing and sharing

Pupils save photos from a class trip to St Fagans National Museum of History using a pretend tablet camera roll printed on paper. They explain why default names such as IMG_2041.jpg are hard to search, choose the best name, plan a folder tree on the class shared drive and rename 12 photos with a searchable pattern. They then work out folder sizes, check what fits in the free space and plan a backup on a USB stick. The class, camera roll, file names, file sizes and free space are invented; the museum facts are real. Teachers can assess mental addition and subtraction of file sizes, times tables and multiplying by 10.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Pencil

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Planning a Times Tables Quiz Slideshow for Year 2

Year 4 · Maths · Beginner

DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

Pupils read an invented note from Mr Hughes, a Year 2 teacher at Ysgol Cwm Derw, asking Year 4 to plan a quiz slideshow about counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. They name the audience and purpose and write success criteria. They compare a vague picture search with a better one and improve keywords. Then they storyboard a title slide, 6 question slides with correct times table answers and an end slide. For the literacy work they write a Year 2 instructions slide using First, Next, Then and Finally, then check and improve their plan.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils
Computer/Laptop (optional)

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Sorting a School Birdwatch into a Table and Bar Chart

Year 4 · Maths · Intermediate Presentation

DCF: Data and computational thinking → Data and information literacy

Pupils turn the invented birdwatch log of Ysgol y Wern's Year 4 class, 48 picture cards of garden birds, into organised data. They tally the cards, enter totals in a pretend spreadsheet, sort it from most to least and use cell names. They draw a bar chart scaled in 2s, answer questions, sort the birds with two rules in a Carroll diagram like a database search, and judge which format suits each question and whether one hour at one school proves a claim about Wales. The tally, bar chart and Carroll diagram give numeracy evidence.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Ruler
Coloured pencils

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Making a Group Chat Kinder

Year 4 · PSE / Well-being · Intermediate

DCF: Citizenship → Online behaviour and online bullying

Class 4 at an invented school are choosing sports day relay teams on a message board their teacher can read. Pupils sort the messages into kind, unclear and unkind or unsafe, name the forms of online bullying they see (leaving someone out, mocking, sharing an embarrassing photo) and explain why a joke can hurt more online. They then edit five messages so they are kind, clear and correctly punctuated, explain where and why they made each change, and decide what Erin and her classmates can do: keep the messages, tell a trusted adult, report and include her. Paper-based; no computers needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Planning a Stop-Motion Film Frame by Frame

Year 5 · Art · Intermediate Presentation

DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

Planning a digital animation before starting it. A film club wants to make a stop-motion film about Seren, a paper dragon who flies from her classroom shelf to the beach at Aberystwyth. Pupils write success criteria for the film, change the photos in an invented plan into seconds at 10 photos a second, find the total (610 photos, 1 minute 1 second) and cut it to fit the 1 minute limit. They work out how far to move the model between photos (half a centimetre, 5 mm), draw a six-frame storyboard with shot types, list the kit, and estimate filming time (3 hours 20 minutes, 5 weekly sessions). Paper-based; no computers or cameras needed.

Resources required

Tools required

Pen and paper
Coloured pencils
Calculator (optional)

Software / weblinks

See a completed example

Choosing Keywords to Research a Frog Life Cycle

Year 5 · Computing · Intermediate Presentation

DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

Pupils plan a search about how a common frog grows, set success criteria, and compare pretend search screens for the keywords "frog", "frog life cycle" and "common frog life cycle Wales" to see why specific keywords work better and which result to trust. They skim the headings and scan a wildlife charity page for 7 facts, check 3 claims on an unreliable blog against it, record their source and answer the question in their own words. The skimming, scanning and reliability work is marked as literacy. All websites are invented; the frog facts are real. Paper-based; no computers needed.