Cover Lessons
Cover lesson ideas linking to the DCF, for a range of subjects, both offline and digital.
Organising and Crediting Reference Photos for a Welsh Landscape Project
DCF: Citizenship → Digital rights, licensing and ownership
Pupils sort a messy digital reference board of 8 Welsh coast and mountain images collected for a Year 7 landscape project. They check each image's licence (Public Domain, CC BY 4.0, CC BY-NC-ND, and All Rights Reserved), work out which images may be remixed into a digital collage for the school exhibition, rename files with a clear folder convention, and write full artist credit lines and a composition plan.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Organising and Crediting Reference Photos for a Welsh Landscape Project (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Organising and Crediting Reference Photos for a Welsh Landscape Project
- Stimulus: Eryri and Pembrokeshire reference folder and licences
- Worked example and answer key: audit table, structured file names, TASL artist credits and 3-layer composition plan
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Pixel Art Colour Palettes
DCF: Producing → Creating digital content
Pupils colour a 12 by 12 daffodil from a number code and palette, count its pixels and read its colour codes to work out how the shading was built. They then build a four-shade colour ramp and design their own Welsh pixel picture with five colours or fewer, tested with a partner's squint test.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Pixel Art Colour Palettes (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Pixel Art Colour Palettes
- Coloured pencils: yellow, orange, two greens, red and grey (shared per table)
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Coloured pencils
- Computer/Laptop (optional)
Software / weblinks
Binary Code Bracelets
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Using a five-bit code where a dark bead is a 1 and the place values are 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1, pupils convert letters to binary and back, decode a mystery bracelet, then design and colour their own bracelet for a five-letter Welsh word and have a partner decode it.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Binary Code Bracelets (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Binary Code Bracelets
- One dark and one light coloured pencil per pupil
- Beads in two colours and elastic thread, if you want pupils to thread a real bracelet
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Coloured pencils
Software / weblinks
Reporting a Computer Fault to the Technician
DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication
Pupils learn to choose the right way to ask for IT help and to write a fault report a busy technician can act on. Using an invented school's help notice, they choose between a help desk email, a phone call, a visit, a report button and telling a teacher for 6 problems, giving an advantage and a disadvantage each time. They check two weak emails for missing details and a shared password, sort a pupil's muddled notes into a plan and leave out what is unsafe or unhelpful, then write a short formal email with a clear subject line, 3 organised paragraphs, a sign-off and an attachment. A partner checks it against a list and they make one improvement. No computers needed.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Reporting a Computer Fault to the Technician (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Reporting a Computer Fault to the Technician
- Stimulus: Ysgol Bryn Gwenith IT help (the technician's notice, what a fault report needs, two weak emails and Lowri's notes)
- Worked example and answer key: the best way to get help for each problem, the email checks, a model plan and a model email
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Unplugged Algorithms: Sorting Networks
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Pupils trace six numbers through a twelve-comparator sorting network, recording every wire after each of the five steps, then try to break the algorithm with reversed, already-sorted and repeated inputs. They finish by designing and testing a three-wire network of their own.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Unplugged Algorithms: Sorting Networks (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Unplugged Algorithms: Sorting Networks
- Stimulus: the six-wire sorting network grid and number cards
- Scissors, to cut the six number cards from the stimulus sheet
- Chalk or masking tape, if you want to lay the network out on the floor
Tools required
- Paper, cards
Software / weblinks
Writing Precise Instructions to Draw Vector Shapes on a Grid
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
A numeracy and computational modelling lesson in Computer Science on coordinates, symmetry and vector graphics. Using a first-quadrant coordinate grid from (0, 0) to (16, 12), pupils trace a sequence of MOVE_TO and LINE_TO commands for a Welsh castle tower badge, spot and fix 3 wrong coordinates that distort the battlements, plot the corrected shape, calculate its side lengths and 44-unit perimeter from the coordinates, and write the exact 6-command vector script for a symmetrical shield icon.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Writing Precise Instructions to Draw Vector Shapes on a Grid (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Writing Precise Instructions to Draw Vector Shapes on a Grid
- Stimulus: Welsh castle badge coordinate grid and vector commands
- Worked example and answer key: corrected castle commands, completed grid, perimeter working and shield script
- Pencils and 30 cm rulers, one per pupil
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Ruler
Software / weblinks
Designing an App Icon
DCF: Producing → Creating digital content
Pupils judge four app icons against six design rules at the size a phone shows them, then sketch three ideas for an invented school wayfinding app called Ble?. They build their chosen icon pixel by pixel on a 16 by 16 grid in no more than three colours, shrink it to 8 by 8 and test it on a partner, and check that their pixel counts add up to 256.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Designing an App Icon (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Designing an App Icon
- Stimulus: app icon design brief, four icons to judge and the colour palette
- Coloured pencils (optional: pupils can write letter codes in the grid instead)
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Coloured pencils
Software / weblinks
Planning a CAD Desk Tidy with a Cutting List Spreadsheet
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Pupils check a 2D CAD drawing for a birch plywood desk tidy before sending it to the laser cutter. They convert centimetres to millimetres, spot 3 dimension errors where a phone slot is too narrow (62 mm instead of 85 mm) and two finger joints do not match, complete the spreadsheet cutting list formulas for area (=B2*C2) and total cost, and lay out all 5 parts inside a 300 mm by 200 mm laser bed with a 5 mm safety margin.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Planning a CAD Desk Tidy with a Cutting List Spreadsheet (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Planning a CAD Desk Tidy with a Cutting List Spreadsheet
- Stimulus: Plywood desk tidy 2D CAD drawing, brief and sheet sizes
- Worked example and answer key: converted mm dimensions, 3 CAD fixes, spreadsheet formulas and laser bed nesting layout
- Rulers and calculators, one between two
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Pencil and ruler
- Calculator
Software / weblinks
Sequencing and Punctuating a Safe Workshop Manufacturing Plan
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Pupils turn a jumbled, poorly punctuated set of 8 workshop notes for making a line-bent acrylic key fob into a clear, safe manufacturing plan. They put the stages into logical order (marking out, coping saw, filing, wet-and-dry paper, strip heater, pillar drill), join each hazard to its precaution using precise connectives (before, while, so that, otherwise), calculate total production time including a 4-minute cooling wait, and write the final step-by-step workshop card.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Sequencing and Punctuating a Safe Workshop Manufacturing Plan (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Sequencing and Punctuating a Safe Workshop Manufacturing Plan
- Stimulus: Line-bent acrylic key fob jumbled workshop notes and hazard cards
- Worked example and answer key: sequenced 8-stage table, 36-minute time total, connective safety rules and punctuated workshop card
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Organising a Shared Folder for the School Show
DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Storing and sharing
Pupils act as stage manager for Y Llong Goll, an invented Year 7 show whose shared folder has become a mess: 3 versions of the script, 2 storm sound effects with unclear names, exact copies of a photo and a 450 MB rehearsal video, and the cast's home addresses where every pupil can see them. They find what has gone wrong and what it could cost the show, design sub-folders and a version-numbered naming rule, and rename 8 files. They add decimal file sizes to find how much of the 2000 MB limit is used, how much deleting the copies saves, how many more rehearsal videos fit and how long one takes to upload, showing their working. They then decide who can view or edit each folder, plan a backup and write 4 folder rules for the drama studio.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Organising a Shared Folder for the School Show (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Organising a Shared Folder for the School Show
- Stimulus: the Y Llong Goll shared folder, with all 15 files, their sizes and who uses them
- Worked example and answer key: problems found, folder tree, new file names, storage sums with working, access table and folder rules
- Calculators for checking, one per pupil or pair
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Calculator
Software / weblinks
Storyboarding a Scene
DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Pupils read a one-minute scene set on the battlements of Conwy Castle, choose and justify camera shots for key moments, and plan the film as a six-panel storyboard with shot codes, sound and timings that add up to exactly 60 seconds. They finish with a sourcing list saying where every location, sound and prop will come from and whether they are allowed to use it. Paper-based; nobody films anything.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Storyboarding a Scene (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Storyboarding a Scene
- Stimulus: The Class Camera script and guide to camera shots
- Worked example and answer key: shot choices, completed storyboard and planning list
- Pencils and erasers for sketching the panels
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Ruler
Software / weblinks
Working Out Stage Lighting Angles and Props Budget for a Play
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem-solving and modelling
Numeracy in Drama: pupils read a lighting rig plan for an invented Year 7 production at Theatr y Bryn. They classify acute, obtuse and reflex angles on the lantern bar, calculate missing beam angles using angles on a straight line (180 degrees) and around a point (360 degrees), check that the spotlight hits the trapdoor at 45 degrees, and work out the props budget from a £75 grant with a 10% school discount.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Working Out Stage Lighting Angles and Props Budget for a Play (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Working Out Stage Lighting Angles and Props Budget for a Play
- Stimulus: Theatr y Bryn lighting rig angle plan, trapdoor spotlight geometry and props price list
- Worked example and answer key: angle classifications, missing beam angles, 45-degree spotlight check and props budget
- Calculators, one per pupil or pair
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Calculator
Software / weblinks
Collaborative Story Writing
DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Collaboration
Groups of four write one story together in a timed relay, each pupil building on the part before rather than starting again. They hand in the finished story plus a handover log recording what each writer added and what they left for the next.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Collaborative Story Writing (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Collaborative Story Writing
- Stimulus: four story starters and handover rules
- One shared document per group, or one sheet of lined paper if there are no computers
Tools required
- Computer/Laptop
Software / weblinks
- Microsoft Word Online or Google Docs
- BBC Bitesize - KS3 English
- National Literacy Trust
Fact-Checking an Online Article on Welsh Folklore
DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Pupils fact-check an invented clickbait blog post about Beddgelert and Cantre'r Gwaelod against 3 reliable reference extracts (Amgueddfa Cymru, Eryri National Park, and a historian's note on 18th-century innkeeper David Pritchard), build improved search queries with site: and quotation marks, score each source's reliability, and rewrite the opening 2 paragraphs accurately with inline source credits.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Fact-Checking an Online Article on Welsh Folklore (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Fact-Checking an Online Article on Welsh Folklore
- Stimulus: Gelert and Cantre'r Gwaelod fact-check pack with blog post and 3 reference extracts
- Worked example and answer key: fact-check verdicts, search queries, reliability scores and model rewrite
- Pens and highlighters, one per pupil
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Choosing Search Terms and Sources for a Welsh National Park Guide
DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Pupils plan a Year 7 digital visitor safety guide to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park on paper. They replace vague search phrases with focused 4 to 6 keyword queries, evaluate 6 pretend search results (comparing the National Park Authority, the Met Office mountain forecast and National Trust Cymru against an outdated 2011 blog, a commercial quad-bike advert and an unverified forum post), skim and scan for verified figures on Pen y Fan's height (886 m) and park area (1,347 sq km), and storyboard a 3-panel visitor safety card with source credits.
Resources required
- Supply teacher presentation: Choosing Search Terms and Sources for a Welsh National Park Guide (board slides, timers and script)
- Pupil worksheet: Choosing Search Terms and Sources for a Welsh National Park Guide
- Stimulus: Bannau Brycheiniog pretend search results and official fact pack
- Worked example and answer key: improved keyword searches, source evaluation, verified figures and model 3-panel visitor card
- Pens and rulers, one per pupil
Tools required
- Pen and paper