Making things happen

Logo or turtle graphics

Become familiar with Logo graphics commands (and use procedures), using Textease and/or MSW Logo.

• task 1 (Year 2 - as an extension to QCA Unit 2d)
• lesson plan (Year 4 - QCA Unit 4e)
• task 2

A free version of Logo graphics software can be downloaded at home or school from here - right click over the Set up Kit - and select Save target as. Then double click on the saved file and follow the on screen instructions.

..and some ideas of how it can be used (from Ambleside C.E. Primary School).

A free resource which can also be used to introduce control is:Scratch, a free application from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Controlling devices

It is not until Years 5 and 6, that other forms of control are considered in Units 5e (Controlling devices), 5f (Monitoring environmental conditions and changes) and 6c (Control and monitoring - What happens when...?). These two links will introduce the concepts of monitoring and control:

• this Powerpoint presentation is aimed at KS 3 pupils;

Below are links to the companies which are the most popular suppliers of control technology equipment and software to primary schools:

• Data Harvest
• Lego
• 2Simple
• Logotron

Some resources:

• the following are worksheets, which I used with Year 6. The activities make use of a control box and software from one of the above suppliers.
  • Lighthouse 1
  • Lighthouse 2