QCAICT

QCA ICT Framework

The following guidance has been adapted from the Primary QCA ICT Scheme of Work and shows how the Naturegrid Web site can be used to address many of the learning objectives within these units. Use the back icon in your browser to return to this page after exploring any links.
Year Group	ICT Click on the units below to find resources within the Naturegrid Web site that link to parts of the QCA ICT Framework.
Year 2	Unit 2C Finding Information
Year 6	Unit 6A Multimedia Presentation	Unit 6D Using the Internet to search large databases and to interpret information.

Unit 2C Finding Information
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities Black text = original QCA text Red text = adapted activities using the Naturegrid Web site
key idea: that CD-ROM's contain large amounts of information technique: to use buttons to navigate a CD-ROM	Remind the class how they use books to find information and that longer books have indexes to help them find information. Show the class that a CD-ROM contains as much information as several large books by using the buttons to navigate through pages. Discuss ways of finding information on a CD-ROM. Introduce the idea of the Internet which stores a vast amount of information.
technique: to search using menus	Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using menus. Ask the class which item in the menu should be selected to locate particular information, e.g. selecting 'the seashore' to locate information on crabs. Compare a CD-ROM Encyclopedia to the Children's page on the Naturegrid Web site, identify the different menu headings and demonstrate selecting the Pond Explorer Web site to find information on Water Spiders. Click to explore: Children's Pages
technique: to search using the index	Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using the index. Demonstrate how to return to the menu/home page. Ask the class to use the index to locate particular information.
Technique: to search using key words	Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using a key word. Ask the children to suggest some words to try. Deliberately mistype one word to show that words must be spelt correctly. Show that idiosyncratic words, such as 'kitty', are not recognised. Explain that some items can be found using more than one word, e.g. information on lions could be found using 'Africa' or 'zoo'. Ask children to work in pairs to use the CD-ROM to find pictures of animals, e.g. animals with fur, three animals that live in the sea. Ask them to use a key word to search by name or attribute.
key idea: that information can be connected in different ways at the same time technique: to use hot links or hyperlinks to navigate a CD-ROM	Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to use hot links or hyperlinks to find more information about a particular subject. Show the class how to retrace their steps using the back and forward buttons. Ask children to work in pairs to experiment freely with the package. Alternatively demonstrate how to complete Sebastian Swan's Web Enquiry. Children read questions on a web page and then click on hyperlinks which take them to the appropriate information. Pupils can record their responses on a downloadable sheet. Click here to link to the Web Enquiry: www.naturegrid.org.uk/infant/swan/enquiry.html
Integrated Task to use appropriate search techniques to find information to use straightforward lines of enquiry	As part of a class project on animals that live in different environments, choose two contrasting areas, e.g. a pond and a field. Remind the class of the different ways of searching for information on a CD-ROM. Ask the children to work in small groups to research different habitats on a CD-ROM encyclopedia. Remind the class to use the back button to retrace their steps if they get lost. Help children to copy information into a word processor and ask them to write one sentence about the animals they found. The sentence should include the key word they used. Pupils could also research the same habitats on the Naturegrid Web site and then compare to finding information on a CD-ROM. Click to explore these different habitats: Pond Explorer Woodland Explorer Grassland Explorer Ask the class to compare searching for information on a CD-ROM and the Internet, with searching for information in printed encyclopedias. Ask them to consider which is quicker or more convenient.
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Unit 6A Multimedia Presentation
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities Black text = original QCA text Red text = adapted activities using the Naturegrid Web site.
Key idea: that computer software can include a range of media and gives the user a range of options	Discuss with the class the difference between a CD-ROM and books and videos, and demonstrate that a CD-ROM includes a range of media and offers the user different options. Discuss how these options address the needs of different audiences.
Technique: to design multimedia pages	Show the class the following home pages: www.naturegrid.org.uk www.naturegrid.org.uk/infant www.naturegrid.org.uk/plant Discuss how emphasis and location help the user understand the page, e.g. how buttons are placed consistently, how bright colours and sizes are used to indicate importance, how pictures and text complement each other. Ask the children in pairs or small groups to evaluate the above Internet home pages and list the features which they think work or do not work. Click below to download an evaluation sheet. Evaluation Sheet
Technique: to sample sounds	Demonstrate how to record sounds using a microphone and how to create a button which plays the sounds. Divide the class into groups and ask them to create a page which includes a menu of sounds. The page could be a page of sounds recorded from musical instruments, or an interactive birthday greeting for an infant class, which includes hot- spots linked to sounds.
Technique: to produce a diagram that shows the links between pages technique: to create buttons to link pages	Demonstrate how buttons can create links between pages. Prepare a set of A4 sheets showing sample multimedia pages without links. The set should include a menu page and pages which lead to a number of following pages. Ask the children to work in groups to identify the links between the pages, draw on any necessary buttons and write next to the buttons the page to which they link. Ask each group to produce a flow chart showing the links between the pages. The arrows on the flow chart should be labelled with the choice that would appear on screen.
Integrated Task to use a multimedia authoring program to organise, refine and present information in different forms for a specific audience	Explain to the class that they will use what they have learnt to create a multimedia presentation, which includes images, sounds and text. Ask the class to recall what they have learnt so far. Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to choose a subject for their presentation and to describe their audience. Ask each group to draw a diagram of their presentation, showing how the pages link. Children should then design their pages on screen and print out their results.
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Unit 6D Using the Internet to search large databases and to interpret information
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities Black text = original QCA text Red text = adapted activities using the Naturegrid Web site.
Key idea: that it is important to interpret information and to understand it	Provide a range of short articles. There are a number of pages that can be printed from the Naturegrid web site for children to interpret. Try printing the following links from the Pond Explorer part of the web site: Mayfly Nymph Chironomid Larva Water Spider Phantom Midge Larva Cyclops Divide the materials and children into groups and ask the children to pick out the key points from the text. They should retell the information to the rest of the class using two key messages from the material.
Short Focussed Task technique: to access an Internet site using a favourites list technique: to print a page from the Internet key idea: that the printed information is understood	Choose a natural habitat to investigate. Ask the children to list what they know. Talk about where information can be found. Add these links to your favourites and then return to this by clicking back in your browser. www.naturegrid.org.uk/plant www.naturegrid.org.uk/woodland www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer www.naturegrid.org.uk/rivers Demonstrate choosing a site from this favourites list and how to print a page from the Internet. Divide the class into groups, give each group a Web Topic Trail. These consist of a set of questions that need to be printed out so that pupils can record their answers. Click to explore... Or click below to download the Web Topic trails as Microsoft Word 97 files. (Differentiated 1-4, 1 being the simplest.) 1 Woodland Web Topic Trail 2 Ponds Web Topic Trail 3 Plants Web Topic Trail 4 Rivers Web Topic Trail Alternatively introduce your pupils to Web Enquiries. These are actual web pages which contain questions and the links to find the information. They are a good introductory method for pupils to locate information on the web. Click below to explore.
Technique: to use a search engine to find information· technique: to search the Internet using 'and'· key idea: to understand the importance of choosing key words to find information	Demonstrate a search on the computer. Use one search engine to demonstrate searching for Nature and write down on the board the number of hits found. (A good search engine to use is www.google.co.uk.) Ask the children to choose one of the following search words. habitat, grassland, woodland, plants, rivers. They can do this over the period of the week, each searching and writing down the hits. If some children have the same topic and search at different times of the week, you can compare if their hits are the same and discuss why. Ask whether any of the children got a search with fewer than 50 hits. Ask them if the search was helpful and ask for ideas of what to do. Demonstrate the original search using Nature on its own and Kent on its own. Then try Nature and Kent. Discuss the different results. Ask the children to pick out the key words they would use to find the information they want and to try their own searches. They could use the original topic. They should discuss what questions they want to ask. Print and sift using a highlighter. Discuss the children's findings.
Key idea: that information can be skimmed, sifted, selected and checked for bias technique: to use hyperlinks to trail an idea	Choose a topic of current media interest. Discuss what information might be useful. Use prepared printed text and pictures and ask groups of children to skim, select and put together a storyline. Ask them to look at the information for different points of view. Pick an Internet site from an educational provider or another site with clear hyperlinks: www.naturegrid.org.uk Demonstrate how to find information using links rather than searches. Demonstrate how to bookmark favourite sites to save the URL. (The URL is the address of a Web site on the internet e.g. www.naturegrid.org.uk is the URL of the Naturegrid Web site. URL stands for Univeral Resource Locator.) Ask the children to try out pre-selected sites using hyperlinks to navigate around the system.
Key idea: to work with others to compare the most suitable sources and methods of searching technique: to type in a URL to locate a web page technique: to save and use pictures and text and import into a document for a presentation· key idea: that copyright and acknowledgment of sources is understood	Choose two URLs that you are already familiar with. Demonstrate entering the name to find the site. www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodiversity www.naturegrid.org.uk/rivers Demonstrate the use of right click to copy pictures. Discuss why some pictures only copy the location and not the picture. Use Minimise and open a text program. Use the Paste command. Demonstrate text copying in the same way. Discuss copyright and why the source should always be acknowledged. Ask the children to produce a piece of work from the imported text and picture files. Discuss who the work will be for.
Integrated Task to use complex searches to locate information to work with others to interpret information· to look at information from different viewpoints and validate resources to use word processing or DTP to organise and present information suitable to an audience· to use e-mail as a means of receiving feedback on ideas	As part of a literacy topic on developing journalistic style, use the Internet to research events of public interest. Discuss how the children can refine the search to get suitable information and which sites may be appropriate. Ask the children to work in groups to interpret the information, checking for balance and ethical reporting. Discuss the impact on individuals of inaccurate reporting. Ask each group to produce one page of a newspaper, with different audience groups in mind. A record of URLs should be kept and acknowledged on the publication to conform to copyright. Use a plenary session to discuss the sites used, e.g. Why were they chosen? How long did it take to find the relevant information?¨ Present to the class, discussing any issues of validity in the researched information and bias in the viewpoint presented. Was the information found considered to be relevant and reasonable?¨
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