ICT at key stages 1 and 2    (Year 6)

• Provide a range of short articles. Divide the materials and children into groups and ask the children to pick out the key points from the articles. They should retell the information to the rest of the class using two key messages from the material.

• Choose a topic currently being studied. Ask the children to list what they know. Talk about where else information can be found. Use magazines with topics, choosing ones which list the web address.
• Demonstrate choosing a site from a favourites list and how to print a page from the internet. Then ask the children to pick a card from a box of topics. Ask each group to use their card and an appropriate URL from the favourites list to find their information. Ask the children to find information and print out a page for each working group. Ask the children to highlight the text to show the key information.

• Demonstrate a search on the computer. Use one search engine to demonstrate searching for Cornwall and write down on the board the number of hits found. Ask the children to take out a topic card from the box and use one word to search. They can do this over the period of the week, each searching and writing down their 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 Cornwall on its own and Eclipse on its own. Then try Eclipse and Cornwall. 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.

• 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. Demonstrate how to find information using links rather than searches.
• Demonstrate how to bookmark favourite sites to save the URL.
• Ask the children to try out pre-selected sites using hyperlinks to navigate around the system.

• Choose two URLs that you are already familiar with. Demonstrate entering the name to find the site.
• 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.

• 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, eg 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?
• Ask the children to e-mail their friends, asking them to reply to the question, Which age group do you think the presentation was aimed at?