Year 7 › Term 1

Term 1 — Lessons 1–4

Data basics, your first micro:bit programme, staying safe online, and how computers actually work.

Lesson 1 — What Does Data Look Like?

What you'll achieve: work out which video game actually made the most money — and build your first Excel formula to prove it.

Excel
Data
Information collected about something — like how many copies of a game were sold.
Formula
An instruction in Excel that calculates something for you, like multiplying two cells together.
Bar chart
A chart that uses bars to compare amounts side by side.

I Do

Quick guess: which sells more copies, a £3 game or a £55 game? Now a harder question: which one actually makes more money? Selling loads of copies at a low price can beat selling fewer copies at a high price — or it might not. You can't tell just by guessing. This is exactly what data is for: turning a guess into a fact. Watch your teacher open Excel and build a formula that multiplies Units Sold × Price to calculate Total Revenue for one game.

We Do

  1. As a class, look at the first row of the games spreadsheet together on the board.
  2. In the Total Revenue cell, type the formula =B2*C2 and watch Excel calculate it instantly.
  3. Predict out loud: before revealing the next row's answer, guess which game will come out on top.

You Do

  1. Open the games_data.xlsx file below — five games with Units Sold and Price already filled in.
  2. Complete the Total Revenue formula for every row (copy your formula down the column).
  3. Add a Total row at the bottom using =SUM() to add up all the revenue.
  4. Select the Game and Total Revenue columns, then go to Insert → Chart → Bar Chart.
  5. Answer: Which game made the most money? Is it the same game that sold the most copies? Why might that surprise people?
📊 Excel reference → 🎮 Download games_data.xlsx →

Before You Go

What did you learn today?

Exit Ticket

Show what you've learned today.

Open Exit Ticket →

Lesson 2 — Meet the micro:bit

What you'll achieve: write and download your first micro:bit programme, scrolling your name and an image.

micro:bitMakeCode
micro:bit
A tiny pocket-sized computer with buttons and LED lights.
MakeCode
The block-based editor you use to programme the micro:bit.
Download
Sending your finished programme from the computer onto the micro:bit.

I Do

Watch your teacher open makecode.microbit.org and drag a "show string" block and a "show icon" block into the "on start" slot.

We Do

  1. Build a simple "scroll my name" programme together on the big screen.
  2. Test it in the on-screen simulator first.

You Do

  1. Build your own programme: your name, then your favourite icon.
  2. Click Download to save the .hex file.
  3. Drag the .hex file onto the MICROBIT drive.
  4. Watch the yellow light flash — that means it's saving.
💡 micro:bit reference →

Before You Go

What did you learn today?

Exit Ticket

Show what you've learned today.

Open Exit Ticket →

Lesson 3 — Stay Safe Online

What you'll achieve: rate password strength and design a poster warning others about an online risk.

CanvaBrowser
Password
A secret code that protects your account from other people.
Phishing
A fake message trying to trick you into giving away information.
Digital footprint
The trail of information you leave behind every time you go online.

I Do

Your teacher shows a weak password and a strong password side by side, then a real example of a phishing email.

We Do

As a class, use the password strength checker on the E-Safety resource page to rate a few example passwords together.

You Do

  1. Test a practice password of your own (never your real one!) on the checker.
  2. Choose one risk — passwords, phishing, or oversharing.
  3. Design a Canva poster warning others about it.
🔒 E-Safety reference →

Before You Go

What did you learn today?

Exit Ticket

Show what you've learned today.

Open Exit Ticket →

Lesson 4 — How Computers Work

What you'll achieve: explain the Input-Process-Output model using real parts of a computer.

BrowserPC
Input
Data going into the computer — like a keyboard or mouse.
Process
What the computer does with the data — this is the CPU's job.
Output
What comes out of the computer — like a screen or speakers.

I Do

Your teacher points to real devices in the room and labels each one Input, Process or Output.

We Do

Together, fill in an IPO table for common devices: printer, microphone, games controller, monitor.

You Do

  1. Investigate the computer in front of you.
  2. List every input and output device you can find.
  3. Complete the IPO identification table on your own.
🖥️ Hardware reference →

Before You Go

What did you learn today?

Exit Ticket

Show what you've learned today.

Open Exit Ticket →
← Back to Year 7 Hub Term 2 →