New
New
Year 6

How we communicate

I can describe how we communicate using technology.

New
New
Year 6

How we communicate

I can describe how we communicate using technology.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. People communicate in many differnt ways.
  2. There are a variety of different ways to communicate over the interent.
  3. Different methods of communication suit particular purposes.

Keywords

  • Communication - the exchange of information between devices or people

  • Instant messaging - real time text communication online

  • Video call - a conversation using video and audio over the internet

  • Purpose - the reason for doing something

Common misconception

All online communication is the same.

Different tools are better for different purposes (e.g. chat for quick messages, video for a longer discussion).


To help you plan your year 6 computing lesson on: How we communicate, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to reflect on how they use different communication tools — texting, voice notes, video calls — and why. This helps them see that different methods suit different purposes and audiences.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does "private" mean when talking about online work?
open to everyone
Correct answer: restricted to certain people
always visible to the public
shared with the world
Q2.
What word describes something online that anyone can see or use?
Correct Answer: public
Q3.
Match the keyword to its meaning:
Correct Answer:collaboration,working together on a task or project

working together on a task or project

Correct Answer:private,restricted to a person or group

restricted to a person or group

Correct Answer:public,open for anyone to see or use

open for anyone to see or use

Correct Answer:edit,to change or improve content

to change or improve content

Q4.
What is one benefit of collaborating online?
always working alone
only using paper and pen
avoiding teamwork
Correct answer: working with people who are not nearby
Q5.
Put these in order for working together online:
1 - create a shared document
2 - invite others to join
3 - edit the document together
4 - save your changes
Q6.
Which of these is a private way to work together online?
Correct answer: group chat with selected friends
posting on a public website
writing a letter to everyone in your town
announcing on TV

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is an example of instant messaging?
sending a letter by post
Correct answer: texting a friend using an app
reading a book
watching TV
Q2.
What does a video call let you do?
only send pictures
write a letter
Correct answer: talk and see someone over the internet
send a parcel
Q3.
What word means the reason for choosing a communication method?
Correct Answer: purpose
Q4.
Put these in order for sending an instant message:
1 - open the messaging app
2 - select the person to message
3 - type your message
4 - press send
Q5.
Which statement about online communication is correct?
All online communication tools are used in the same way.
Every online conversation must be a video call.
Instant messaging and video calls are identical.
Correct answer: Different online tools suit different purposes.
Q6.
Match the communication method to its best use.
Correct Answer:instant messaging,quick questions or short chats

quick questions or short chats

Correct Answer:video call,long conversation or showing something

long conversation or showing something

Correct Answer:email,sending detailed information or documents

sending detailed information or documents

Correct Answer:forum post,sharing ideas with a group

sharing ideas with a group