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Lesson 5 of 6
  • Year 3

Planning a branching database

I can plan the structure of a branching database.

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View unit
Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
  • Year 3

Planning a branching database

I can plan the structure of a branching database.

Download all

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Branching database structures can be planned.
  2. A series of questions can be used to identify a unique object.
  3. Objects can be compared using attributes.

Keywords

  • Plan - a design to show what something will look like in the future

  • Compare - looking at two or more things to see what is the same or different

Common misconception

Any question can be used to create a branching database successfully.

A good question should split the data evenly to make sure the number of questions required to reach what is being looked for is minimised.


To help you plan your year 3 computing lesson on: Planning a branching database, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Guessing games are a good way of demonstrating the power of carefully chosen questions. Try a game with your class to guess a card from a deck of playing cards by only being able to answer yes/no questions. Show how carefully chosen questions will narrow down the options about what is being guessed.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Pupils will need access to a device with software that can create branching databases. Examples in this lesson use J2E branch https://oak.link/branching-db

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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 "structure" mean in a database?

the number of questions
the size of the database
Correct answer: the way related parts are organised
the colour of the database

Q2.
Why is it important to think about the order of questions in a database?

Correct answer: to ensure all objects can be identified
to make the database faster
to add more objects
to reduce the size of the database

Q3.
What kind of question is used in a branching database?

open-ended
multiple-choice
descriptive
Correct answer: yes/no

Q4.
What is the first step in creating a branching database?

Correct answer: selecting objects to include
writing a story
printing the database
testing the database

Q5.
Why is comparing two database structures useful?

to make the database look nice
to delete questions
Correct answer: to find the most efficient one
to add more objects

Q6.
What happens if a database is poorly structured?

It is easier to use.
Correct answer: It is harder to use.
It works faster.
It looks better.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does the term "plan" mean in the context of a database?

Correct answer: a design for the future
a way to delete data
a random arrangement
a list of objects

Q2.
Why is it important to plan the structure of a branching database?

to make it look colourful
Correct answer: to ensure it works well
to add more objects
to delete questions

Q3.
What does "compare" mean in the context of a database?

to delete objects
to group objects randomly
to test the database
Correct answer: to identify similarities and differences

Q4.
Why is it important to use attributes when comparing objects?

to make them look better
to delete them
Correct answer: to group them logically
to add more objects

Q5.
What happens if the questions in a database are poorly planned?

It works faster.
It identifies objects more accurately.
Correct answer: It is harder to use.
It uses less data.

Q6.
Why is it important to choose good questions for a branching database?

Correct answer: to split the data evenly
to make the database look colourful
to add random objects
to delete unnecessary data