Representing characters
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can encode, transmit and decode short messages using different coding schemes.
Key learning points
- Character coding schemes, like ASCII are used to represent letters, numbers and symbols in digital form.
- In computing, every piece of information is represented as sequences of 0s and 1s.
- The length of a representation is measured by the number of symbols it contains.
Keywords
Coding scheme - a system where a code is used to represent something
Encode - converting information from one form into another
Decode - converting encoded data back into its original form
ASCII - a character set that represents each character with a unique numerical value
Common misconception
The representation length does not include any spaces.
The representation length is the total number of symbols in the sequence including spaces.
Teacher tip
The coding schemes are provided as additional materials for this lesson. It may help pupils to have these printed out to refer to throughout the lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word representation mean in computing?
Q2.What do we call something that stands for something else, like an emoji or a road sign?
Q3.Put these actions in order for representing a picture on a computer:
Q4.Which of these is a reason to use different representations for different situations?
Q5.Match each keyword to its meaning:
the form in which data is stored, processed, or transmitted
something that stands for something else
the system of 0s and 1s used by computers
data that has been organised and given meaning
Q6.What is the name for the system of 0s and 1s that computers use to represent all types of information?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each example to the correct keyword:
turning the word "cat" into 99 97 116
turning "99 97 116" back into "cat"
the standard that uses 65 to represent "A"
a set of rules for changing letters into numbers
Q2.What is the main purpose of a character coding scheme like ASCII?
Q3.In computing, how is every piece of information ultimately represented?
Q4.Put these steps in order for encoding and decoding a message:
Q5.When measuring the length of a representation, what should you include?
Q6.If the word "Hello" is written in Morse code as ".... . .-.. .-.. ---", what is the representation length of this code?
To help you plan your 8 computing lesson on: Representing characters, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 computing lesson on: Representing characters, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 computing lessons from the Data representation: text and numbers unit, dive into the full secondary computing curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.