Programming: dictionaries and data files
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Why this why now
As pupils enter the final stage of their GCSE programming journey, they are ready to manage data in more sophisticated and structured ways. This unit introduces new methods for storing and accessing information, encouraging pupils to think critically about how data is organised and used. Through applying structured approaches to records, lists and dictionaries, they strengthen their problem-solving and analytical thinking. Reflecting on how data is stored and retrieved helps pupils consider the growing role of data in modern computing and the responsibility of those who create and manage it.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils have experience of writing programs in a text-based language.
- Pupils can identify and use sequence, selection and iteration program constructs.
- Pupils understand how data can be organised in to structures that use a single identifier.
Threads
Why this why now
As pupils enter the final stage of their GCSE programming journey, they are ready to manage data in more sophisticated and structured ways. This unit introduces new methods for storing and accessing information, encouraging pupils to think critically about how data is organised and used. Through applying structured approaches to records, lists and dictionaries, they strengthen their problem-solving and analytical thinking. Reflecting on how data is stored and retrieved helps pupils consider the growing role of data in modern computing and the responsibility of those who create and manage it.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils have experience of writing programs in a text-based language.
- Pupils can identify and use sequence, selection and iteration program constructs.
- Pupils understand how data can be organised in to structures that use a single identifier.
Programming: dictionaries and data files
This unit introduces pupils to the new data structures of records and dictionaries. They will develop a Caesar cipher encryption program using a dictionary as a cipher wheel. Pupils will explore how data can be read from and written to files and how this data can be used within a program.
7 lessons in unit
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