Year 1 - Grouping data
Unit Overview
Year 1 – Grouping data
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Unit introduction
This unit introduces learners to data and information. Labelling, grouping, and searching are important aspects of data and information.
Searching is a common operation in many applications, and requires an understanding that to search data, it must have labels. This unit
of work focuses on assigning data (images) with different labels in order to demonstrate how computers are able to group and present
data.
During this unit, learners will be logging on to the computers, opening their documents, and saving their documents. Depending on how
your school’s system is set up, additional support and time may be required to facilitate these steps, and consideration should be given
as to how this will impact the timings of activities in each lesson.
Overview of lessons
Lesson Brief overview Learning objectives
1 Label and match Learners will begin to understand that objects have many To label objects
different labels that can be used to put them into groups. They ● I can describe objects using labels
will name different objects and begin to experiment with ● I can match objects to groups
placing them into different groups. Learners will also label a ● I can identify the label for a group of
group of objects, and begin to understand that an object can objects
fit into more than one group depending on the context.
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Year 1 - Grouping data
Unit Overview
2 Group and count Learners will begin to think about grouping objects based on To identify that objects can be counted
what the objects are. They will demonstrate the ability to count ● I can count objects
a small number of objects before they group them, and will ● I can group objects
then begin to show that they can count groups of objects with ● I can count a group of objects
the same label. Learners will also begin to learn that
computers are not intelligent, and require input from humans
to perform tasks.
3 Describe an object Learners will begin to understand that objects can be To describe objects in different ways
described in many different ways. They will identify the ● I can describe an object
properties of objects and begin to understand that properties ● I can describe a property of an object
can be used to group objects; for example, objects can be ● I can find objects with similar
grouped by colour or size. Finally, learners will demonstrate properties
their ability to find objects with similar properties and begin to
understand the reason that we need to give labels to images
on a computer.
4 Making different Learners will classify objects based on their properties. They To count objects with the same properties
groups will group objects that have similar properties, and will be able ● I can group similar objects
to explain how they have grouped these. Learners will begin to ● I can group objects in more than one
group a number of the same objects in different ways, and will way
demonstrate their ability to count these different groups. ● I can count how many objects share a
property
5 Comparing groups Learners will choose how they want to group different objects To compare groups of objects
by properties. They will begin to compare and describe groups ● I can choose how to group objects
of objects, then they will record the number of objects in each ● I can describe groups of objects
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Year 1 - Grouping data
Unit Overview
group. ● I can record how many objects are in a
group
6 Answering questions Learners will decide how to group objects to answer questions. To answer questions about groups of objects
They will compare their groups by thinking about how they are ● I can decide how to group objects to
similar or different, and they will record what they find. They answer a question
will then share what they have found with their peers. ● I can compare groups of objects
● I can record and share what I have
found
Progression
This unit will introduce learners to data and information. It will introduce learners to the concept of labelling and grouping objects based
on their properties. Learners will develop their understanding that objects can be given labels, which is fundamental to their future
learning concerning databases and spreadsheets. In addition, learners will begin to improve their ability to use dragging and dropping
skills on a device. Following this unit, in year 2, learners will present data graphically in pictograms.
Please see the learning graph for this unit for more information about progression.
Curriculum links
National curriculum links
● Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate, and retrieve digital content
● Use technology safely and respectfully
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Year 1 - Grouping data
Unit Overview
Education for a Connected World links
Copyright and ownership
● I know that work I create belongs to me (Y1)
● I can name my work so that others know it belongs to me (Y1)
Assessment
Formative assessment
Assessment opportunities are detailed in each lesson plan. The learning objective and success criteria are introduced in the slide deck at
the beginning of each lesson and then reviewed at the end. Learners are invited to assess how well they feel they have met the learning
objective using thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down.
Subject knowledge
You will need to be aware that the term ‘object’ is used to describe anything that can be labelled with properties, eg animals, pencils, or
trees. When talking about objects, they are named to make it easier for humans to know what other humans are talking about, eg ‘tree’.
The name may change depending on context (sometimes ‘tree’ is enough, but sometimes ‘oak tree’ may be required), but it is always a
property that an object can be labelled with. A label is a property used to describe an object, eg ‘green’. This is the data that is collected
about the object.
You will need an understanding that computers are not intelligent. Although they may seem like they are able to complete tasks
autonomously, they are using input from humans, for example, searching for images that have been labelled by a person, or ‘counting’
data that has been grouped by people.
Through the unit, teachers will need to be aware that:
● Computers can be used to group data for analysis. The analysis in this unit is limited to a simple count of the objects in a group.
Grouping is revisited throughout the data and information units.
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Unit Overview
● The term ‘property’ to describe objects. A label is a property used to describe an object, eg ‘green’. This is the data that is
collected about the object.
● ‘Data set’ is a term used to describe a collection of related data.
● The link between grouping objects in the real world and grouping objects on a computer. To strengthen this link, the language of
‘is…’ and ‘is not…’ should be used wherever possible.
● Objects can be grouped by different properties, so there are multiple ways of grouping the same objects.
Enhance your subject knowledge to teach this unit through the following training opportunities:
Online training courses
● Get Started Teaching Computing in Primary Schools: preparing to teach 5 - 11 year olds
● Programming Pedagogy in Primary Schools: Developing Computing Teaching
Resources are updated regularly - the latest version is available at: the-cc.io/curriculum.
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Unit Overview
This resource is licensed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
license. To view a copy of this license, visit, see creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.
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