Parent Information
YR 5 Computing - Systems & Searching
Throughout this term year 5 have been developing their understanding of computer systems and how information is transferred between systems and devices. Children have been learning about search engines. Learning how search engines work (including how they select and rank results) and what influences searching, and through comparing different search engines.
First, we explored parts of a bicycle and discussed how the parts connect to create systems.
We also explored large-scale systems like Amazon. We investigated the process of ordering a product and how people and devices communicate and work effectively in a system.
Children have been learning about search engines. Learning how search engines work (including how they select and rank results) and what influences searching, and through comparing different search engines.
We have learnt that search engines use web-crawlers (a program) to make copies of webpages and scans the site for words. It then makes an index of its findings. When you use a search engine, the search engine then looks at its index (and the list of words) to find and select results based on your search term.
We compared a search engines index to the index found in books.
Pupils imagined what a web crawler would look like and drew their creations using the computer.
Children explored features of webpages (URL, web page heading, subheading, hyperlinks, paragraphs of text.) They then created their own fake webpage based on the theme, ‘our school.’
Pupils then emulated being a web crawler, searching through their own web page looking for a certain ‘search term’ (our school) and working out how well their webpage ranked.