Year 3 Computer networks worksheet

“Inputs, processes and outputs” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 computing unit “Computer networks”, for children aged 7 to 8, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 1 to 6 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Inputs, processes and outputs

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · Computing · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain the input, process and output of a digital device.

A Look back3 min

1.
The robot starts at the top left. It moves right, right, then down. Circle the square it stops on.
(2,1)(1,2)(2,0)(0,2)
2.
A robot reads its list of instructions. Which way does it go through the list? Circle one.
top to bottombottom to topjumping about
3.
The robot is at the bottom left. It moves up one square. Circle its new square.
(0,1)(1,2)(0,0)(1,1)

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ana uses a calculator to work out 2 + 3.

Watch me

The input is the keys you press: 2 + 3.

The process is the adding inside the calculator.

The output is the 5 on the screen.

Now you

1.
You press a button on a digital watch, and the instructions inside it run. Which part is the output? Circle one.
the button you pressthe time shown on the screenthe instructions inside the watch
2.
Put these calculator steps in order. Write 1, 2 and 3 in the boxes.
1. The answer appears on the screen
2. You press 2 + 3
3. The calculator adds the two numbers

C Your turn6 min

Each row is one part of playing a song. Circle input, process, output, or the part asked for.

1.
You tap a screen to choose a song. Is this input, process or output? Circle one.
inputprocessoutput
2.
The screen then shows the name of the song. Is this input, process or output? Circle one.
inputprocessoutput
3.
The tablet picks the next song from its list. Is this input, process or output? Circle one.
inputprocessoutput
4.
You say “play” into the microphone and a voice answers from the speaker. Which part is the output? Circle one.
the word you saidthe instructions insidethe voice from the speaker

Say it out loud: What stayed the same in every row? What changed each time?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A rectangular digital watch with a blank screen on a wooden table.

Kit says: “A digital watch cannot show the time without the internet.”

1.
Write why Kit is wrong.

E Think deeper3 min

A calculator and a tablet with blank dark screens on a plain background.

1.
Name two digital devices in your home that do not need the internet. Explain how you know.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Inputs, processes and outputs · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. (2,1) If they choose (1,2), they have swapped the two numbers. The first number counts squares across, the second counts down.

2. top to bottom If they choose bottom to top, ask which instruction the robot does first. Point to Start in the picture.

3. (0,1) If they move across instead of up, ask which way up is on the grid. Trace one square with a finger.

B

1. the time shown on the screen If they circle the button, that is the input. Ask: what appears after you press it?

2. 1 You press 2 + 3 · 2 The calculator adds the two numbers · 3 The answer appears on the screen If the answer comes first, ask what must happen before the screen can show anything. Start with what goes in.

C

1. input

2. output If they say input, ask whether the screen is sending information in or showing a result. Point to the words on the screen.

3. process If they say output, ask whether the list is the result. Ask: is the tablet deciding what to do with the list?

4. the voice from the speaker

D

1. Look for: Says a digital watch works and shows the time without the internet. If they agree with Kit, ask: does a digital watch need Wi-Fi to show the time? Then ask what it runs on.

E

1. Look for: Names two digital devices, such as a calculator or digital watch, and says they work without the internet.

Words to use

Say“Where does the thing go in, what does it do with it, and what comes out?”

Instead of“Just tell them the answer, or ask them to learn the three words off by heart.”

After the sheet

Pick a calculator at home. Work out 2 + 3 together, and say which part is the input, the process and the output.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Designing a digital device(with a plan)
Choosing the right tool(with a plan)
Messages through the switch(with a plan)
Sending data in packets(with a plan)
Parts of a network(with a plan)

Every Year 3 computing worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

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