Year 8 – Mobile app development Unit Overview

Year 8 – Mobile app development

Unit introduction
In a world where there’s an app for every possible need, this unit aims to take the learners from designer to project manager
to developer in order to create their own mobile app. Using App Lab from code.org, learners will familiarise themselves with
the coding environment and have an opportunity to build on the programming concepts they used in previous units before
undertaking their project. Learners will work in pairs to consider the needs of the user; decompose the project into smaller,
more manageable parts; use the pair programming approach to develop their app together; and finish off by evaluating the
success of the project against the needs of the user.

Overview of lessons

Overview of lessons

Lesson Brief overview Learning objectives

1. App for that This lesson will introduce learners to the unit. They will get their ● Identify when a problem
creative minds going by thinking of an app that could do good in needs to be broken down
the world. They will then consider how decomposition is an ● Implement and customise
important process to follow when tackling a large problem such GUI elements to meet the
as creating an app. Learners will be introduced to the app they needs of the user
will be developing over the coming lessons and given an

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Year 8 – Mobile app development Unit Overview

opportunity to decompose the problem as well as to sign into

code.org to become used to the App Lab environment.

2. Tappy Tap App Learners will be introduced to the concept of event-driven ● Recognise that events can
programming and applying the paradigm to the app they started control the flow of a
to develop last week. They will be shown the coding environment program
and the first steps will be taken using live coding, in which the ● Use user input in an event-
learners will write their code alongside the teacher. Learners will driven programming
then use the pedagogical approach of pair programming to work environment
through a set of instructions and challenges to develop the app ● Use variables in an event-
further. driven programming
environment
● Develop a partially
complete application to
include additional
functionality

3. School Lab Studios In this lesson, learners will be presented with an app that has ● Identify and fix common
three errors. They will have to open the app to attempt to spot coding errors
and fix the errors. Next, the learners will work on the score screen ● Pass the value of a variable
of the Tappy Tap App, to make it display the user’s score at the into an object
end of the game. Once this app is complete the class will be ● Establish user needs when
presented with the project that they will work on for the completing a creative
remaining lessons of the unit. In their pairs, learners will choose a project
project to complete and agree upon success criteria before being
given screen designs to complete for homework.

4. User input In this lesson, the learners will start by thinking about how user ● Apply decomposition to
input is captured and processed, before being given the break down a large problem
challenge of adding code to a prebuilt app to deal with user input. into more manageable

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Year 8 – Mobile app development Unit Overview

Learners will then decompose the app project that they started steps
last lesson into more manageable steps. Using the pair ● Use user input in a block-
programming approach, learners will then start to develop their based programming
app by working through their decomposed steps. At the end of language
the lesson, learners will document and reflect on their progress ● Use a block-based
and make a plan for the following lesson. programming language to
create a sequence
● Use variables in a block-
based programming
language

5. App development The main focus of this lesson is to spend most of the time ● Use a block-based
developing the learners’ app projects further. The learners will programming language to
start by recapping their work and what they planned in the include sequencing and
previous lesson. They will then spend time building their apps selection
using pair programming. Towards the end of the lesson, the ● Use user input in a block-
learners will ask classmates to review their apps in order to get based programming
feedback that they can respond to in the next lesson. language
● Use variables in a block-
based programming
language
● Reflect and react to user
feedback

6. Project completion This is the final lesson of the unit and the focus will be on ● Use a block-based
completing and evaluating the learners’ app projects. The lesson programming language to
starts with an activity to remind the learners about problem- include sequencing and
solving and debugging, followed by a short activity to help them selection
plan the time that they have left in the lesson to complete their ● Use user input in a block-
app. The learners will be given time to complete their apps before based programming

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Year 8 – Mobile app development Unit Overview

evaluating their success against their criteria and by answering a language

short set of questions. The last 15 minutes of the lesson will be ● Use variables in a block-
used for the learners to take an individual assessment through a based programming
multiple-choice test. language
● Evaluate the success of the
programming project

Progression
This unit progresses students’ knowledge and understanding of programming constructs in a block-based programming
environment. Learners will also develop their computational thinking and project planning, by going from decomposing a
larger project into smaller parts and creating success criteria for the project to getting user feedback and evaluating their
projects.

Please see the learning graph for this unit for more information about progression.

Curriculum links
National curriculum links
● Design, use, and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and
physical systems
● Use two or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a variety of computational
problems; make appropriate use of data structures [for example, lists, tables, or arrays]; design and develop modular
programs that use procedures or functions

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Year 8 – Mobile app development Unit Overview

● Understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking; use logical reasoning to compare the utility of
alternative algorithms for the same problem
● Create, reuse, revise, and repurpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design,
and usability

Assessment
Summative assessment
● Please see the assessment question and answer documents for this unit.

Assessment rubric
● Please see the assessment rubric document for this unit.

Subject knowledge
This unit focuses on the development of the following key techniques:

● Event handling
● Sequencing
● Variables
● Selection
● Operators

App Lab by code.org is used throughout the unit, so it is important that you are comfortable with the language and
environment. In order to get a feel for the level of skill required, why not try the activities in the unit yourself before using
them with your learners?

For this unit, it is essential that the teacher has registered for a teacher account at code.org and is able to set up a class
ahead of any lessons taking place. Setting up a class allows the teacher to create login details for each learner, which can be

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printed and distributed in the lesson. The class manager will also allow the teacher to track the progress of the learners
through the unit. Guidance for how to set up a class can be found here:

● App Lab classroom instructions (ncce.io/prg3-1-rc)

Enhance your subject knowledge to teach this unit through the following training opportunities:

Online training courses

● Programming Pedagogy in Secondary Schools: Inspiring Computing Teaching (ncce.io/secondarypedagogy)
● Programming 101 (ncce.io/prog101)
● Programming 102 (ncce.io/progr102)

Face-to-face courses
● Key Stage 3 Computing for Non-Specialists (ncce.io/f2fks3)

Resources are updated regularly — the latest version is available at: ncce.io/tcc.

This resource is licensed under the Open Government Licence, version 3. For more information on this licence, see ncce.io/ogl.

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