Processor
Describe this to your partner without saying:
CPU
execute
instructions
program
Activity 1: Describe the Word
Work with a partner: explain the word at the top of each card without saying any of the forbidden words underneath.
Main memory
Describe this to your partner without saying:
RAM
temporary
store
data
Storage
Describe this to your partner without saying:
save
files
SSD
hard drive
Operating system
Describe this to your partner without saying:
Windows
controls
computer
software
Teacher tip: give pairs 30 seconds per card, then swap speaker and listener.
Activity 2: Order the Program Journey
Place the stages in the correct order to show what happens when Stella starts and uses the planetarium app.
Any new data is sent back from the processor into memory and can then be saved to storage.
Program instructions are fetched one by one from main memory into the processor.
The program is copied from storage into the main memory when it starts.
The processor executes each instruction to create the simulated view of the night sky.
Step 1
Drop stage here
Step 2
Drop stage here
Step 3
Drop stage here
Step 4
Drop stage here
Activity 3: Who Is Responsible?
Choose the best answer for each question from the lesson. Most of these point back to one important piece of software.
What decides how processor time is shared between different programs?
What decides where programs and data are placed in main memory?
What organises how programs and data are kept in storage?
At one exact moment, how many program instructions is the processor executing?
Why can it look like several programs are running at the same time?
In the orchestra analogy, which part is the conductor of the computer system?
Download PDF Evidence
Create a record of your starter activity responses.