Handling the Information – using Databases in the Primary Classroom.  In this information age being able to use a database is an essential skill.  Databases are all around us and being able to use them effectively is seen as an essential skill for pupils.  The task for the teacher is finding age-appropriate databases  and contexts which will appeal to pupils in a primary school.  And then pitching the activities to a level appropriate to the skill development of the pupils.

All Falkirk primary schools have the software RM Information Magic on all PCs.  This database software provides a child-friendly database program which can be used to support project based learning, putting the use of the database in a context, or it can be used to support information handling within the teaching of that aspect of mathematics.

RM Information Magic has four levels – youngest pupils would use yellow level – this presents them with few menus and larger icons.  As users progress through the levels Green then blue and finally Red they are presented with more and more icons and menus.  All levels have speaking toolbars and access to a school-friendly picture bank.  Click here for step by step guide to how to use RM Information Magic Basic Data Handling

Teaching Ideas – classroom database activities and ideas – including data files which can be adapted to any database tool to which a school has access. Also includes classroom display ideas.

Databases activities for the classroom from PrimaryReseources.co.uk  – including PowerPoint presentations including introducing databases to a class with associated classroom activities, downloadable worksheets and vocabulary sheets.

Databases Unplugged – series of classroom activities for upper primary school and above which have paper-based activities as well as online activities supporting teaching about branching databases, fields and records, searching including use of wildcards, structured queries and much more. This a a free downloadable book by Mark Dorling (though free signup is required to the STEM Learning site). It is also available free without signup from CS Unplugged – computing science without a computer