Years 3 to 4 Digital Technologies Achievement Standard
6 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 4 students create simple digital solutions and use provided design criteria to check if solutions meet user needs. Students process and represent data for different purposes. They follow and describe simple algorithms involving branching and iteration and implement them as visual programs. Students securely access and use digital systems and their peripherals for a range of purposes, including transmitting data. They use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours. Students identify their personal data stored online and recognise the risks.
The 6 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 4 students create simple digital solutions and use provided design criteria to check if solutions meet user needs.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P01 Processes and production skills
define problems with given design criteria and by co-creating user stories
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration recognising a range of familiar problems and defining achievable solutions using given design criteria, for example buying presents for family members within a specified budget
- Elaboration using responses to guiding questions to write a user story, for example a family member wants a way of entertaining their puppy when they are at school to stop it digging holes
- Elaboration co-creating a user story using a template such as ‘A <type of user> has <some goal> so that <some reason>’, for example ‘a sports team wants to access league rankings online so that they can see their progress’
- Elaboration developing a problem statement for collecting and managing information, for example how First Nations Australians rangers could monitor animal populations, such as local marine turtles, using global positioning systems (GPS)
- Elaboration co-creating user stories about exploring hard-to-reach locations, for example a school student wants to explore neighbouring countries classified as remote to compare how people live
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P03 Processes and production skills
generate, communicate and compare designs
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration brainstorming possible design ideas and discussing these with their peers, for example sketching different ideas for a computer game
- Elaboration discussing whether the needs identified from the user story are met by generated design ideas, for example comparing design ideas in pairs for encouraging people to recycle
- Elaboration ideating multiple design ideas and comparing them against user stories, for example as a class, discussing the needs identified from the user story and brainstorming multiple design ideas (accepting all suggestions as possibilities)
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P05 Processes and production skills
discuss how existing and student solutions satisfy the design criteria and user stories
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration describing the way familiar digital systems allow the user to perform tasks, for example discussing how a family member could place an order online for something they cannot buy locally
- Elaboration discussing how a digital solution meets the different needs of users, for example how maps help people to locate places in the community or interactive store directories help shoppers to find a particular store in a shopping centre
- Elaboration making judgements on their digital solutions against the design criteria and user stories, for example how high their friends score in the game they created to help them learn what is recyclable
- Elaboration reflecting on how the systems in the school help it run, for example how the librarian keeps track of books borrowed
Students process and represent data for different purposes.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4K02 Knowledge and understanding
explore transmitting different types of data between digital systems
Elaborations (2)
- Elaboration exploring examples of different types of data that can be transferred between digital systems, for example streaming music or making a video call to a friend using a smartphone
- Elaboration exploring how data (video call) can be transmitted from a remote community to a city location, for example looking at how many First Nations Australian communities in areas classified as remote rely on 3G network coverage, limiting the use of video calls
Content descriptorAC9TDI4K03 Knowledge and understanding
recognise different types of data and explore how the same data can be represented differently depending on the purpose
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration describing different types of data and how they can be used, for example numbers, letters, symbols and pictures
- Elaboration explaining how the same data can be represented in different ways and why some representations are better than others in certain contexts, for example four vs 4 vs IV vs I I I I vs quatre and that numerals are better for calculation than words
- Elaboration explaining that the same information can be represented differently, for example the term ‘stop’ can also be represented with an octagon-shaped red sign or a hand icon
- Elaboration identifying rock paintings and other cultural expressions to understand that images are used to encode and represent ethnobotanical knowledge, for example the representation of plant use in the Kimberley cave paintings and ancient engravings including important data on medicinal and food plant classification and their usable parts
They follow and describe simple algorithms involving branching and iteration and implement them as visual programs.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P02 Processes and production skills
follow and describe algorithms involving sequencing, comparison operators (branching) and iteration
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration following the steps and decisions of algorithms and knowing what step they are up to, for example following rules to form the past tense of regular verbs such as ‘create’ to ‘created’, ‘try’ to ‘tried’ and ‘cook’ to ‘cooked’ and checking off items on a list as they are completed
- Elaboration describing algorithms using representations such as a list of steps or a diagram, for example drawing a diagram of a recipe involving decisions
- Elaboration understanding there can be more than one sequence of steps to solve a problem, some are better than others, and the steps should be unambiguous, for example describing 2 different ways to get to the same location
- Elaboration describing the decisions needed to solve a problem, including numerical and text comparisons, for example if the UV index is above 3, put on sunscreen and a hat
- Elaboration describing algorithms that repeat steps a fixed number of times, for example calculating multiplication using repeated addition, where the sum changes in each iteration
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P04 Processes and production skills
implement simple algorithms as visual programs involving control structures and input
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration writing and editing programs to solve simple problems using branching and simple iteration in a visual programming environment, for example helping a user understand multiplication by displaying the repeated addition in order
- Elaboration writing programs that take input from the user or environment, for example asking the user for their name and displaying it or sensing the temperature from the environment to make a decision
- Elaboration writing programs that make decisions involving comparison, for example comparing whether the temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius to label the weather hot or cold
- Elaboration writing programs that repeat one or more steps a fixed number of times, for example writing a program that displays repetitive song lyrics, such as in ‘Ten in the bed’
- Elaboration running and testing a program to check it performs as expected, for example a character: 1. moves forward 2. turns left 3. moves forward
- Elaboration implementing a program that demonstrates the strict routines and techniques followed by First Nations Australian ranger groups when caring for or handling specific native animals, for example using IF and THEN statements to create a training manual, such as: IF <insert animal name> is injured THEN the ranger will <insert action>
Students securely access and use digital systems and their peripherals for a range of purposes, including transmitting data.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4K01 Knowledge and understanding
explore and describe a range of digital systems and their peripherals for a variety of purposes
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration experimenting with a range of peripherals to perform input, output and storage, for example a keyboard, touch screen, mouse, camera and microphone; a monitor, projector, printer or 3D printer; or speaker; or USB drive
- Elaboration adding peripherals to a digital system to expand its functionality, for example connecting a headset to a digital system to participate in an online lesson more effectively
- Elaboration exploring how they can use digital systems differently depending on the task, recognising that many digital systems can perform multiple tasks, for example a student can use a tablet to take photos, record audio and find information to create a presentation
Content descriptorAC9TDI4K02 Knowledge and understanding
explore transmitting different types of data between digital systems
Elaborations (2)
- Elaboration exploring examples of different types of data that can be transferred between digital systems, for example streaming music or making a video call to a friend using a smartphone
- Elaboration exploring how data (video call) can be transmitted from a remote community to a city location, for example looking at how many First Nations Australian communities in areas classified as remote rely on 3G network coverage, limiting the use of video calls
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P08 Processes and production skills
access their school account using a memorised password and explain why it should be easy to remember, but hard for others to guess
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration recalling their school username and password from memory to login to a school laptop or desktop
- Elaboration explaining how keeping a password secret prevents others from accessing their data, for example how their work is saved in their account and can only be accessed using their secret password
- Elaboration exploring techniques to create an easy to remember and hard to guess password, for example creating a password using 3 unrelated but easy to remember words
They use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P06 Processes and production skills
use the core features of common digital tools to create, locate and communicate content, following agreed conventions
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration discussing and creating as a class a set of steps they need to follow to safely find information online
- Elaboration using an online search engine to find suitable sources to create and communicate information, following agreed steps, for example creating a presentation on life cycles
- Elaboration grouping, naming and itemising objects using a logical hierarchy, for example creating a section of a virtual library or virtual supermarket using folders and files
- Elaboration using autocomplete features in text authoring tools; for example, using suggestions in a word processor to complete words or sentences, or using predictive text in SMS or messaging apps
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P07 Processes and production skills
use the core features of common digital tools to share content, plan tasks, and collaborate, following agreed behaviours, supported by trusted adults
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration using an agreed folder to make it easy for students to collaborate on shared content in a group project
- Elaboration demonstrating safe sharing of content with a select audience, for example sharing a holiday adventure without revealing exact dates, specific names or other personal information
- Elaboration listening to others when participating in online environments to share content, for example respecting the rights of others by taking turns to suggest and add words or images to a factual slide deck to share with the teacher
- Elaboration interacting cooperatively in a group in an online environment to plan and complete a task, for example writing and responding to others’ views on canteen products
- Elaboration using digital tools to plan an event as a class, for example jointly creating a class survey to help plan an end-of-year party, where responses conform to the class's accepted behavioural expectations
Students identify their personal data stored online and recognise the risks.
Content descriptorAC9TDI4P09 Processes and production skills
identify what personal data is stored and shared in their online accounts and discuss any associated risks
Elaborations (2)
- Elaboration identifying the personal data stored in accounts they use at school and at home and who has access to it, for example documents in their school cloud storage are accessible by the teacher, or their nickname in their online gaming accounts is visible to all players
- Elaboration discussing how personal data stored in online accounts forms a person’s digital identity and can reveal detailed information about people, for example looking at photographs of themselves, friends or fictional characters that reveal details about a person's location, habits or home
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 3 to 4 Digital Technologies. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding | Digital systems | 2 | 5 |
| Knowledge and understanding | Data representation | 1 | 4 |
| Processes and production skills | Investigating and defining | 1 | 5 |
| Processes and production skills | Generating and designing | 2 | 8 |
| Processes and production skills | Producing and implementing | 1 | 6 |
| Processes and production skills | Evaluating | 1 | 4 |
| Processes and production skills | Collaborating and managing | 2 | 9 |
| Processes and production skills | Privacy and security | 2 | 5 |
| Total | 12 | 46 | |