Computer Skills

About this course

Sixth grade is where this subject turns into a genuine course rather than a set of skills. The hardware units cover the input-process-output model, the motherboard, CPU, and RAM, local versus cloud storage, operating systems, keyboard shortcuts, maintenance, and an orderly troubleshooting method, and then go deeper in the second half of the year: binary place value with worked conversions from base-2 to decimal, bits and bytes, the fetch-decode-execute cycle, how memory and storage work together, what an operating system is doing behind the scenes, LANs and WANs and routers, IP addresses and DNS, the history of computing from mechanical calculators through ENIAC and transistors, ergonomics, and a closing look at artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and robotics.

The programming unit teaches real concepts with real code. Algorithms, flowcharts and their symbols, sequences, conditionals, loops, variables, functions, and debugging are each explained and then illustrated with short Python examples, including function definitions with parameters and return values, the DRY principle, and a list of built-in functions such as print, input, len, and range. The software unit covers word processing, page layout, spreadsheet formulas, presentation design principles, file management with the 3-2-1 backup rule, and collaboration through shared documents, comments, and version history. Digital citizenship and internet safety are substantial here too: online identity and permanence, cyberbullying and the Christian response, strong passwords and why reusing them is dangerous, recognizing phishing red flags, HTTPS and what the padlock does and does not promise, the SIFT method for checking sources, malware and safe downloading, parental controls presented as a gift rather than a punishment, and writing a family media agreement together. Typing is a full unit twice over, moving from posture and the home row to both hands, punctuation, the number pad, special characters, email composition, transcription practice, typing Scripture passages, and a measured assessment with words-per-minute benchmarks and a six-month goal.

There are 72 lessons in 8 units, each planned for about 35 minutes. A lesson reads like a well-organized textbook page with headings, worked examples, a paragraph connecting the topic to Scripture, and a key vocabulary list, and it ends with a ten-question quiz that grades itself. For the practical units your family needs a computer with a real keyboard and number pad, a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program, and internet access for the typing assessments, which name free sites such as TypingTest.com and 10FastFingers. The Python in the programming unit is presented for reading and understanding rather than as an installation assignment, so nothing needs to be set up, though a student who wants to type the examples in would need Python, which is free.

What the course covers

• Input-process-output, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and storage
• Binary numbers, bits and bytes, and the fetch-decode-execute cycle
• Operating systems, file systems, and troubleshooting
• Networks, IP addresses, DNS, and how the internet works
• History of computing and where it may be heading
• Algorithms, flowcharts, conditionals, loops, variables, and functions in Python
• Word processing, page layout, spreadsheets, and slide design
• Backups, version history, and collaborative documents
• Passwords, phishing, HTTPS, malware, and safe downloading
• Digital footprint, cyberbullying, social media, and copyright
• Family media agreements and screen-time balance
• Touch typing to a measured words-per-minute goal, including the number pad

What your student will be able to do

• Convert binary numbers to decimal and explain how a CPU processes an instruction
• Read Python code using variables, conditionals, loops, and functions and say what it does
• Diagram a process as a flowchart and trace an algorithm step by step
• Produce formatted documents, working spreadsheets, and well-designed slides
• Spot a phishing attempt and evaluate a source using the SIFT method
• Measure typing speed and accuracy and set a realistic improvement goal

Scope and sequence

All 8 units of Computer Skills for Grade 6, in the order they are taught.

Every lesson, by title

All 72 lesson titles are listed here — nothing is withheld until you download. Open a unit to read its contents.

One whole lesson, exactly as it comes

This is a real lesson taken from the middle of the course — the teaching text, the practice, the homework, and the first three quiz questions with their answers. It is not a marketing excerpt.

What you will need

Drawn from the materials named across all 72 lessons of this course. Most families already own most of it.