Computing · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Using Keywords to Search

This topic helps your pupils become search detectives, learning how to choose the best 'clue words' to find exactly what they need online. Move beyond simple searches and discover how to ask search engines the right questions.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• National Curriculum for England: Computing KS2 - Use search technologies effectively

• 15–20 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Keyword Challenge

Provide pupils with a question, such as 'What do badgers eat?'. In pairs, they brainstorm different keyword combinations, test them in a search engine, and compare the usefulness of the results.

Explain why choosing good keywords is important for searching.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage pupils to focus on the most important nouns and verbs from the original question.

What to look for

Exit Ticket: At the end of the lesson, ask pupils to write down three keywords they would use to find out the name of the tallest mountain in the world.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Individual

One Word vs. Three Words

Pupils choose a topic, like 'Roman soldiers'. They first search for a single word ('Romans') and then a more specific phrase ('Roman soldier food'), comparing the two sets of results.

Identify which keywords you would use to find out about the weather in London tomorrow.

Facilitation Tip

Use a simple worksheet for them to record their findings and write a sentence about which search was better and why.

What to look for

Search Task: Provide pupils with three questions. Observe and assess their ability to choose effective keywords to find the correct answers within a reasonable time.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Small Groups

Picture Search Quest

Give pupils a verbal description of an image, for example, 'a red bus crossing a famous bridge in London'. Working in small groups, they must collaborate to choose the best keywords to find the correct picture using an image search.

Compare the results you get from a one-word search versus a three-word search for the same topic.

Facilitation Tip

After the activity, hold a class discussion about which keyword combinations were the most successful.

What to look for

Traffic Lights: Pupils use red, amber, or green cards or drawings to indicate their confidence level in choosing good keywords for a search.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by modelling a search on the interactive whiteboard. Think aloud as you choose poor keywords for a question, discuss the unhelpful results, and then refine the search with better keywords. Use an analogy like finding a book in a library: you need to give the librarian the most important information, not the whole story. Provide pupils with structured opportunities to experiment and compare results from their own searches.

By the end of these activities, pupils will be able to confidently select specific keywords from a question to conduct a more efficient and successful internet search.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• You have to type a full question into the search bar.

  Search engines work best with a few important words, called keywords. Using just the main ideas from your question helps the search engine find the most relevant pages more easily.

• The first result is always the best and most accurate answer.

  Search engines show results in a specific order, but the top one isn't always the best for your needs. It's a good idea to look at a few different results to find the most helpful information.

• Using more words is always better.

  Using more specific words is better, but adding unnecessary words like 'the', 'a', or 'what is' can sometimes give you less helpful results. Focus on the most important words.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share