Computing · Year 5

Active learning ideas

Screen Time and Well-being

Active learning helps Year 5 pupils grasp the impact of screen time on well-being by making abstract concepts tangible. Tracking personal habits, dissecting app designs, and designing schedules turn theoretical ideas into observable actions that students can reflect on and adjust.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Computing - Online Safety
• KS2: Computing - Digital Literacy

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Pairs

Tracking Log: Personal Screen Audit

Students use a provided template to log screen activities for three days, marking each as active or passive and noting mood after. Pairs compare logs to identify patterns. The class graphs results to discuss group trends.

Analyze how apps use notifications to keep us looking at our screens.

Facilitation Tip

For the Tracking Log, model how to categorize screen time using clear examples before students work independently.

What to look for

Provide students with a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one app notification they find particularly attention-grabbing and explain why. Then, have them suggest one way to modify that notification to reduce its pull.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Small Groups

Notification Detective: App Breakdown

In small groups, pupils list notifications from their devices or demo apps, classify them by type, and brainstorm how they encourage repeated checks. Groups present findings with examples. Vote on most persuasive tactics.

Differentiate between active screen time and passive screen time.

Facilitation Tip

In the Notification Detective activity, provide real app screenshots or short video clips to ground the analysis in familiar experiences.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you have one hour of free time. Would you rather spend it actively creating something on a tablet or passively scrolling through videos? Explain your choice and why it contributes to your well-being.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 50 min · Small Groups

Balance Workshop: Schedule Design

Small groups create visual weekly planners balancing screen time with physical activities, using colours for active/passive. Include rules for notifications. Share and refine based on peer feedback.

Design a plan to create a healthy balance between digital and physical activities.

Facilitation Tip

During the Balance Workshop, circulate with a timer to help groups pace their planning and avoid rushed decisions.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up fingers to indicate their agreement with the statement: 'I can identify at least two ways an app tries to keep me using it.' Follow up by asking a few students to share their examples.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 30 min · Whole Class

Role-Play Relay: Habit Switch

Whole class lines up; teacher calls scenarios like 'notification buzz.' Students act out passive response then switch to active alternative. Discuss feelings in debrief.

Analyze how apps use notifications to keep us looking at our screens.

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play Relay, assign specific roles like 'app designer' or 'user' to ensure all students participate actively.

What to look for

Provide students with a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one app notification they find particularly attention-grabbing and explain why. Then, have them suggest one way to modify that notification to reduce its pull.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding discussions in students’ lived experiences. Avoid lecturing about screen time; instead, guide them to notice patterns in their own behavior. Research shows that when pupils analyze real examples, they internalize concepts more deeply than through abstract rules. Keep activities short and discussion-based to maintain engagement and prevent fatigue.

Successful learning looks like pupils recognizing the difference between active and passive screen time, identifying manipulative app features, and creating balanced weekly plans they can explain and justify to peers. Their reflections should show growing awareness of how small changes improve daily routines.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Tracking Log, watch for students who label all screen time as the same and struggle to differentiate between activities.

  Guide students to relive specific moments from their screen time and describe how each activity made them feel before categorizing it as active or passive.

• During the Notification Detective activity, watch for students who assume all notifications are necessary or important.

  Have students list the notification’s purpose and compare it to a friend’s experience to highlight how apps often prioritize retention over usefulness.

• During the Balance Workshop, watch for students who create extreme schedules that eliminate screens entirely or allow unlimited use.

  Ask students to test their plans for one day and reflect on how it felt, then adjust the schedule to include realistic, balanced use.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate