Content Style Guide ############################################################################## .. contents:: Contents :local: Writing Style ============================================================================== When using pronouns in reference to a hypothetical person, gender neutral pronouns (they/their/them) should be used. All documents (other than those for internal use only) must be written clearly and simply so that a non-expert is able to understand them. Preferably documents should be readable by students. Any jargon used needs to be clearly explained and should be considered as a glossary definition. Capitalisation Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the majority of cases capitalisation should not be used for keywords and titles, with the following exceptions, where the phrase refers to a commonly used term that is often capitilised in the literature: - Computer Science. - Computational Thinking. - Digital Technologies (note that this is the correct form to refer to the subject area in NZ, with caps and plural; if it's referring to something other than the subject then use lower case e.g. "smartphones and other digital technologies", or even better, avoid the phrase e.g. "smartphones and other digital devices"). - Sorting Network. - Numeracy. - Literacy. The following wouldn't be capitalised: binary number(s), digits, binary digits Extra notes for specific content ============================================================================== Glossary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The following are added to the glossary and linked to where the words are used: - All Computer Science, programming, and Computational Thinking jargon. - All education jargon. - All curriculum language that is not broadly used internationally. Topic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Topic description must apply to all the units within the topic. It is one introductory paragraph, less than 150 words, which gives a big picture overview of why this topic is being taught/is relevant, and what it will cover. Learning outcomes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learning outcomes are written using language familiar to teachers and simple enough that it is understandable for students. Learning outcomes always begin with a verb. Programming challenges ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There needs to be enough scaffolding to support students to be able to achieve a result, independently. When listing Scratch block: 1. Separate out all the blocks that “click” together, leaving all the information inside where the parameter is written. All duplicates of a block should be displayed. 2. Where a variable is inserted into another block, those blocks stay together, example below: .. image:: ../_static/img/scratch_say_block.png :alt: A screenshot of a say block containing a variable. 3. All join blocks are displayed as one and all the variables/text are included, example below: .. image:: ../_static/img/scratch_multiple_join_blocks.png :alt: A screenshot of several join blocks together. 4. For blocks containing join blocks keep the join block within the parent block, example below. .. image:: ../_static/img/scratch_set_block.png :alt: A screenshot of a set block containing a join block. 5. Loops should keep the condition blocks, but the blocks within the loop should be extracted.