Year 8 Technologies – Term 1 (WA Curriculum): Digital Systems and Data Analysis

What this unit covers

In Term 1, Year 8 Technologies in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Digital Systems and Data Analysis”.

Students explore how digital systems represent data, analyse hardware performance, and develop skills in data management and validation using spreadsheets.

Lesson sequence (20 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Exploring Computer Hardware Components and Their Functions
2. Comparing CPU Specifications and Performance Impact
3. Graphics Cards: Choosing the Right Hardware for Gaming
4. Storage Solutions: Selecting Appropriate Hardware for Video Editing
5. Network Types: Comparing Wired, Wireless and Mobile Connections
6. Measuring Network Performance: Bandwidth, Latency and Reliability
7. Introduction to Binary: How Computers Store Information
8. Digital Image Representation: Understanding RGB Colour Values
9. Bitmap vs Vector Graphics: PNG, JPEG and SVG Formats
10. How Digital Systems Represent Audio Using Binary Data
11. Converting Sound Waves to Digital Audio Files
12. Introduction to Spreadsheet Data Analysis
13. Using Basic Spreadsheet Functions: MIN, MAX and COUNT
14. Advanced Functions: COUNTIF, MEAN, MODE and MEDIAN
15. Filtering and Sorting Sports Data to Identify Patterns
16. Creating Charts and Graphs to Visualise Data Trends
17. Making Predictions from Data Analysis Results
18. Evaluating Data Sources: Checking Authenticity and Accuracy
19. Assessing Data Timeliness and Relevance for Decision Making
20. Digital Systems Project: Hardware Selection and Data Analysis

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Skills codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 1

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 1 runs from Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April — 9 weeks for WA public schools. With 20 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.