Computing · Stage 5

Stored Program

Coding & Systems · systems — a program is written down, stored in memory, then run one step at a time, in order

✦ Computing📘 Stage 5 · S5⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 9–10★ Free to start

I can explain a stored program that runs step by step.

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Kavi's Recipe in a Drawer

Kavi wrote a recipe on a card: mix, pour, bake, cool. Then Kavi tucked the card into a drawer. "Now the steps are stored," Kavi said. "They wait in there, in order, until I need them." Later, Kavi opened the drawer, took the card, and did one line at a time — mix… pour… bake… cool. "That's how a computer works too! A program is a list of instructions that is stored in the computer's memory first. Then the computer runs it step by step — it reads one instruction, does it, then moves to the next, from top to bottom, until the program ends." Because the steps are saved, Kavi can run the same recipe again tomorrow — without writing it out all over again.

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What your child will learn

1Write it, store it, run it step by stepA program is an ordered list of instructions. First the steps are stored (saved) in the computer's memory. Then the computer runs them — one instruction at a time, in order. Tap each part to hear its job.

2The stored steps run one at a timeHere is a tiny stored program that counts Kavi's coins. The four steps are already saved, waiting in order. Press ▶ Run (or Step ›) and watch the computer do one instruction at a time, top to bottom.

3Stored (waiting) vs running (doing)A stored program has two moments. While it is stored, the whole list sits still in memory, ready. While it is running, the computer moves through the list, one step at a time. Tap each card to compare.

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A peek inside

A stored program has these lines, muddled up: show the total · set the total to 0 · add the next number. Which line does the computer run FIRST?

the computer runs the stored steps from the top, in order — it must start the total before it can add to it or show it

Try this at home: A list of instructions that is saved and run by a computer is called a ____.

Ready to play and learn?

Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.

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Part of Computing · Stage 5 · S5 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.