Using characters from the game Angry Birds, students will develop sequential algorithms to move a bird from one side of a maze to the pig at the other side. To do this, they will stack code blocks together in a linear sequence, making them move straight, turn left, or turn right.
In this lesson, students will develop programming and debugging skills on a computer platform. The block-based format of these puzzles helps students learn about sequence and concepts, without having to worry about perfecting syntax.
Students will be able to:- translate movements into a series of commands.- identify and locate bugs in a program.
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Watch student faces light up as they make their own gorgeous designs using a small number of blocks and digital stickers! This lesson builds on the understanding of loops from previous lessons and gives students a chance to be truly creative. This activity is fantastic for producing artifacts for portfolios or parent/teacher conferences.
This series highlights the power of loops with creative and personal designs.
Offered as a project-backed sequence, this progression will allow students to build on top of their own work and create amazing artifacts.
Students will be able to:- identify the benefits of using a loop structure instead of manual repetition.- differentiate between commands that need to be repeated in loops and commands that should be used on their own.
In the preceding stage, students used loops to create fantastic drawings. Now they're going to loop new actions in order to help the harvester collect multiple veggies growing in large bunches.
It may seem unnecessarily repetitive to have two plugged stages introducing loops, but the practice of using loops for different reasons develops a student's understanding of what loops can do. In "Loops in Maze" students only used loops to repeat movements. In this lesson, students will use loops to repeat other actions like harvesting pumpkins. New patterns will emerge and students will use creativity and logical thinking to determine what code needs to be repeated and how many times.
Students will be able to:- write a program for a given task which loops a single command.- identify when a loop can be used to simplify a repetitive action.- employ a combination of sequential and looped commands to move and perform actions.
In this online activity, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use events in Play Lab and to apply all the coding skills they've learned to create an animated game. It's time to get creative and make a game in Play Lab!
Here, students will further develop their understanding of events using Play Lab. Students will use events to make characters move around the screen, make noises, and change backgrounds based on user input. At the end of the puzzle sequence, students will be presented with the opportunity to share their projects.
Students will be able to:- create an animated, interactive game using sequence and event-handlers.- identify actions that correlate to input events.
This lesson was originally created for the Hour of Code, alongside the Minecraft team. Students will get the chance to practice ideas that they have learned up to this point, as well as getting a sneak peek at conditionals!
If puzzles will work to solidify and build on the knowledge of loops and introduce conditionals. By pairing these two concepts together, students will be able to explore the potential for creating fun and innovative programs in a new and exciting environment.
Students will be able to:- define circumstances when certain parts of a program should run and when they shouldn't.- determine whether a conditional is met based on criteria.
In this lesson, students are asked to build a load-bearing structure using common materials. The structure will be tested on its ability to hold a textbook for more than ten seconds. The goal of this activity is to engage students in a difficult challenge to highlight strategies for showing persistence in the face of frustration. Most students will not get this right the first time, but if they continue trying and iterating, you can help them identify techniques to make struggle productive.
While this lesson may not at first seem connected to Computer Science, it plays an essential role in preparing students to tackle some of the more difficult challenges that will come their way when approaching new CS content. This lesson teaches that failure is not the end of a journey, but rather a step towards success. The majority of students should feel frustrated at some point in this lesson, but it's important to emphasize that failure and frustration are common steps that lead to creativity and success.
Students will be able to:- identify the feeling of frustration when felt or described..- list strategies for overcoming frustration during a difficult task- model persistence while working on a difficult task.
