OVERVIEW

Activity Overview:

This lesson/activity is an introduction of algorithms. Students will be in small groups and assign someone as a ‘bot’ and will guide them by giving specific instructions/algorithms to move to a specific location for no more than 10 ‘blocks’/directions. Students can rotate ‘bots’ and find different ways to create an algorithm.

Meta description

• Subject Area: Computer Science
• Grade Level : K-2, 3-5
• Computer Science Domains:
  • Computing Systems, Algorithms and Programming
• Computer Science Principles:
  • Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems
• Materials:
  • None
• Considerations:
  • Understanding of how algorithms work.

Lesson Plan

Overview

This lesson/activity is an introduction of algorithms. Students will be in small groups and assign someone as a ‘bot’ and will guide them by giving specific instructions/algorithms to move to a specific location for no more than 10 ‘blocks’/directions. Students can rotate ‘bots’ and find different ways to create an algorithm.

ASSESSMENT PRE/POST-TEST

Successfully guide their ‘bot’ to destination using no more than 10 ‘blocks’/directions.

OBJECTIVES

Creating algorithms to successfully their ‘bot’ to a designated location using no more than 10 ‘blocks’/directions to reach location.

CATCH/HOOK

Stand at a different spot in a room and have teacher will close their eyes. Tell students to guide teacher to grab a pen from a desk or move a specific location.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

After the hook, explain to students that the directions they gave is call in the computer science world, an algorithm which is a plan and/or a set of step-by-step instructions to solve a problem). Algorithms are not just in the CS world but also in real life such as getting ready for school, baking a cake, building Legos, etc.

Explain that students today will be forming into groups of 3, creating algorithms to guide their ‘bot’ (another student). They will take turns giving directions and rotate ‘bots’ as each reaches their destination. Tell them that they will run into errors know as ‘bugs’ and their goal is to create an algorithm with no bugs by taking away a direction or adding something to fix it or squash the bug. Depending on grade level, they can write down directions on a white board or piece of paper, collaborating with their group on how to guide their ‘bot’. For the younger group, they can write down arrows and each arrow and represent that amount of steps to take in that direction. (Ex: Three left arrows means to turn left and take three steps)

Their next challenge after that is to create an algorithm using no more than 10 blocks/directions. This can be done outside at the playground or inside and they must write out their algorithm before their bot can move. If there’s no algorithm, bot cannot do anything.

If groups are done quickly, give them an extension where once the bot reaches their destination, have them do some specific type of movement (clapping, dancing, jumping etc.)

Supplements

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REVIEW

Bring the class back together and ask them what is an algorithm and what is its importance. What is a bug? Why is the sequence or order so important? They will need to know this once they move over to the next lesson using Micro bits.

STANDARDS