Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 3, “Intro to Coding” (1st-2nd)
Our overarching theme today was engineering. Our morning read-aloud was Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. After reading the book, I introduced the engineering design process using an anchor chart in our classroom. We did a picture walk through the book and reviewed how Rosie used the engineering design process. Students made connections to times when they solved problems, made improvements, and created something new. Our vocabulary terms for today were algorithm, input, output, processing, and storage. We also reviewed the blocks they learned for coding Sphero yesterday and the function of each block.
The first coding activity today was “unplugged.” Students drew a floor plan for the level of their home where their bedroom is. The floor plan included doorways and walls. Then, they drew a favorite toy in one of the rooms. They had to write code to map the path from the toy to their bedroom. This task was completed using the graph paper in their notebook. Each block of graph paper counted as one block of code. When students finished their code, they counted how many blocks of code they wrote. I used code.org to introduce “loops.” Students looked at the code they wrote and counted how many blocks they used. They rewrote the code using loop blocks to repeat like sequential steps. They counted how many lines of code the new program used. We used the word efficiency to describe the benefit of using loops.
After lunch, we went to a computer lab for today’s career connection activity. Students programmed the Flappy Bird computer game using block code on code.org. We watched a video with a game designer explaining how he uses code to program video games and computer games. After ORA, students worked with a group to design a city. They were given criteria for their map. It must include:
- 4 intersecting roads
- 1 or more stop signs
- Home (marked with H)
- School (marked with S)
First, each team drew its map on graph paper. Once the map was approved, they made a large map on chart paper. Each group wrote code for Sphero to travel from home to school. They used loop blocks to make their code as efficient as possible.
One of the coding centers is the Botley Robot. Botley robots include physical coding cards. Students plan the code using the cards. Then, they push buttons on the remote to program Botley. Botley can also follow lines. Students used colored masking tape to create a path for Botley to follow. This function doesn’t involve programming with the remote, but it helps students understand sensors.
Extensions for Home:
Practice the engineering design process by brainstorming tasks you’d like to do more efficiently (like chores). Go through the process to invent something or improve your current process. https://youtu.be/fxJWin195kU?feature=shared