Classroom Resources

To conclude this unit, students design a recommendation engine based on data that they collect and analyze from their classmates. After looking at an example of a recommendation app, students follow a project guide to complete this multi-day activity. In the first several steps, students choose what choice they want to help the user to make, what data they need to give the recommendation, create a survey, and collect information about their classmates' choices. They then interpret the data and use what they have learned to create the recommendation algorithm. Last, they use their algorithms to make recommendations to a few classmates. Students perform a peer review and make any necessary updates to their projects before preparing a presentation to the class.

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Students will explore a wide variety of new and innovative computing platforms while expanding their understanding of what a computer can be.

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Students will design a prescribed app, making changes to design elements to match the intended design. By reading and changing the content on the screen of an app, the class starts to build apps that only need a single screen. Even with just one screen, these techniques allow for lots of user interaction and functionality.

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Students will use the design circuit boards and create an app of their own design.

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Students take what they've learned through Unit 6 Chapter 1 and develop an app of their own design that uses the circuit board to output information.

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Students will plan, design, and create a physical prototype using block programming to control simple wire circuits using cheap and easily found materials.

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Students, working with a partner or team will brainstorm physical devices they wish to prototype. Students have the option to design a new creation or recreate a device they have found in the "real world". Students will complete a planning guide to determine the resources (physical and digital) they will need to create their prototype. Students will design a user interface (typically an app or circuit board) that may control some output device (like a circuit board). It will be necessary for students to develop pseudocode or algorithms to aid in the coding process. Students will need to complete the problem-solving process during this lesson plan which will include testing a revising the prototype.

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This is informational material that can be used to teach about the Gettysburg Address. There are links to various resources including a recording of the Gettysburg Address and stories behind the words of the address. Students can also examine the document itself and compare it to other famous speeches such as the "I Have a Dream Speech".

This lesson will guide students through the steps of debugging. Students will learn the mantra: "What happened? What was supposed to happen? What does that tell you?"

Research shows that some students have less trouble debugging a program than writing one when they first learn to code. In this lesson, we introduce the idea of debugging in a real-world sense. The goal in this lesson is to teach students steps to spot a bug and to increase persistence by showing them that it's normal to find mistakes. In later lessons, students will debug actual programs on Code.org.

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When students run into a barrier while answering a question or working on a project, it’s so easy for them to get frustrated and give up. This lesson will introduce students to the idea that frustration can be an important part of learning. Here, frustration is presented as a step in the creative process, rather than a sign of failure.

This lesson can be done over one or two class sessions. If you have more time, feel free to draw out the building and revising phase of the Marble Run activity. The goal of this lesson is to help students realize that failure and frustration are common when working on projects, but that doesn't mean that they should give up. In this lesson, students will develop an understanding of what it means to be frustrated while working on a large project. It's possible that not every student will experience frustration with this activity, but there are many opportunities to open a discussion about moments in the past where students have felt frustrated but nevertheless persisted.

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In this lesson, students will relate the concept of algorithms back to everyday, real-life activities by planting an actual seed. The goal in this lesson is to start building the skills to translate real-world situations to online scenarios and vice versa. In this lesson, students will learn that algorithms are everywhere in our daily lives. For example, it is possible to write an algorithm to plant a seed. Instead of giving vague or over-generalized instructions, students will break down a large activity into smaller and more specific commands. From these commands, students must determine a special sequence of instructions that will allow their classmate to plant a seed.

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This lesson will give students an idea of what to expect when they head to the computer lab. It begins with a brief discussion introducing them to computer lab manners, then they will progress into using a computer to complete online puzzles. The main goal of this lesson is to build students' experience with computers. By covering the most basic computer functions such as clicking, dragging, and dropping, we are creating a more equal playing field in the class for future puzzles. This lesson also provides a great opportunity to introduce proper computer lab behavior.

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This unplugged lesson brings together teams with a simple task: get the "flurb" to the fruit. Students will practice writing precise instructions as they work to translate written instructions into the symbols provided. If problems arise in the code, students should also work together to recognize bugs and build solutions. The bridge from algorithms to programming can be a short one if students understand the difference between planning out a sequence and encoding that sequence into the appropriate language. This activity will help students gain experience reading and writing in shorthand code.

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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 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.

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Students will apply the programming concepts that they have learned to the Harvester environment. Now, instead of just getting the character to a goal, students have to collect corn using a new block. Students will continue to develop sequential algorithm skills and start using the debugging process. In this lesson, students will develop debugging skills and will continue developing their programming skills.

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In collaboration with Common Sense Education, this lesson helps students learn that many websites ask for information that is private and discusses how to responsibly handle such requests. Students also find out that they can go to exciting places online, but they need to follow certain rules to remain safe.>

Common Sense Education has created this lesson to teach kids the importance of being safe online. By relating places in the real world to websites on the internet, students will make important connections between safe websites and safe places in their own neighborhood.

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This activity revisits concepts from Happy Maps (CSF Unit 2 Lesson 5). This time, students will be solving bigger, longer puzzles with their code, leading them to see the utility in structures that let them write longer code in an easier way.

This lesson serves as an introduction to loops. Loops allow for students to simplify their code by grouping commands that need to be repeated. Students will develop critical thinking skills by noticing repetition in movements of their classmates and determining how many times to repeat commands. By seeing "Happy Maps" again, students will get the chance to relate old concepts such as sequencing to the new concept of repeat loops.

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Building on the concept of repeating instructions from "Happy Loops", (Lesson 9 - precedes this lesson in Code.org Course A 2018 curriculum) this lesson will have students using loops to pick corn more efficiently on Code.org. In this lesson, students learn more about loops and how to implement them in Blockly code. Using loops is an important skill in programming because manually repeating commands is tedious and inefficient. With the Code.org puzzles, students will learn to add instructions to existing loops, gather repeated code into loops, and recognize patterns that need to be looped.

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This lesson will prepare students mentally for the coding exercises that they will encounter over the length of this course. In small teams, students will use physical activity to program their classmates to step carefully from place to place until a goal is achieved.

By using physical movement to program their classmates, students will run into issues and emotions similar to what they will feel when they begin coding on a computer. Encountering those stresses in a playful and open environment will help to alleviate intensity and allow students to practice necessary skills before they run into problems on their own.

Students will be able to:
- Define a list of steps (algorithm) to get a friend from their starting position to their goal.
- Translate a list of steps into a series of physical actions.
- Identify and fix errors in the execution of an algorithm.

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Using a set of symbols in place of code, students will design algorithms to instruct a "robot" to stack cups in different patterns. Students will take turns participating as the robot, responding only to the algorithm defined by their peers. This segment teaches students the connection between symbols and actions, the difference between an algorithm and a program, and the valuable skill of debugging.

This unplugged lesson brings the class together as a team with a simple task to complete: get a "robot" to stack cups in a specific design. This activity lays the groundwork for the programming that students will do throughout the course as they learn the importance of defining a clearly communicated algorithm.

Students will be able to:

- Attend to precision when creating instructions.
- Identify and address bugs or errors in sequenced instructions.

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Using characters from the Ice Age, students will develop sequential algorithms to move Scrat from one side of a maze to the acorn 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 help students learn about sequence and concepts, without having to worry about perfecting syntax.

Students will be able to:

- Construct a program by reorganizing sequential movements.
- Build a computer program from a set of written instructions.
- Choose appropriate debugging practices when solving problems.

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In this lesson, students will use their newfound programming skills in more complicated ways to navigate a tricky course with BB-8.

With transfer of knowledge in mind, this lesson gives students a new environment to practice the skills that they have been cultivating. Star Wars fans will jump for joy when they see these puzzles. Each puzzle in this series has been added to provide a deeper understanding of the basic concepts that they will be using throughout the rest of this course.

Students will be able to:

- Sequence commands in a logical order.
- Recognize problems or "bugs" in a program and develop a plan to resolve the issues.

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In this learning activity, students will analyze a famous letter written by Grace Badell to President Abraham Lincoln. Using hints about Grace's family from the letter, students will draw pictures of her family.

In this activity, students will read the story, Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick and pick a moment in the story to add a new scene in the form of a comic strip.

In this activity, students will read The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, a story about the creation of the first American flag. Students will be able to answer questions based on key details from the story. Students will explore the main character's emotions throughout the story and try to guess what she is feeling.  

In this activity, students will be able to recite the first verse and paraphrase "The Star-Spangled Banner."  Students will also be able to explain why Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814.  

In this learning activity, students analyze "The Star-Spangled Banner" for Key's use of poetic devices. Students express the meaning of "The Star-Spangled Banner" national anthem in their own words and write their own poetry in relation to the flag or another historical event.

This learning activity details the history of voting methods in the United States including manual, mechanical, and electronic balloting. Students will also learn about the purposes and functions of the Electoral College and the Electoral Commission. Included in the resource is an interactive voting exhibition.  

Building on the initial "My Robotic Friends" activity, students tackle larger and more complicated designs. In order to program their "robots" to complete these bigger designs, students will need to identify repeated patterns in their instructions that could be replaced with a loop.

This lesson serves as a reintroduction to loops, using the now familiar set of "robot" programming instructions. Students will develop critical thinking skills by looking for patterns of repetition in the movements of classmates and determining how to simplify those repeated patterns using loops.

Students will be able to:
- Identify repeated patterns in code that could be replaced with a loop.
- Write instructions that use loops to repeat patterns.

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Building on the concept of repeating instructions from "My Loopy Robotic Friends," this stage will have students using loops to get to the acorn more efficiently on Code.org.

Students will be able to:
- Construct a program using structures that repeat areas of code.
- Improve existing code by finding areas of repetition and moving them into looping structures.

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In this lesson, students continue learning the concept of loops. Here, Laurel the Adventurer uses loops to collect treasure in open cave spaces. A new get treasure block is introduced to help her on her journey.

This lesson gives students more practice with loops and encourages them to put multiple blocks inside of a repeat< as they try to collect as much treasure as possible.

Students will be able to:
- Identify the benefits of using a loop structure instead of manual repetition.
- Break down a long sequence of instructions into the smallest repeatable sequence possible.

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Students learn to draw images by looping simple sequences of instructions. In the previous online lesson, loops were used to traverse a maze and collect treasure. Here, students use loops to create patterns. At the end of this stage, students will be given the opportunity to create their own images using loops.

This lesson gives a different perspective on how loops can create things in programming. Students will test their critical thinking skills by evaluating given code and determining what needs to be added in order to solve the puzzle. Students can also reflect on the inefficiency of programming without loops here because of how many blocks the program would require without the help of repeat loops.

Students will be able to:
- Count the number of times an action should be repeated and represent it as a loop.
- Decompose a shape into its largest repeatable sequence.
- Create a program that draws complex shapes by repeating simple sequences.

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Events are a great way to add variety to a pre-written algorithm. Sometimes you want your program to be able to respond to the user exactly when the user wants it to. That is what events are for in coding.

In this lesson, students will learn to distinguish events from actions. The students will see activities interrupted by having a "button" pressed on a paper remote. When seeing this event, the class will react with a unique action. Events are widely used in programming and should be easily recognizable after this lesson.

Students will be able to:

- Repeat commands given by an instructor.
- Recognize actions of the teacher as signals to initiate commands.
- Practice differentiating pre-defined actions and event-driven ones.

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In this online activity, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use events in Play Lab and apply all of the coding skills that they've learned to create an animated game. It's time to get creative and make a game in Play Lab!

Students will start by training the knight to move when an arrow key is pressed, then end with the opportunity to showcase the rest of the skills that they learned throughout this course, including sequence and looping, as part of the final free play puzzle.

Students will be able to:
- Identify actions that correlate to input events.
- Create an animated, interactive story using sequences and event-handlers.
- Share a creative artifact with other students.

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This informational site focuses on the history of the various methods of voting including paper ballot, machine ballot, and electronic voting systems used today. Students explore the range of voting technologies using the online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.