Lesson 4: Programming with Angry Birds
53 minutes
Overview
In this skill-building lesson, students will continue to develop sequential algorithms.
Purpose
In this lesson, students will develop programming 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.
Standards
AP - Algorithms & Programming
- 1A-AP-09 - Model the way programs store and manipulate data by using numbers or other symbols to represent information.
- 1A-AP-11 - Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions.
- 1A-AP-13 - Give attribution when using the ideas and creations of others while developing programs.
Agenda
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Build a computer program from a set of written instructions.
- Construct a program by reorganizing sequential movements.
- Translate movements into a series of commands.
Preparation
- Play through the puzzles to find any potential problem areas for your class.
- Locate or reprint supplies for *Happy Maps.
- Make sure each student has a Reflection Journal.
- Cut enough *Manipulatives of each direction (N, S, E, W) to give two sets to every pair of students (if you choose Bridging Option #1).
Links
Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.
For the students
- Compass Rose - Handout
- Feeling Faces - Emotion Image - Resource
- Happy Map Game Pieces - Manipulatives
- Move It, Move It - Map Activity
- Pair Programming - Student Video
- Unplugged Blockly Blocks (Grades K-1) - Manipulatives
Vocabulary
- Algorithm - A list of steps to finish a task.
- Program - An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine.
- Programming - The art of creating a program.
Teaching Guide
Warm Up (5 minutes)
Review Unplugged Activity
This lesson relies on many of the unplugged ideas that students have learned in the weeks leading up to this first online activity. It is important that you bring those concepts (such as persistence, algorithms, and programs) around full-circle so that your class can benefit from them in their online work as well.
If your class has already learned cardinal directions, then changing "Up" and "Down" to "North" and "South" shouldn't be a problem. If they have not, we have provided a handy worksheet with the Code.org Compass Rose that you can use to get students onboard. This conversion will come in handy for nearly all of the online puzzles aimed at kindergarten and first grade.
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Let students know that they will see those letters in their online programs next to the direction arrows.
Display: Show students a picture from the "Move It, Move It" exercise that you completed in the lessons prior to this one.
Discuss: Ask students to recall the symbols used in "Move It, Move It."
- What would you do when when you saw the "North" arrow?
- How about the "East" arrow?
Transition: Once you are satisfied that your students remember "Move It, Move It", you can move into the Bridging Activity.
Bridging Activity - Choose One (10 minutes)
This activity will help bring the unplugged concepts from Move It, Move It into the online world that the students are moving into. Choose one of the following to do with your class:
Unplugged Activity Using Paper Blocks
Distribute: Give students *Manipulatives with cardinal commands like E →
(East) and W ←
(West).
Display: Choose a map from the *Map Activity and display it for the class to see.
Model: Beginning at the start location, use your finger to show students what each block does. Show them how the E →
corresponds to the right arrow and moves the the "robot" one step to the right. Do the same for each of the other three.
Think: By this point, the class should know how to reach a goal using arrows. How would you reach a goal using Blockly blocks?
Pair: Now, have the students program from their desks using the paper Blockly blocks. Make sure that they understand that the blocks need to go from top to bottom and they all need to be connected!
Share: Have pairs discuss their answers with elbow partners. Did everybody get the same thing?
-Or-
Online Puzzles Using Arrows
Display: Show students the play space from one of the puzzles corresponding to this lesson. We recommend puzzle 5.
Think: Ask students to imagine that this puzzle is just like the maps, but instead, it's a bird trying to get to the pig. How can they write a program to get the bird to the pig using arrows?
Pair: Using just the symbols from the *Game Pieces, have students lay out a pattern that they think will get the bird to the pig.
Share: Ask the students to share their answers with the class. Did anyone else have the same answer?
Previewing Online Puzzles as a Class (3 minutes)
Students should now be ready to see a real puzzle in action!
Model: Pull up Puzzle 5 to do in front of the class. This will be the same puzzle that they just saw in the bridging activity. While working through this puzzle with the class, remind students that making mistakes is okay and remind them that the only way to be successful is to be persistent. Tie the the issues into ideas that they've seen in previous lessons, such as what to do when a program doesn't work (debug it!) or how to get through the frustration that can come with working on a computer.
Next, you'll need to describe how the blocks in the workspace move the bird toward the pig. Show students how to drag blocks from the toolbox and connect them beneath the when run
block, but don't solve the puzzle.
Discuss: Think about how we would get the bird to the pig using arrows. How do we use these blocks instead?
Have students use their fingers to point the direction that the bird should go next. Once you feel like you have a classroom consensus, try to get students to put into words which block will make that action happen. Roll your mouse over different options and have them shout "Yes" or "No".
Drag blocks into place one at a time, then click "Run" after each one. This will not only let them see how far the bird has gone, but set good habits for when they start working to solve their own puzzles.
Continue this pattern, fixing bugs as they arise, until the bird successfully gets to the pig.
Transition: Now that students have seen an online puzzle in practice, they should be ready to start solving puzzles of their own. Continue to the lab or bring out their classroom machines.
Main Activity (30 minutes)
Programming with Angry Birds
Additional Demonstration
We've included some multiple choice prediction levels that are difficult for non-readers. Alternatively, these could be used after finishing the stage as a review for the class.
Prediction Levels:
Show the students the right way to help classmates by:
- Don't sit in their chair
- Don't use their keyboard
- Don't touch their mouse
- Make sure the classmate can describe the solution before you walk away
Circulate: Teachers play a vital role in computer science education and supporting a collaborative and vibrant classroom environment. During online activities, the role of the teacher is primarily one of encouragement and support. Online lessons are meant to be student-centered, so teachers should avoid stepping in when students get stuck. Some ideas on how to do this are:
- Utilize *Pair Programming - student video whenever possible during the activity.
- Encourage students with questions/challenges to start by asking their partner.
- Unanswered questions can be escalated to a nearby group, who might already know the solution.
- Have students describe the problem that they’re seeing. What is it supposed to do? What does it do? What does that tell you?
- Remind frustrated students that frustration is a step on the path to learning, and that persistence will pay off.
- If a student is still stuck after all of this, ask leading questions to get the student to spot an error on their own.
Discuss: After providing students with end-of-class warnings, grab everyone's attention and get them to reflect on the experiences that they just had.
- Did anyone feel frustrated during any of the puzzles?
- Did anyone notice the need to be persistent?
Transition: Have students grab their Reflection Journals and take a moment to review lessons for themselves.
Wrap Up (5 minutes)
Reflection
Prompts:
- What was today’s lesson about?
- Draw a face that shows how you felt about today's lesson in the corner of your journal page.
- Draw something that you shouldn't do while helping a friend with a Code.org puzzle.
Extended Learning
In small groups, let students design their own mazes on paper and challenge other students or groups to write programs to solve them. For added fun, make life-size mazes with students as the pig and bird.
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