Lesson 5: Collecting Treasure with Laurel
50 minutes
Overview
In this skill-building lesson, students will continue to develop their understanding of algorithms and debugging. With a new character, Laurel the Adventurer, students will create sequential algorithms to get Laurel to pick up treasure as she walks along a path.
Purpose
In this lesson, students will be practicing their programming skills using a new character, Laurel the Adventurer. When someone starts programming they piece together instructions in a specific order using something that a machine can read. Through the use of programming, students will develop an understanding of how a computer navigates instructions and order. Using a new character with a different puzzle objective will help students widen their scope of experience with sequencing and algorithms in programming.
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.
Agenda
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Develop problem solving and critical thinking skills by reviewing debugging practices.
- Order movement commands as sequential steps in a program.
- Represent an algorithm as a computer program.
Preparation
- Play through the puzzles to find potential problem areas for your class.
- Make sure every student has a reflection journal.
Links
Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.
For the students
- Unplugged Blocks (Courses C-F) - 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)
Introduction
This lesson uses most of the same blocks from the previous lessons and adds the ability to collect
. Tell the students that this block will allow Laurel the Adventurer to pick up the treasure that she is standing over. This new block will be discussed more in the bridging activity.
Bridging Activity (10 minutes)
Previewing Online Puzzles as a Class
Pull a puzzle from the corresponding online stage. We recommend puzzle 7. Have students discuss a pattern that they think will get Laurel the Adventurer to collect all the treasure. Ask the students to share. See how many other students had the same answer!
Main Activity (30 minutes)
Collecting Treasure with Laurel
Laurel the Adventurer is looking to collect as much treasure as she can. Instruct the students to traverse the puzzle to collect whatever they can. Some levels will require you to only pick up one piece of treasure, but others will require you to pick up every piece of treasure. Pay attention to the instructions to know what to do!
Wrap Up (5 minutes)
Reflection
Prompts:
- What was today’s lesson about?
- How did you feel during today’s lesson?
- Draw a maze that you might solve with the blocks you used today.
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