Lesson 9: Fancy Shapes using Nested Loops
55 minutes
Overview
In this skill-building lesson, students will create intricate designs using the Artist. The lesson ends with an opportunity for students to create their own designs.
Purpose
In this online activity, students will create designs in Artist that they can proudly share with their loved ones.
The purpose of this activity is to utilize nested loops as a way to inspire students with artistic minds to see coding as another creative outlet. This set of puzzles was built to develop critical thinking skills, an understanding of elementary geometry, and creativity -- all within the scope of nested loops!
Standards
AP - Algorithms & Programming
- 1B-AP-11 - Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process.
Agenda
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Break complex tasks into smaller repeatable sections.
- Combine simple shapes into complex designs with nested loops.
- Count the number of times an action should be repeated and represent it as a loop.
Preparation
- Play through the puzzles to find any potential problem areas for your class.
- Make sure every student has a reflection journal.
- Consider what supports your students might need with turns and angles.
Links
Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.
For the teachers
- Pause and Think Online - Video
For the students
- Turns & Angles - Student Handout
- Turns & Angles - Student Video
Vocabulary
- Loop - The action of doing something over and over again.
- Repeat - To do something again.
Teaching Guide
Warm Up (10 minutes)
Introduction
Review using "Nested Loops in Maze" from Course D.
Ask the students how they felt about nested loops.
- What did they like and dislike about them?
- What are some advantages of using nested loops?
Tell the students that they will be using nested loops again, but in Artist this time. They will be making amazing projects today!
Main Activity (30 minutes)
Fancy Shapes Using Nested Loops
Students might benefit from having a puzzle done as a class.
We highly recommend *Pause and Think Online Video in this lesson. This may not be an easy topic for the majority of your students. Working with a partner and discussing potential solutions to the puzzles might ease the students' minds.
Be sure to have paper and pencils nearby for students to write out their plan before coding. Some puzzles have a limit on the number of certain blocks, so paper can be helpful if students like to write out the long answer before searching for repeating patterns.
Students will have the opportunity to share their own work at the end of this stage. These pieces of artwork can be shared virtually or printed out. We recommend printing out the class' work and displaying it for the students' loved ones to see.
Wrap Up (15 minutes)
Reflection
What did you make today?
Get the class together and allow time for students to show off their Artist drawings! Make sure everyone feels included by checking that every student is done with their Artist drawing before starting the presentations. Discuss how each drawing was made and what was in the student's nested loop.
Prompts:
- What was today's lesson about?
- How did you feel during today's lesson?
- Draw something you used nested loops to make.
- How do nested loops help you code complex images?
Extended Learning
Use these activities to enhance student learning. They can be used as outside of class activities or other enrichment.
Together We Draw
Have the students pair up with two pieces of paper. Partners should individually draw a shape or simple pattern. Once the simple pattern has been drawn, have the partners switch papers. Now each partner must repeat that pattern how ever many times they want. For example, if one partner draws a square, the other partner can make a rectangle made up of squares! If one partner draws a staircase pattern, the other student can fill the page with staircases! Each pair will have a set of unique drawings. If there's time, have students discuss how they might code their drawings.
Here are some examples:
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