Lesson 3: Coding My Map

Display: Show "Check In" Slide

Today, you will use your project plan to guide what you code.

How do you feel about starting this creative project? Give a thumbs up if you’re feeling good and prepared. Show a sideways thumb if you’re feeling okay but have some questions before getting started. Or give a thumbs down if if you need more time to plan your map or if you need help. (Scan the responses then say…)

Okay, thank you for sharing how you’re feeling. I will come by later to check on those who gave a sideways thumb or thumbs down.

Before we open computers, let’s look at some debugging strategies.

This is a moment to check in to see how each student is feeling about their project. Here are suggestions for how to respond to students who:

(1) give a thumbs up ... say "great!" and that you might tap them to check in with a classmate who might be feeling so-so or thumbs down.

(2) give a thumb sideways ... talk to the person next to you. Chat about what's making you feel so-so about your project. What could make you feel good about starting your project?

(3) give a thumbs down ... tell these students that you will check in with them once independent time starts.

If there are students feeling like they need significant support to get started, you may consider some pair programming and/or scaffolding the level of creativity of the project. To narrow the scope, you can provide some students with a new version of the project plan that you have filled out. By making some of the decisions about which costumes, starting location, and text to use, students will be able to move along with more focus.

Display: Show "Debugging Strategies" Slide

Discuss: What do we do if we have a bug or a challenge in our code?

Discussion Goal: Discussing how to face challenges normalizes the struggle students will encounter when working on a new, creative project. Students will create/review a list of strategies to try when they are feeling stuck.

Debugging is like solving a puzzle. When you play with a puzzle, sometimes a piece doesn't fit quite right, or you might find that you put the wrong piece in the wrong spot. Debugging is like fixing a puzzle by looking at what went wrong and figuring out how to fix it.

To debug, you need to be patient and try different things until you find a solution. Just like playing with a puzzle, you need to keep trying until everything fits perfectly. Debugging is a way to make sure that everything works the way it should, and it's an important skill for anyone who wants to solve problems and make things work better!

Here are some debugging tips:

• Read the instructions out loud. Sometimes you’ll find something you missed when you read aloud.
• Use the hints in the instructions to help you.
• Try it out, make adjustments and then try again.

Did you know, computer scientists get bugs all the time. One technique they use to solve their problems is called Rubber Duck Debugging. They talk to a rubber duck (yes, really) or some other inanimate object about what's bothering them about their code. Just talking it out will sometimes lead to figuring out the solution!

Display: Show "Level 1-6" Slide

Distribute: Return student’s Mapmakers Planning guide if they were collected in the previous lesson.

Display: Show "Stop, Show, and Support" Slide

We are all going to pause and explain our project so far to a partner.

Consider what pacing will work best for your class. The ‘stop, show, and support’ portion of this activity may work better later in the progression for some classes. It may also be abbreviated to an even shorter brain break and quick opportunity for students to see their peer’s progress.

Do This: Guide students to pair up.

The partner with the most blue on their outfit today will share first. Answer the questions on the slide:

• Which sprite costume did you use for your guide?
• Where does your guide start on the map and why?
• Have you had any bugs yet?

Display: Show "Level 7" Slide

Do This: Have students return to their own project and resume the progression.

Free Play levels are like offering an artist all the tools they need to fill a blank page. This is an opportunity for students to apply the skills and concepts they learned throughout the progression with a high ceiling for creativity. These levels can be used as assessments if there is a rubric attached to the project

Display: "Gallery Walk" Slide

Now that we all have a digital map of landmarks, let’s move around to see a few other projects. While looking at your classmate’s projects, look for projects that use the same landmarks as you chose. Also, watch for inspiration, you might find something you would like to add to your own project in the next lesson.

While you are walking around, think about these questions:

• What landmarks did you see that are different from your own?
• Did anyone choose the same landmarks as you?
• Can you find something great you would like to add to your own project?

Do This: Guide students to move around the room to view their peer's projects. Next lesson, students will have a more formal presentation session. Use this time to have students practice showing curiosity and respect for their peer's projects.

The more structured a gallery walk is, the more effective it will be at keeping students focused on exploring their peers' projects.

You may want to consider a strategy similar to musical chairs, where students move while the music plays and stop at the nearest computer when the music stops. Another way to ensure that students stay focused is to encourage them to share out after the gallery walk. You may also want to have students leave a comment on a sticky note or scrap paper on each project during their gallery walk.

This module is a great introduction to computer science through the lens of social studies and maps. Here are a few options to continue learning more about the CS concepts introduced in this module. We recommend pursuing these extensions after completing Lesson 4 in this module.

Social Studies Content:

• Drama game: Students take turns taking on the role of tour guide. They pull a location out of a hat. They describe that place but never say where it is. After 30 seconds, the class tries to guess the location. If no one guesses correctly, the tour guide can continue their tour for an additional 30 seconds before more students guess again.

• Watch a professional tour guide: Look through this playlist of 3-5 minutes long videos and select a location your class would be excited about.

Computer Science Content:

• To continue learning about all that sprites can be programmed to do, try CS Fundamentals Course F Lesson 4. Students will learn a greater variety of event blocks and sprite behaviors.

• The CSC Module: Coding a Time Capsule offers an opportunity to students to practice very similar skills within a different context. In Coding a Time Capsule, students write short poems representing a specific period.