Coding Project

Starter Activity

The teacher should model this activity first.

Students should be grouped in pairs for this activity.

Students given a piece of paper and pencil for this task.

Student A is the computer. Student B is the specialist coding expert.

Student B has to give exact instructions to Student A to draw a square.

For example:

1. Pick up the pencil
2. Put the pencil point down on the paper
3. Move the pencil upwards for about 2 seconds or 5cms (you can do this in terms of time or as an extension also give the students a ruler to measure, but if you use a ruler the instructions need to reflect this)
4. Stop
5. Turn right (depending on the level of the students some may use the term right angle)
6. Move upwards for about 2 secs of 5cms
7. Stop
8. Turn right (depending on the level of the students some may use the term right angle)
9. Move upwards for about 2 secs of 5cms
10. Stop
11. Turn right (depending on the level of the students some may use the term right angle)
12. Move upwards for about 2 secs of 5cms

Questions to ask:

• How could these instructions be quicker?
• What could we do to make this easier to understand?

These questions should prompt students to look at the idea of repeat different steps, which will be progressed in Lesson 2.