Unit 7:

Focus:
In this Grade 4 unit, Problem-Solving and Computers, the goal of the instruction and cumulative experiences is for students to continue articulating steps of increasing complexity to solve problems. Their understanding of developing and following a correct step-by-step procedure when developing computer programs is enhanced by the reading and activities in this unit.

The key question guiding the unit is: What kinds of problems can we solve with computers?

In this unit students build on their understanding of symbols, codes, signals, and step-by-step instructions established in the previous grade. Beyond dissecting solutions into granular steps, students think forward in scenarios with conditional branching options (if-then statements) and loops (if-then, repeat prior instruction). Students relate what computing devices do to their programming, and they build an understanding that complex computer programming is the outcome of building, layering, and chaining together links of fundamentally simple code.

Students explore questions that include the following:

• What is a system and what are common objects and common parts?

• How do I model how information is broken down into packets, transmitted, and reassembled?

• What is the difference between private and personal information?

• What are the different tools for collection of various types of data?

• How do algorithms provide instructions to computers?

• What are common examples of events, sequences, loops, and conditionals?

• How do you credit the creative work of others?

• What is design accessibility and how can I use it when programming computers?

• What are the positive and negative impacts of technology on society?