Grade 6: conditionals "Harvesting"


(From: code.org https://curriculum.code.org/csf-20/express/13/ )If you need any assistance in setting up your class in code.org, do not hesitate to contact Erica Doucet, Kerry Crocker or Haley Brooks.

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Content

Big Idea: Students will practice while loops, until loops, and if / else statements. All of these blocks use conditionals. By practicing all three, students will learn to write complex and flexible code.

Expectations:

  • C3.1 solve problems and create computational representations of mathematical situations by writing and executing code, including code that involves conditional statements and other control structures

  • C3.2 read and alter existing code, including code that involves conditional statements and other control structures, and describe how changes to the code affect the outcomes

Learning Goals

We want students to...

  • use conditionals to help the farmer know when to harvest crops. New patterns will emerge and students will use creativity and logical thinking to determine the conditions where code should be run and repeated.


Success Criteria


I can...

  • Nest conditionals to analyze multiple value conditions using if, else if, else logic.

  • Pair a loop and conditional statement together


Materials

  • Access to Code.org.

Teacher Prep:

Vocabulary

  • Condition - Something a program checks to see if it is true before allowing an action.

  • Conditionals - Statements that only run under certain conditions.

  • Loop - The action of doing something over and over again.

  • Repeat - To do something again.

  • While Loop - A loop that continues to repeat while a condition is true


Pedagogy

Minds On

You can share the story of the harvester:

The harvester is trying to pick crops like pumpkins, lettuce, and corn. However, the farmer has forgotten where she planted these crops, so she needs to check each plant before harvesting.



Action!

Online Puzzles

Students will continue to work with if / else statements, while loops, and until loops. These puzzles are a bit more challenging, though, so encourage students to stick with them until they can describe what needs to happen for each program.You will find this online puzzle in The Express Course on Code.org.

Consolidation Of Learning

Journaling

Having students write about what they learned, why it’s useful, and how they feel about it can help solidify any knowledge they obtained today and build a review sheet for them to look to in the future.

Journal Prompts:

  • What was today's lesson about?

  • How do you feel about today's lesson?

  • How can you see conditionals being useful in programs?

  • What if people only spoke in if/else statements? What would be some advantages and disadvantages of this?


Assessment

Opportunities for Assessment

Technology