Objective:

Students will work together to debug a sequence of events by arranging cards representing the sun's movement throughout the day in the correct order. Students will develop computational thinking by analyzing and rearranging steps to ensure the story of the sun’s journey is accurate.

Materials Needed:

• Storyboard cards depicting different phases of the sun throughout the day (sunrise, midday, sunset, night)

• Space to lay out cards in sequence

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by telling a simple story about the sun's movement throughout the day: "The sun rises in the morning, moves higher in the sky by midday, begins to set in the evening, and disappears as night falls." 

  • Ask students if they notice this in their own daily lives. 

  • Explain that the goal is to put these phases in the correct order, just like how the sun follows a specific path every day.

• Group Activity:

  • Divide students into small groups and give each group a set of storyboard cards representing different times of the day. 

  • The cards will be out of order, showing the sun at various stages: rising, at its highest point, setting, and disappearing at night. 

  • Students will work together to analyze the images and decide the correct order. 

  • Encourage them to discuss why each card should come before or after another, based on their knowledge of how the sun moves throughout the day.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Once the groups have arranged their cards in sequence, they will act out the story of the sun. 

  • One student can be the narrator, telling the story as the group demonstrates the order of events with their cards. 

  • If the sequence seems incorrect, students will have the opportunity to "debug" the story by adjusting the order of the cards and retelling the story until it makes sense.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Each group will present their final sequence to the class, explaining the reasoning behind the order of their storyboard cards. 

  • Afterward, lead a discussion about how fixing the order of the story is similar to fixing mistakes in a program, where we change the sequence to make sure it works correctly.

Equity and Access:

Provide a set of storyboard cards with fewer phases for students who may need extra support. Encourage peer collaboration, pairing students with different levels of understanding to ensure everyone participates and learns.

Real-World Application:

Relate this activity to real-life routines, such as following a daily schedule or the steps in a recipe. Emphasize that, like the sun’s movement, many things in life follow a specific order, and when that order is disrupted, we must correct it to achieve the desired outcome.

CS Practice(s):

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students identify errors in the sequence of events related to the sun's movement and adjust the order to fix the problem.

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test their story by acting it out, refining the sequence until it works as expected.

Standard(s): 

• CA NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

• CA CS K-2.AP.16

Objective:

Students will use Scratch Jr. or another coding platform to create an animation with a simple loop representing the sequence of the sun's movement throughout the day. They will debug any errors in the sequence or code to ensure the animation flows correctly.

Materials Needed:

• Tablets or computers with Scratch Jr. installed

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by discussing the movement of the sun throughout the day, from morning to afternoon to night. 

  • Explain to students that they will create an animation in Scratch Jr. showing the sun's movement, but they need to be careful about the sequence. 

  • If the animation doesn’t work, they will need to debug it.

• Group Activity:

  • In pairs, students will create an animation showing the sun rising, moving through the sky, and setting. 

  • They will use loops to repeat actions (e.g., the sun moving slowly across the screen). 

  • As they build their program, students will test their animation, looking for any errors in the sequence.

• Testing and Debugging:

  • As students run their animations, they may notice errors in the sun’s movement, such as it skipping a step or reversing direction too early. 

  • Encourage them to go back into their code and debug the program by reordering steps or adjusting loop parameters to fix the issues.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Pairs will present their animations to the class, explaining any errors they encountered and how they debugged them. 

  • This discussion reinforces the idea that errors are part of the learning process and that debugging is a crucial skill in coding.

• Equity and Access:

  • Provide pre-coded scenes with simple errors for students who may need extra support, allowing them to focus on the debugging process without needing to create the entire animation from scratch.

Equity and Access: 

Pair students with varying skill levels to encourage peer mentoring and collaboration, ensuring that those who may struggle with coding receive guidance from classmates. Additionally, provide differentiated instruction by offering simplified templates with minor coding errors for students who need extra support, allowing them to focus on debugging and problem-solving rather than building the entire animation from scratch.

Real-World Application:

Relate debugging to real-world problem-solving, like fixing mistakes in a math problem or figuring out why a machine isn't working correctly. Emphasize that troubleshooting and fixing errors are important in many careers and tasks.

CS Practice(s):

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test their Scratch Jr. animation and refine the program to ensure the sequence works as expected.

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students create and modify a digital representation of the sun’s movement throughout the day.

Standard(s): 

• CA NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

• CA CS K-2.AP.16