Objective: 

Students will practice measuring and estimating liquid volumes in liters and solve one-step word problems involving addition or subtraction of volumes. They will decompose the problem-solving process into smaller steps, such as measuring, calculating, and visualizing, reinforcing their understanding of how to approach complex problems through computational thinking.

Materials Needed: 

• Plastic beakers with measurement scales

• Water, 

• Markers

• Paper for recording and drawing beaker diagrams

Steps:

• Introduction: 

  • Begin by introducing the concept of liquid volume and standard units, such as liters. 

  • Explain that just like in computer science, when solving problems involving volumes, we can break the task into smaller steps. 

  • Demonstrate how to measure a certain amount of water using a beaker and how this process can be broken down into steps, similar to a program.

• Decomposing the Problem: 

  • Present a word problem such as, "You have 3 liters of water in one beaker and 4 liters in another. 

  • How much water do you have in total?" Walk students through how to decompose the problem: (1) Measure the amount in the first beaker, (2) measure the amount in the second beaker, (3) add the two amounts together, and (4) represent the total by drawing a labeled beaker diagram.

• Group Activity: 

  • In pairs, students will receive a set of word problems, such as "If you have 6 liters of water and you pour out 2 liters, how much water remains?" 

  • Students will decompose each problem into smaller steps, physically measure or estimate the volumes using beakers, and draw beaker diagrams to visualize their results.

• Reflection and Discussion: 

  • After solving the problems, students will discuss how breaking the process into smaller steps helped them understand and solve the problem. 

  • Encourage them to think about how this method is similar to how programmers break complex tasks into smaller, manageable chunks when writing code.

Equity and Access: 

Provide pre-labeled beaker diagrams for students who may need extra support with visualization. Allow students to work in mixed-ability pairs to encourage peer collaboration.

Real-World Application: 

Discuss how breaking down problems is useful in everyday life, such as measuring ingredients for a recipe or calculating how much liquid is needed for a science experiment, and how this mirrors the way computational thinking helps simplify complex problems in programming.

CS Practice(s):

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: By recognizing the different parts of the word problems (e.g., measuring, adding, subtracting), students understand how to approach and solve each step systematically, just as programmers define problems before coding solutions.

Standard(s): 

• CA CCSS for Mathematics 3.MD.2

• CA CS 3-5.AP.13

Objective: 

Students will create a program in a coding platform that asks the user to input volumes in liters and solves one-step word problems involving addition or subtraction. The program will decompose the problem into smaller steps, ask for user input, and display the result visually, reinforcing students' understanding of liquid volumes and basic arithmetic.

Materials Needed: 

• Computers or tablets 

Steps:

• Introduction: 

  • Begin by reviewing liquid volume measurement in liters and how to solve simple addition or subtraction problems involving volume. 

  • Explain that today, students will create a program in a coding platform that asks the user to input two liquid volumes and calculates the total or difference.

• Decomposing the Problem: 

  • Guide students to decompose the task into smaller parts: (1) ask the user to input two volumes, (2) perform the calculation, and (3) display the result. Show them how to use coding blocks to ask for user input (e.g., “How many liters in beaker 1?”), and use math blocks to add or subtract the volumes.

• Programming the Visual Representation: 

  • After calculating the total or difference, students will code the program to display the result visually, using a sprite or object that resizes to represent the volume in a beaker. 

  • For example, if the total is 5 liters, the object will stretch to fill a beaker image up to the 5-liter mark.

• Testing and Adding Comments: 

  • As students build their programs, they will test them by inputting different volume values. 

  • They will also add comments in the code to explain their choices, such as why they used certain operations or how they decided to represent the final volume.

• Presentation and Reflection: 

  • Each group will present their program to peers, explaining how they broke the problem into smaller steps and how the program visually represents the volume. 

  • Encourage them to discuss any challenges they faced and how they solved them.

Equity and Access: 

Provide pre-made code snippets for students who need additional guidance and pair students with different coding abilities to encourage collaboration.

Real-World Application: 

Discuss how liquid volume measurement is used in industries such as cooking, chemistry, or agriculture, and how digital tools can help automate and simplify these processes.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students create a program that uses user input and mathematical operations to solve liquid volume problems, displaying the result visually.

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students break down the task of measuring and calculating liquid volumes into smaller, manageable steps, applying computational thinking to solve the problem efficiently.

Standard(s): 

• CA CCSS for Mathematics 3.MD.2

• CA CS 3-5.AP.12

• CA CS 3-5.AP.13

• CA CS 3-5.AP.19