Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Communicate and collaborate with classmates in order to solve a problem

• Identify different strategies used to solve a problem

• Iteratively improve a solution to a problem

Question of the Day: What are some common steps we can use to solve many different types of problems? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Given a problem, identify individual actions that would fall within each step of the problem solving process

• Identify useful strategies within each step of the problem solving process

This lesson introduces the formal problem-solving process that students will use over the course, Define - Prepare - Try - Reflect. The lesson begins by anchoring the formal problem-solving process in some real-life experiences they already have solving problems by asking students to brainstorm all the different types of problems that they encounter in everyday life. Students are then shown the four steps of the problem-solving process and work together to relate these abstract steps to their actual experiences solving problems. First students relate these steps to the problem activities from the previous lesson, then a problem they are good at solving, then a problem they want to improve at solving. At the end of the lesson, the class collects a list of generally useful strategies for each step of the process.

Slides: U1L02 Problem Solving and Computing - Lesson 02 - The Problem Solving Process - Google Slides 

 Worksheet: U1L02 - Activity Guide - The Problem Solving Process - Google Docs 

Question of the Day: What is a computer? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Choose problems that can be solved with computing and justify those choices.

• Identify a computer as a machine that works with information

• Reason about whether particular objects are or are not computers.

This lesson builds on the problem-solving theme of the earlier lessons and focuses on the specifics of how computing is used in problem-solving, starting with developing a preliminary definition of a computer. To begin the lesson, the class will brainstorm possible definitions for a computer and place the results of this brainstorm on the board. Next, students will work in groups to sort pictures into “is a computer” or “is not a computer”. Groups will briefly explain their motivations for choosing some of their most difficult categorizations. The teacher will then introduce a definition of the computer and allow students to revise the groupings according to the new definition. 

Slides: U1 L04 Problem Solving and Computing - Lesson 04 - What is a Computer - Google Slides 

Worksheet: U1L04 - Activity Guide - What Is A Computer? (Version A) - Google Docs 

Question of the Day: How do computers use input and output to get and give the information that they need to solve problems? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Explain the role that input and output take when computers are used to solve information problems.

• Select the inputs and outputs used to perform common computing tasks

This lesson introduces focuses on two of the features identified in the previous lesson, input and output, that can help classify devices as a computer and has students identify different methods of input or output in common apps. In this lesson, students consider how computers get and give information to the user through inputs and outputs. Students first consider what information they would need to solve a "thinking problem", then use that information to produce a recommendation. They then identify the inputs and outputs of that process. Afterward, students consider an app that engages in the same process and determine how that app inputs and outputs information. Last, they consider other types of inputs and outputs that computers can use to help solve problems. 

Slides: U1 L05 Problem Solving and Computing - Lesson 05 - Input and Output - Google Slides 

Worksheet: U1L05 - Activity Guide - Input Output - Google Docs 

Video lesson Input and Output Made with Clipchamp 

Question of the Day: What are the different ways computers can process information? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Define processing as the work done (possibly by a computer) to turn an input into an output

• Determine which types of processing are appropriate for a particular computing problem.

• Identify several common types of processing used in computing.

This lesson introduces the concept of processing within computational problem-solving. While this lesson focuses on four common types of processing - if/then (conditionals), finding a match (searching), counting, and comparing - students should understand that processing is whatever a computer does to turn inputs into outputs. Students are first introduced to the types of processing through several sample apps. They then investigate more apps to determine what sorts of processing each uses. They then think of their own app and decide what types of processing it would need to work. Finally, they brainstorm other types of processing that may be useful but were not included in the main lesson. 

Slides: U1 L06 Problem Solving and Computing - Lesson 06 - Processing - Google Slides 

Worksheet: U1L06 - Activity Guide -Apps with Processing - Google Docs 

Video Lesson: code.org Processing 

Question of the Day: Why is storage an important part of the computing process? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Determine which information in a computing problem should be stored for later use.

• Identify guidelines regarding what information should and should not be stored as part of the computing process.

• Use the input-output-storage-processing model to describe a computing process.

This lesson introduces the final component of the unit's model of computing: storage. After trying out an "outfit picker" app, students discuss what information should be stored in the app versus input every time the app is run. They then look at a series of apps and use their decisions about what should be stored to create guidelines for deciding what information to store. They then review the four components of this chapter's model of computing: input, output, storage, and processing. Afterward, they have one last opportunity to revise their decisions about which items should be classified as a "computer" from earlier in the chapter. The lesson ends with a reflection on their own app ideas and how storage could be used. 

Slides: U1 L07 Problem Solving and Computing - Lesson 07 - Storage - Google Slides 

Worksheet: U1L07 - Activity Guide - Apps with Storage - Google Docs 

Video Lesson: storage 

Question of the Day: How can the IOSP model help us to design an app that solves a problem? 

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Design an app that inputs, outputs, stores, and processes information in order to solve a problem

• Identify and define a problem that could be solved using computing

Students will identify real-world problems and find ways to use technology to help solve them. This project will be completed across multiple days and will result in students creating a poster or slides of a proposed app they design to solve a real-world problem, highlighting the features of their app that they will present to their classmates. 

Presentation: App Project student - Google Docs 

Point Guide: Presentation Rubric - Google Docs