Lesson 18

The Tortoise and the Hare

In this lesson, students will apply the concepts they have learned throughout the course in order to animate the story of a race between the tortoise and the hare. In this story, the hare is swift but stops to rest, and this allows the slower tortoise to win the race. Students will use ScratchJr to create an animated story with 3+ pages and 2 characters, involving most of the command blocks they have learned to use. (Full lesson plan coming soon!)

Agenda

  1. Video: The Incredible Power of YET (5 minutes)
  2. The Tortoise and the Hare (40-50 minutes)
  3. Reflection & Close-Out (5 minutes)

Materials

Vocabulary

  • decompose: break a problem down into smaller pieces
  • debugging: finding and fixing errors ("bugs") in programs
  • program: an algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine.

Standards

  • CSTA 1A-A-5-2: Construct programs, to accomplish a task or as a means of creative expression, which include sequencing, events. and simple loops, using a block-based visual programming language, both independently and collaboratively (e.g., pair programming).
  • CSTA 1A-A-3-5: Decompose, or break down, a larger problem into smaller sub-problems with teacher guidance or independently.
  • CSTA 1A-C-7-9: Identify and use software that controls computational devices. (e.g., use an app to draw on the screen, use software to write a story, control robots, etc.).