Happy Maps Programming

CSTA Standard

Algorithms and Programming

1A-AP-08 Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks. Composition is the combination of smaller tasks into more complex tasks. Students could create and follow algorithms for making simple foods, brushing their teeth, getting ready for school, participating in clean-up time.

Overview

The bridge from algorithms to programming can be a short one if students understand the difference between planning out a sequence and encoding that sequence into the appropriate language. This activity will help students gain experience reading and writing in shorthand code.

Purpose

This unplugged lesson brings together teams with a simple task: get the "flurb" to the fruit. Students will practice writing precise instructions as they work to translate instructions into the symbols provided. If problems arise in the code, students should also work together to recognize bugs and build solutions.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Translate an algorithm into a program.

• Decode and run a program created by someone else.

Vocabulary

• Program - An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a Machine.

  • Algorithm a series of steps to complete a project