13: Conditionals with Cards

Activity 13: Conditionals with Cards

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Activity Description

30 min.

We don’t always know ahead of time what things will be like when our computer programs run. Different users have different needs, and sometimes you will want to do something based off of one user’s need that you don’t want to do with someone else. That is where conditionals come in. This lesson demonstrates how conditionals can be used to tailor a program to specific information.

Objectives

By completing this activity girls will

define circumstances when certain parts of programs should run and when they shouldn't.
determine whether a conditional is met based on criteria.
interpret a program and predict the outcome, given a set of inputs.

How to Implement

As a group watch the Conditionals with Cards video.
Create a few programs with the group that depend on things like a card's suit, color, or value to award or subtract points. Write out the programs on the board for all to see. You can write the program as an algorithm, pseudocode, or actual code.
Here is an example:

IF(CARD is RED)

   Award YOUR team 1 point

ELSE

   Award OTHER team 1 point

Have girls get into two teams.
Each team should have a pile of cards nearby (at least as many cards as team members).
Have each team choose one “Program” they want to play. Pick one to start with.
You need to create the programs for the girls to use in the game. With a deck of cards the possibilities are endless. Here are a couple of example to get you started (sample programs):

Example #1:

If (CARD is RED) Award YOUR team 1 point

   Else

     If (CARD is higher than 9)

       Award YOUR team 1 point

     Else

       Award YOUR team the same number of points on the card

Example #2:

If (CARD is lower than 5)

  If (CARD is BLACK)

    Award YOUR team the same number of points on the card

  Else

    Award OTHER team 1 point

Else

  If (CARD is HEARTS)

    Award YOUR team 1 point

Have the teams take turns drawing cards and following the program to see how many points they score in each round.
Play several times with several different programs to help the girls really understand conditionals.

Wrap-up discussion

Introduce the concept of conditionals, making decisions based on conditions.
Have girls watch: Code.org If/Else video.
What other things do you do during the day under certain conditions?
Notice that conditions are either "True" or "False."
When you need to meet several combinations of conditions, we can use something called "nested conditionals." What do you think that means? Can you give an example from the game?
What part of that game did you like the best?

Resources & Materials

sample programs for the group to look at
optional: Conditionals with Cards Assessment

Per group:

playing Cards
paper for keeping track of how a program reacts to a card
writing utensil

Notes to Educators

Teacher video
Lesson in Action
Conditionals with Cards activity
If you have time and want the girls to have more understanding of conditionals, ask them to complete all 5 levels of the Made w/Code Robot activity.

Standards Alignment

Interim CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards: 1B-A-2-1, 1B-A-5-3, 1B-A-3-7, 2-A-7-4, 2-A-6-10

Next Generation Science Standards: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts: W.5.2d, W.5.6, SL.5.1, L.5.6, SL.6.1, SL.6.6, RST.6.3, RST.6.4

Attribution

This work, "Conditionals," is a derivative of “Conditionals with Cards” by code.org CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, licensed under CC by SciGirls

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