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Activity 1: Follow the Leader
Pairs or Group | Materials: None
One partner is the leader and one is the follower.
The leader starts by giving simple instructions in the format of an If…Then…statement. For example: “If I touch my nose, then you touch your nose” or “If I jump once, then you jump once” etc. Try out a few actions.
To increase difficulty, the leader can specify outcomes that are different than the condition. For example: “If I jump once, then you jump three times” or “If i spin in a circle, then you clap your hands”.
Once the pair has come up with a few actions, the leader can perform them at random! See if the follower can keep up, without forgetting what action to perform with each direction from the leader.
Switch roles when finished.
Coding Connection: A new condition from the leader can change the action performed by the follower, just like a condition in code can change the path a computer program takes.
Come up with a rule – something that always happens in the same way. For example, “I go to school on Mondays”.
Then, come up with an exception, also known as a condition, to this rule. For example, “If it is a holiday, then I don’t go to school on Monday.” Write the conditional statement at the top of a piece of paper.
Use the rest of the paper space to illustrate the conditional statement. In this example, you could draw a picture of your favorite holiday.
Repeat this process 3 times so you have three conditional art pieces!
If working in pairs, one partner can come up with the rules, and the other can come up with the condition and draw the image. Then, switch roles.
Coding Connection: A condition is an exception to a rule. The way a program runs is based on rules and conditions, just like how real world events can change based on certain conditions too!
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