Using Scrat from the Ice Age franchise, students will develop sequential algorithms to move a squirrel character from one side of a maze to the acorn at the other side. To do this they will stack code blocks together in a linear sequence.
In this lesson, students will use their newfound programming skills in more complicated ways to navigate a tricky course with BB-8.
Students will apply the programming concepts that they have learned to the Harvester environment. Now, instead of just getting the character to a goal, students have to collect corn using a new block. Students will continue to develop sequential algorithm skills and start using the debugging process.
Part puzzle, part word search, the Spelling Bee asks students to program a bee to find common words in a grid.
Building on the concept of repeating instructions from "My Loopy Robotic Friends," this stage will have students using loops to get to the acorn more efficiently on Code.org.
In this lesson, students continue learning the concept of loops. Here, Laurel the Adventurer uses loops to collect treasure in open cave spaces. A new `get treasure` block is introduced to help her on her journey.
Returning to loops, students learn to draw images by looping simple sequences of instructions. In the previous plugged lesson, loops were used to traverse a maze and collect treasure. Here, loops are creating patterns. At the end of this stage, students will be given the opportunity to create their own images using loops.
This lesson was originally created for the Hour of Code, alongside the Minecraft team. Students will get the chance to practice ideas that they have learned up to this point, as well as getting a sneak peek at conditionals!
Up until this point students have been writing code that executes exactly the same way each time it is run - reliable, but not very flexible. In this lesson, your class will begin to code with conditionals, allowing them to write code that functions differently depending on the specific conditions the program encounters.
By the time students reach this lesson, they should already have plenty of practice using `repeat` loops, so now it's time to mix things up.
_While loops_ are loops that continue to repeat commands while a condition is met. `While` loops are used when the programmer doesn't know the exact number of times commands need to be repeated, but does know what condition needs to be true in order for the loop to continue repeating. For example, students will be working to fill holes and dig dirt in Farmer. They will not know the size of the holes or the height of the mountains of dirt, but the students will know they need to keep filling the holes and digging the dirt as long as the ground is not flat.
This lesson was originally created for the Hour of Code, alongside the Minecraft team. Students will get the chance to practice ideas that they have learned up to this point, as well as getting a sneak peek at conditionals!
In this lesson, students will learn about `until` loops. Students will build programs that have the main character repeat actions `until` they reach their desired stopping point.
Students will practice `while` loops, `until` loops, and `if / else` statements. All of these blocks use conditionals. By practicing all three, students will learn to write complex and flexible code.
Students will begin to understand how functions can be helpful in this fun and interactive Minecraft adventure!
Students have practiced creating impressive designs in Artist and navigating mazes in Bee, but today they will use functions to harvest crops in Harvester. This lesson will push students to use functions in the new ways by combining them with `while` loops and `if / else` statements.
Students will be introduced to using functions on Code.org. Magnificent images will be created and modified with functions in Artist. For more complicated patterns, students will learn about nesting functions by calling one function from inside another.
In this lesson, students will explore the creation of repetitive designs using variables in the Artist environment. Students will learn how variables can be used to make code easier to write and easier to read, even when the values don't change at runtime.
In this lesson, students will program their own interactive dance party. This activity requires sound as the tool was built to respond to music.
This lesson will help illustrate how variables can make programs more powerful by allowing values to change while the code is running.
In this lesson, students will explore the creation of repetitive designs using variables in the Artist environment. Students will learn how variables can be used to make code easier to write and easier to read. After guided puzzles, students will end in a freeplay level to show what they have learned and create their own designs.