Treasure Hunt
Progress Outcome 1 (Computational Thinking)
"In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students use their decomposition skills to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking). They give these instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed, and correct them (simple debugging)"
- Taken directly from the TKI Website
Essentially, coding is a serious of step by step, super clear instructions. Students need to be able to give these instructions, follow these instructions and fix them up if necessary. In the earlier years (and for those just starting out), providing hands on activities without digital devices is a great (and affordable) place to start.
This first activity was inspired by this post by All Done Monkey. Leanna is a homeschooling mum and put together this activity for her three children. A brilliant activity, I have tried to find a way to bring it into the classroom and make it do-able with larger groups of children. It will help for you to read Leanna's post first, as today I am building on the activity that she created.
I created my grid using laminated pieces of paper and magnetic sheets. You need two colours to create your grid pattern (this will help the students track the steps easier). I laminated the paper so I can draw on them with whiteboard marker if need be. Lay your pieces out in a grid formation on a large whiteboard. Provide the students with mini-whiteboards & markers, or scrap paper and pencils to record their coding with.
Explain to the students that they are going on a 'treasure hunt' and that they need to write down instructions for the map. Remove one square from the grid and use a whiteboard marker to draw some 'treasure' (or an 'x'). Leave the square exposed and model for students recording the instructions.
For my Year 2 coders, we only used arrows. Give students a few opportunities to record instructions and share back. There will be lots of variations of instructions for each 'map' presented. Highlight that all variations may be correct, however some are more efficient (quicker) than others. On this day, one student also developed their own short-hand. While it was a nifty strategy, they often had trouble working out how many squares each line represented. This was a great opportunity to talk about how our instructions need to be un-ambiguous (super clear and easy to follow).
The next step is to draw the treasure and then replace the square over the top so the students need to work it out from memory. This presents the opportunity to talk about testing and de-bugging. Testing is trying out sequences of code to see if they work, de-bugging is working out where the mistakes are and fixing them.
There are more variations that could be used to extend this activity. Some include:
* Get students to close their eyes and then give them a series of instructions and test to see if they work. De-bug if it doesn't.
* Add multiple treasure items for the students to 'collect'
* Add multiple treasure items for the students to 'collect' in a specific order.
* Use small, laminated treasure graphics underneath the magnets. Turn it into a competition to see who can collect the most treasures.
Budget Busting:
* Magnetic sheets are available from dollar shops. Instead of using whole sheets, try magnetic dots or strips.
* Circular magnets are also available at dollar shops, but you could use anything as your figure.
* For a zero- budget option, try collecting promotional magnets and using double sided tape to attach to your laminated paper.
* This could possibly work well as a velcro or felt board.
* You would not need one set per class across the school. One or two sets could be shared across multiple classrooms.
"In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students use their decomposition skills to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking). They give these instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed, and correct them (simple debugging)"
- Taken directly from the TKI Website
Essentially, coding is a serious of step by step, super clear instructions. Students need to be able to give these instructions, follow these instructions and fix them up if necessary. In the earlier years (and for those just starting out), providing hands on activities without digital devices is a great (and affordable) place to start.
This first activity was inspired by this post by All Done Monkey. Leanna is a homeschooling mum and put together this activity for her three children. A brilliant activity, I have tried to find a way to bring it into the classroom and make it do-able with larger groups of children. It will help for you to read Leanna's post first, as today I am building on the activity that she created.
I created my grid using laminated pieces of paper and magnetic sheets. You need two colours to create your grid pattern (this will help the students track the steps easier). I laminated the paper so I can draw on them with whiteboard marker if need be. Lay your pieces out in a grid formation on a large whiteboard. Provide the students with mini-whiteboards & markers, or scrap paper and pencils to record their coding with.
Explain to the students that they are going on a 'treasure hunt' and that they need to write down instructions for the map. Remove one square from the grid and use a whiteboard marker to draw some 'treasure' (or an 'x'). Leave the square exposed and model for students recording the instructions.
For my Year 2 coders, we only used arrows. Give students a few opportunities to record instructions and share back. There will be lots of variations of instructions for each 'map' presented. Highlight that all variations may be correct, however some are more efficient (quicker) than others. On this day, one student also developed their own short-hand. While it was a nifty strategy, they often had trouble working out how many squares each line represented. This was a great opportunity to talk about how our instructions need to be un-ambiguous (super clear and easy to follow).
The next step is to draw the treasure and then replace the square over the top so the students need to work it out from memory. This presents the opportunity to talk about testing and de-bugging. Testing is trying out sequences of code to see if they work, de-bugging is working out where the mistakes are and fixing them.
There are more variations that could be used to extend this activity. Some include:
* Get students to close their eyes and then give them a series of instructions and test to see if they work. De-bug if it doesn't.
* Add multiple treasure items for the students to 'collect'
* Add multiple treasure items for the students to 'collect' in a specific order.
* Use small, laminated treasure graphics underneath the magnets. Turn it into a competition to see who can collect the most treasures.
Budget Busting:
* Magnetic sheets are available from dollar shops. Instead of using whole sheets, try magnetic dots or strips.
* Circular magnets are also available at dollar shops, but you could use anything as your figure.
* For a zero- budget option, try collecting promotional magnets and using double sided tape to attach to your laminated paper.
* This could possibly work well as a velcro or felt board.
* You would not need one set per class across the school. One or two sets could be shared across multiple classrooms.
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