Optional Lesson. Software Programming Laboratory

Suggested Time: 60 mins
Overview
Students will use various programs to practice coding, working at different levels depending on the individual.
Vocabulary
Objectives
Required Project Materials
Multimedia Resources
Optional Multimedia Resources
Before the Lesson/ Background Information
The Lesson
Part 1: Beginners: Bee and Daisy (Time varies)
  1. After Bee Bot, move on to Daisy the Dinosaur in Challenge Mode, which will take them through a series of educational steps. Then move on to Free Play after that.
  2. If any students are already past this level, allow them to begin at intermediate.
Part 2: Intermediate: Programming With Scratch (Time varies)  
1. Scratch will teach the students terminology and concepts that will provide the foundation for advanced programming. Allow them to experiment and create at their own pace.
Part 3: Intermediate Plus: Programming With Hopscotch/ Tynker (Time varies)
  1. Students will move on from Scratch to Hopscotch/ Tynker. Each student will program a game!
  2. Take the students outside for an old-school game of Hopscotch. Show the Hopscotch video and historical information, if necessary. Show them how to draw the lines with chalk. After playing the game, can they determine why the program is called that? What are the similarities between Hopscotch, the physical game, and the coding program? What makes the game fun?
  3. Students will exhibit their games at the end of each week. Have a peer review process in place so that each creator will obtain feedback from peers.
  4. Expose students to Codea. Instead of using blocks, students work with the actual source code in this program. More advanced students can start on Codea as soon as they are ready.
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