Flow of Activities
Activity Following instructions
Can you follow steps to complete a task?
Australian Curriculum Alignment
- Investigating and defining (ACTDIP004)
What's this about?
Breaking down a problem into smaller parts, or steps, is an important part of computational thinking.
When initially defining problems you need to be able to identify the key features of the problem/circumstances. – These features become the scaffold or structure of the problem, and they then help frame the solution.
Typically, when we describe to another person a solution to a problem or task, we only mention the key features or /instructions. and We omit less important ones, because we assume that people know what we mean. Focusing on important details and ignoring aspects that are not relevant is part of the process of abstraction.
However, when providing instructions to a computer, it is necessary to give specific instructions about sequences and decisions because a computer cannot make assumptions. It is integral in programming to only focus on important details and, ignoring aspects that are not relevant.
At this level, students should be able to describe, follow and represent an algorithm, which is a sequence of steps for carrying out instructions to solve a problem or achieve a desired outcome. It is suggested that students begin their learning by following instructions issued by others about completing a task. This will help them to build knowledge and skills in abstraction as well as skills in writing algorithms.
Learning tasks
- The focus of this learning is on students being able to follow instructions.
- Begin by selecting some students to carry out teacher-provided instructions such as placing a book on another student’s table or putting some rubbish in the bin.
- Provide a ‘normal’ instruction, one that does not explicitly state every move or action. This illustrates the key features of a solution, but it hides lots of detail.
- Students can suggest all of the other instructions that were not given, and then discuss that because digital systems are not human they need specific instructions.
Lesson Ideas
Understanding algorithms and the smiley face biscuit challenge (Years F-2)
This resource explores some idea for following algorithms including the smiley face biscuit visual algorithm challenge.
Introducing algorithms
The learning hook is one possible approach to introducing algorithms.
Fairy tale fun
Use the slide sorter function to arrange a set of presentation slides in correct sequence
to retell a fairy tale.
Assessment
Suggested approaches may include
- Participate in following instructions and contribute to discussions about hidden instructions.
Assessment Resources
Activity Describe a sequence
Can you describe and represent a sequence of steps to solve a problem?
Australian Curriculum Alignment
- Investigating and defining (ACTDIP004)
What's this about?
Describing a sequence involves students thinking logically – deciding the order in which instructions need to be followed. Students could give verbal instructions to another student to complete a task.
When representing an algorithm, the steps and instructions need to be documented so that the task can be carried out as planned. There are different ways that instructions can be documented; for example, cards or images could be arranged to indicate a sequence; or text instructions could be provided.
Some methods are more efficient than others.
Students will begin to recognise patterns in their instructions and consider how these could be shown.
Learning tasks
- Students can begin exploring algorithms by looking at familiar activities. Ask students to identify the steps involved in a task and to create instructions for someone to follow. Relevant examples might include cleaning teeth, getting ready for school or setting the table.
- Write a step on each card, and then put the cards in a logical order. Discuss what happens if you do steps out of order.
- Simple sequencing can also be used in a linked literacy lesson to discuss the order of events in a familiar story. Students use abstraction to break down a story into its most basic parts when retelling the story.
- Provide students with opportunities to describe steps for a particular task. They compare different ways to do the same task.
- Identify parts of the algorithms that are different and perhaps informally measure the time taken to complete the same tasks using different algorithms. For example, when setting the table compare setting the table by getting all the utensils out first and then laying them out as opposed to setting cutlery out for eachone placing person at a time, and then at a time and returning after each time to get the more cutlery.
- Support students to understand that there are different methods or sets of instructions that can be used to solve problems or complete set tasks.
- Next, introduce the use of arrows as a form of representation.
- Creating instructions to move along a grid is a great way to introduce the use of arrows as a form of representation and also reinforce directional language forward, backwards, turn right, turn left and stop. Mark out a grid on the floor; for example, 5x5. Place an item in one of the squares and challenge a student to describe how to move to that square.
- Creating instructions to move along a grid reinforces directional language: forward, backwards, turn right, turn left and stop.
- Represent the instructions for the class to follow. Discuss efficiencies as you go. What isWhat is the fewest number of the least amount of steps needed to get to the target?
Supporting Resources
Lesson Ideas
First to finish
Compare algorithms designed to complete the same task, and evaluate each for
efficiency.
Understanding algorithms and the smiley face biscuit challenge (Years F-2)
This resource explores some idea for following algorithms including the smiley face biscuit visual algorithm challenge.
Assessment
Suggested approaches may include
- Retell stories, with relevant parts of the story sequenced in the correct order.
- Prepare a set of instructions that are then followed by another student.
Activity Instructing a robotic device
How can I carry out instructions using a robotic device?
What's this about?
At this level, students can carry out instructions using a digital system such as a robotic device.
Students develop their design skills by formulating a sequence of steps to solve a problem or achieve a desired outcome. This could be identifying steps to control a Bee-Bot, or using programming cards to provide instructions.
The Bee-Bot can be thought of as a piece of hardware and therefore linked into the way digital systems operate with an input and output .
Learning tasks
- Introduce a programmable robot such as a Bee-Bot to help students develop computational thinking skills.
- Set challenges for students. Students will need to program the Bee-Bot by a sequence of commands to complete a particular task.
- Provide authentic and meaningful ways to introduce students to simple programming while consolidating concepts across other subject areas. For example, you could ask students to spell out words by programming the Bee-Bot to land on letters. Alternatively, students could estimate and measure how many moves the Bee-Bot needs to reach a target.
- Use programming cards to develop programming skills.
Lesson Ideas
Buzzing with Bee-Bots
Follow and describe a series of steps to program a robot.
Bee-Bot ruler
Explore the concept of sequencing steps, using Bee-Bots to measure length.
Skip-counting with Bee-Bots
Play a skip-counting game where students program the Bee-Bot to stop at
multiples of a set number, eg 2, 4, 5, 10, on a number grid.
Spelling bee
Write a set of instructions that program a Bee-Bot to move to letters to spell out a word on an alphabet grid.
Goldilocks, the three bears and BeeBot *
Students explore a sequence of steps using Bee-Bots in the context
of familiar narratives.
Blue bot challenges
Use these challenges created by Kylie Docherty, QSITE to provide opportunities for students to learn how to design and follow a series of steps to program Blue-Bot.
Using your Flat Wom-Bot
Use 90 degree arrows to program a path for your wombot to follow.
Assessment
Suggested approaches may include
- Demonstrate two instructions carried out by the robotic device.
- Label a diagram of a robotic device, identifying the hardware and software components.
Assessment Resources
Activity Algorithmic thinking
Inquiry focus question
Australian Curriculum Alignment
- Investigating and defining (ACTDIP004)
What's this about?
Algorithms are used around us every day. For example, algorithms are used to control traffic lights, the scores in a computer game and the advertisements on websites. Any digital automated process is instructed to behave in a particular way because of the decisions and steps that have been designed and carried out for the solution. Note: An algorithm can be used not only to describe a digital solution, but also to describe an everyday process such as cleaning teeth or making a salad.
In this activity, students inquire into an everyday process, and represent the decisions made and steps taken to carry out that process.
Students connect algorithms to everyday events; this helps them to recognise the relevance of what they are learning.
Learning tasks
- Conduct a longer term project in which students design, represent and follow an algorithm. Growing a seed is a common classroom activity. You could align that activity with computational thinking and algorithm design.
- Students design a maze using construction blocks. This task can be used to integrate programming. After designing the maze students can use ready-made laminated programming cards to move a character to a desired destination. Working in pairs one student creates the sequence and the other follows it.
Lesson Ideas
Assessment
Suggested approaches may include
- Present or demonstrate an algorithm to describe a common event.