Computational Thinking PO2
This coding activity can be completed using using Scratch or Tynker This activity is designed to help students to code a life cycle they have been studying. If your students are familiar with how to use Scratch or Tynker, you could let them have a go at the task independently, especially if they are in year 3. However, this task allows the students to copy the blocks needed to create a life cycle. In this activity we decompose the example code into smaller blocks so that students have the opportunity to see how a larger block of code is made up of smaller actions. Getting your students to break a large problem down into smaller more manageable problems (decomposing) is a key element of the computational thinking strand of the digital technologies curriculum.
We have a made a working example of the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly and you can see it here: Monarch Butterfly
If you have not used Scratch before then the following video tutorial may help you to become a little more confident with its learning potential. Scratch Tutorial
If you want to use Tynker to do this project and you are not a confident user of Tynker then these tutorials may be of use to you. The lessons illustrated here also apply to the blocks in Scratch and as such will work on Scratch too.
Loops, conditionals and variables – Part 1
Loops, conditionals and variables – Part 2
To use this resource, simply make a copy of this resource and rename it so that you become the owner of it then adapt it to meet the learning needs/intentions of your students/planning. If you want us to make more of this kind of resource please contact us at david@dakinane.com and we will make more resources to share with you, related to your need.
