I taught a great lesson today, introducing the concept of algorithms and computational thinking. After explaining the vocabulary and linking it to our work on instructional writing, I used an idea from Barefoot Computing to demonstrate how algorithms work. I made a costume for my mentor, and she entered the classroom as 'TeacherBot3000'. I explained to the children that I wanted to have a jam sandwich as a snack, but had designed a robot to do it for me. I used unclear instructions, and the children saw how the robot was unable to make the sandwich. However, after discussing the idea of accuracy and debugging, I took some advice from the class and we formulated four clear stages of the algorithm. We orally rehearsed these stages as a group, and made up actions.
1. First take two slices of bread. 2. Next spread jam on each slice. 3. Then put the slices together. 4. Finally eat the sandwich. The children were then able to make their own sandwiches, working in pairs to follow the algorithm as it was read out. This caused great excitement, especially as they were able to taste their sandwiches at the end! This simple offline lesson was a great way to introduce the notion of computational thinking. I have planned a subsequent lesson which extends this work. The children will be drawing 'monsters' and trying to create algorithms for their friends to draw the same characters. I also found this lesson idea on Barefoot Computer, which I have found to be a fantastic online resource. After these offline lessons, the children should hopefully move onto computers and use different resources to create algorithms. Links Barefoot Computing - www.barefootcas.org.uk
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