code-club

8 lesson introduction to programming with python or JS.

This document describes a fictional 8 lesson structure for teaching basics of programming to upper elementary school students.

Topics of the lessons

• 1 - Introduction, turtle, syntax - luvut ja laskutoimitukset, booleanit?
• 2 - Simple functions, drawing - geometria, koordinaatisto(7)
• 3 - Functions with parameters, variables - funktiot(8)
• 4 - Moving objects, control sequences, boolean logic - yhtälö&epäyhtälö(9)
• 5 - Iteration, randomization
• 6 - Controls and gamification
• 7 - tbd
• 8 - tbd

Tools:

• Turtle roy - Simple roy drawing
• Code club - Turtle with Python, see in Github
• MatterJS physics - JS library for physics and game engine stuff
• Write-a-game
• Some js based equivalent, what?

Example of single lesson structure

• Introduction to theory, examples
• coding and more coding exercises individually
• going through exercises?
• Homework and/or more links for more work (can be also used as material if students run out of exercises during lesson)
• Show something cool in the internets that uses some concepts taught here

1. Introduction

Key concepts:

• Learning the tools
• Some grasp of syntax
• Simple drawing of lines and turns

Example of excercises

• Draw a box
• Draw the first letter of your name, or your whole name

Step by step TODO

• Esittäytyminen, who is who, miksi tehdään näin (tehdään kaikille kouluille, testataan tässä)
• työkalu, opeta codeclub, eri ikkunat, anna oppilaiden räpläillä parametreja
• käy läpi mitä komennot tekee oppilaiden kanssa

2. Simple functions

Key concepts:

• Drawing shapes with functions
• How to define a function?
• What is function?

Example of excercises

• Draw a robot or figure with shapes
• Write a function for drawing square, pentagon, hexagon etc

3. Parameters and variables

Key concepts:

• Drawing shapes with PARAMETRIZED functions
• What is a variable?

Example of excercises

• How to parametrize square, pentagon, hexagon etc.
• Making calculations with variables, simple calculator

4. Booleans and control

Key concepts:

• Simple logic, what is true and what is false?
• this could need a loop based runtime, rather than turtle-kind-of-slow-drawing?

Example of exercises:

• Move a turtle to right, while dodging the obstacles
• Make turtle move and always change direction when it hits certain x/y values
• Have array of numbers [0, 3, 2, 5, 8, 10, 2, 1], draw an array of boxes with color responding to the numbers (for example blue for <5, red for >=5) - might need iteration?

5. Iteration

Key concepts:

• Drawing lots of stuff with big iterations
• What happens if we add randomization to iterations?
• Can be done with turtle or loop gfx
• random size, movement, color etc

Example of exercises

• Drawing lots of stuff
• Going through array
• How big number do you get if you add 100 random numbers together?
• Drawing looping graphics, like a wall of squares

6. Controls

Key concepts:

• Runtime control of something
• Games as a topic?

Example of exercises

• Drawing lots of stuff