Three 45-minute outlines with the printed board and command cards
▶ Make a board and cards · Card rules
Each outline follows the same path: decide where the robot should go, break the trip into single moves, turn each move into a card, then test and fix. Children learn to find the first card that went wrong instead of starting over.
These are examples written for this site. Ages and times are rough guides; adjust them to your group.
You need: "Sequence, Easy, Arrows" for each pair, and large cards for the board at the front (More settings).
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The teacher is the robot and moves only when a child says "up" or "right". Nothing else happens. |
| 10 min | At the front, the class lays out the large cards to reach the goal and traces each card with a finger. |
| 15 min | In pairs, one child lays out the cards and the other moves the robot. Then they swap. |
| 10 min | Pairs swap boards with another pair and run each other's programs. Where the robot gets stuck, they fix that card. |
Look for: when something goes wrong, do children fix the card where the robot got stuck rather than starting again?
You need: "Repeat, Medium, Forward and turn".
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Check that "Turn right" and "Turn left" are from the robot's point of view. Children turn on the spot themselves. |
| 15 min | Solve the board with Forward and turn cards only. Children notice they go over the card limit. |
| 15 min | Find the part that repeats and wrap it in "Repeat □ times … End". Write the number in the box. |
| 10 min | Compare solutions with a partner. The same path can often be grouped in more than one way. |
Look for: does the robot make the same moves before and after grouping?
You need: "If, Medium" with 2 boards.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 min | Solve the first board with Repeat only. Each turn needs its own cards. |
| 15 min | Use "If blocked" inside "Repeat": turn when the way ahead is blocked, otherwise move forward. |
| 10 min | Try the same program on the second board. If it fails, discuss what is different. |
| 10 min | Name everyday things that work by "if … then" rules, such as automatic doors. Link this to a block coding tool on a computer or tablet. |
Look for: can children explain the condition (is the way ahead blocked?) and what the robot does then?