Coding Unplugged

Information Technology
Information Technology
Created by
Let's Talk Science National Office
Activity Language
English
Grade
Grades 4-6,  Grades 7-8
Time Needed for Activity
1-2 hours
Subjects
Information Technology/Computer Science
Good for Virtual Delivery

Students will learn some foundational programming concepts and develop computational thinking skills through several screen-free activities.

What You Need

Introduction

Activity 1: Code-a-friend

  • Paper (1-2 sheets)
  • Writing utensil

Activity 2: Team Coding a Character

  • Tracing paper or parchment paper (can be cut smaller than 8.5 X 11)
  • Pencil
  • Optional: pencil crayons/crayons (markers will smudge)

Actvity 3: A-maze-ing Escape

  • Coding Unplugged Activity Template (contains 4 completed maze options, 2 blank maze options and 3 pages of code text); choose as many as time permits.
  • Small toy/character (about the size of a Lego minifigure or boardgame prize)
  • Pair of scissors
  • Coin (or dice or online simulator-anything that will give you a random result between two options)

Guide:

Safety Notes

For younger ages, ensure proper support is provided for cutting with scissors. 

What To Do

Introduction

  • Introduce the concept of coding and pseudocoding.

Activity 1: Code-a-friend

  • Learners work in pairs to draft and follow step-by-step instructions to complete a task. Tasks that have multiple steps (like making a sandwich) are ideal.
    • Ask the educator the best way to create pairs
    • Allow learners approximately 3-5 minutes to write their instructions before giving them to their partner to follow

Activity 2: Team Coding a Character

  1. Learners work together in teams of 3 to draw a character or scene
  2. Ask the educator the best way to split learners into team

Activity 3: A-maze-ing Escape

Hand out mazes, characters, and coding text to learners

  1. Level 1: Learners will create a code of instructions to get out of a maze
  2. Level 2: Learners will shorten their code using loops and if/else statement
  3. Level 3: Learners will create instructions to get out of any maze

Discovery

Learners will explore some foundational programming concepts and develop compuational thinking skills through several screen-free (unplugged) activities.

Digital literacy, including coding, is becoming increasingly more important in a digitally driven world! It's a great way to introduce learners to the concept in an appropriate manner.

Try building a maze building out of blocks, tracing onto paper, laying out playing cards in a path.

Computer science 101: A great way to learn about how computers developed, and how programming evolved over time, is this "Crash Course" series on computer science.

  • To skip ahead to learn more specifically about programming languages, start episode 12, here. 

Computer programming, especially as a means of communicating to a computer which electrical signals should be off or on (i.e., what binary does in computers), can be traced back to Jacquard looms. Jacquard looms used long series of punched cards to automate weaving patters, and punched cards turned out to be such a simple and effective way of programming that computers used punched cards up until the mid 1980s.

Videos on Jacquard looms:

Online Coding programs for kids:

Khan Academy

What's Happening?

Learners will explore some foundational programming concepts and develop compuational thinking skills through several screen-free (unplugged) activities.

Why Does it Matter?

Digital literacy, including coding, is becoming increasingly more important in a digitally driven world! It's a great way to introduce learners to the concept in an appropriate manner.

Investigate Further

Try building a maze building out of blocks, tracing onto paper, laying out playing cards in a path.

Computer science 101: A great way to learn about how computers developed, and how programming evolved over time, is this "Crash Course" series on computer science.

  • To skip ahead to learn more specifically about programming languages, start episode 12, here. 

Computer programming, especially as a means of communicating to a computer which electrical signals should be off or on (i.e., what binary does in computers), can be traced back to Jacquard looms. Jacquard looms used long series of punched cards to automate weaving patters, and punched cards turned out to be such a simple and effective way of programming that computers used punched cards up until the mid 1980s.

Videos on Jacquard looms:

Online Coding programs for kids:

Khan Academy

Resources

Coding Unplugged - Activity Overview

Coding Unplugged - Coding Text Sheets

Coding Unplugged - PowerPoint

Activity three was inspired by Coding a Lego Maze idea