Phase 3.5 -Completing PiperCode

COMPLETING PIPERCODE PROJECTS

Lesson Time:
45 to 60 minutes

LESSON GOALS

 

Extend student understanding with further practice in debugging, building games, and practicing computational thinking.

LESSON RESOURCES

 

CAREER CONNECTIONS

 

Data Scientist

Graphic Designer

App Developer

Video Game Developer

The following Piper code projects have Quick Guides for students to follow along and learn additional coding skills. Each one adds additional coding and electronics concepts. Encourage students to complete them in the sequence provided as they build in complexity and cover variables, loops, conditionals, and lists. (Additional lessons are under construction). See the PiperCode Quick Guide for a quick list of all the Code blocks.

[Optional Project- Based Learning Opportunity]

Have craft materials ready for students to create an enclosure for their project or game electronics, but hold them until the students have completed the tutorials, completed the code, and the basic breadboard.

Now that you have used the 5E instructional model throughout these lessons, apply the same model to these projects. Use the PiperCode Project Quick Guides and the CS and NGSS standards as your reference for generating questions to ask students as you walk the room observing their progress.

  • Example questions:
    - How is the code in this project different than the other projects?
  • - (Point to a section of code), how does that code work?  
  • - If the pin connected to the button is set to off, what happens?
  • - How do you know that you are checking the right pins? How does the code relate to the breadboard?
  • - How do you win or beat the game? How is this commanded by the steps laid out in the blocks?
  • - How is the game play defined by the code and timing of the button?
  • - What is the significance of the “while” part of the block?
  • - What sequences do you see in this code?
  • - How do they command actions or what do you see as a result of the code sequence?
  • - What events do you see in this code? What is triggering the event to happen?
  • - What if we moved the lights or button to other spots on the breadboard? What would happen?
  • - How does the block you attach to “If”, effect the block attached to “do”? (ans: you’re coding an event, where one circumstance triggers a light to act differently)
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  • At the conclusion of each project, have students stop for an evaluation.
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  • Go around the room to each team and have students demonstrate and explain their solution for the circuit built and the code created. Use the pictures in the Quick Guide’s breadboard components picture and code solution as your solution guides, and provide feedback and praise to each student.
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  1. [OPTIONAL]: Have students add more to the PiperCode Ideas Map.

  2. Have students document the project in their Piper Journal. Include Pseudocode, their block code, and a sketch of the circuit created. They should note any roadblocks and how they troubleshot solutions, or how they might build it differently in the next iteration. Evaluate their Piper Journals and teamwork with a rubric (see sample Grading Rubric).