Session 3
Creating simple algorithms to reach a single destination
Objectives
• Describe the algorithm you need to reach a destination
• Build your code using the ‘direct drive’ buttons
• Practice identifying left and right turns in ‘bird’s eye’ view
• Begin to debug a sequence of instructions
Resources | Vocabulary |
---|---|
• Levels 6 to 12 in Rapid Router • Computers or large tablet devices with www.codeforlife.education/rapidrouter/ bookmarked • Projector or Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) • Resource sheets for S3 | • Left, right • Algorithm, debug • Route |
Let’s get started
Display level 6 of Rapid Router on the IWB [fig S3.1].
Explain this is a longer route than the route they were working with earlier. The route has a few more turns so it is more of a challenge to make sure they get their lefts and rights correct. Students will need to use the ‘direct drive’ buttons to help them in this session.
What are the first three instructions we need to start the journey to the house?
Students can write on their whiteboards or sequence the arrow direction cards. Choose one person to read out their sequence.
How can we work out the distance the van travels?
(This could be counted by the number of grid squares or sections of road you’ve travelled through).
Work out the total number of squares or road sections for the route. Students can record this on their whiteboards.
Individual activity
Students try levels 6 to 12. Please note that not all students will complete each level.
Students use the game using ‘direct drive’, or for the more advanced by dragging the blocks of code across to the workspace.
Support: Some students who find left and right directions difficult may need printed versions of the route and a van card stuck onto a small cube so that they can test out their instructions.
Offline Activity
Look at the second handout. You have been given a solution to Level 10. Can you use this as a model to solve the exercise?
Share and review
Look at level 11 together on the IWB. Ask the students to work in pairs to write the code on the resource sheet [fig S3.2].
Can you count how many grid squares the route covers? Choose a pair of students to explain what they did.
Explain that the next time they play the game they will look at maps with more than one way to reach the house, looking for the shortest route.
The more advanced pupils may have completed level 12 and can talk about what they have learnt.
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