Skills Covered

How to Use This Pack

Five pages of coding with no computer. A step is a white block; a repeat loop is a gray C-shaped block that runs the steps inside it again and again, and a loop inside a loop is a nested loop. Page 1 runs six programs that start n at a number and write the numbers each one says. Page 2 draws the path each program makes on a grid, starting at the dot, and finds its length in units. Page 3 counts how many times each step runs, with claps, stomps and jumps, and finds n at the end. Page 4 turns long code into short code by filling in a repeat loop. Page 5 changes one part of a program, writes what it says now and explains what changed.

In the Classroom

Act out the clap and stomp programs on page 3 as a class: one student reads the code aloud and everyone else claps and stomps, keeping count on their fingers. Then ask how the count comes from the numbers in the loops. For page 2, students can walk the path on floor tiles before drawing it.

At Home

Write a short loop on a sticky note, such as repeat 3 times: clap, clap, jump, and run it together. Ask your child to guess the number of claps before you start, then change one number in the loop and guess again.

Tips for Success

• A step inside a loop runs once each time round the loop
• In a nested loop, the inside loop runs all the way through each time the outside loop runs once
• Multiply the loop counts to find how many times an inside step runs
• Order matters: say n before or after a change gives different numbers
• Keep track of n in the margin as you run a program