Making Things Functional

Grades 5–8

8 sessions: 1 - 1.5 hours each

Informational, Narrative, STEM

Projects

Code Your Story

Julius Panoriñgan, 826LA

1. Spies and Algorithms: The Ultimate Dream Team

2. Encoding and Decoding Top-Secret Messages

3. Pixels as Building Blocks

4. Deconstruction and Reconstruction

5. Making Things Functional

6. Intro to Games

7. Choosing Adventures

8. Winning Instructions

This project offers an exploration into computer science and coding. Students will learn how a knowledge of coding can make them stronger writers.

bookmark

download

SESSION 5 OF 8

Previous Session

Next Session

Making Things Functional

In this session, students will take what they’ve learned so far—how to build solutions to small problems and how to break big problems down, how to find and use patterns—to the next level with functions, a critical programming concept.

What Your Students Will Learn

Students will learn “functions,” a critical programming concept.

What Your Students Will Produce

Students will write a short story, using their new knowledge of functions.

What You Will Need

“Code Your Story: Session 5 – Slides”
“Code Your Story: Pixel Programming Packet 3”—1 copy per student
“Code Your Story: Let’s Build Functions”—1 copy per student
A large, central working space easily accessible to all your students—this could be a large table, a clear section of floor, a wall with masking tape to hang the work, or the board

Before You Start

Print “Pixel Programming Packet 3” and “Let’s Build Functions”
Try as many of the exercises in “Pixel Programming 3” as possible so you can both understand the process and determine which ones are most suitable for your students.
Prepare working space (see “You Will Need”)

This lesson introduces programming-related concepts. If you are not already familiar with these idea, read the list below before beginning the lesson:

Functions: a bundle of codes that the programmer designs to do something