Spies and Algorithms: The Ultimate Dream Team

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.

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Spies and Algorithms: The Ultimate Dream Team

Students will become spies by learning about, writing, and evaluating the strengths of others’ algorithms to solve challenges. They will write narratives (spy reports) and explore what it means to be creative, detailed, imaginative, and precise.

What Your Students Will Learn

Students will become international spies, solving challenges by evaluating their classmates’ algorithms. They will also learn about classic codes that will serve their larger narrative reports.

What Your Students Will Produce

Students will write two narratives (spy reports) over two sessions.

What You Will Need

“Code Your Story: Two-Dimensional Thinking”—1 copy per student
If doing extension activity:
- “Code Your Story: Toy Remote Decoder Card”—1 copy per students
- “Code Your Story: Maze Layouts”
Visible prompts. Either:
- A projector and computer with projected “Session 1 Slides” slide deck; OR
- Printed or written prompts from slide deck so all students can see.
A board or chart pack

Before You Start

Make prompts visible (see “You Will Need”)
Distribute copies of “Two-Dimensional Thinking”
Prepare to move around desks

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

Algorithm: a sequence of steps that accomplish a task