Prepare young scholars for life in the twenty-first century with this introduction to computer coding formatted as a fun problem solving game, this resource is a great way to develop children's sequential thinking skills.
Concepts
App Overview
When first using the app, the teacher is prompted to create an account for themselves and follow along with a video tutorial that walks them through setting up the resource for their class. Then the fun can begin!
After selecting their teacher-created account from the class list, young programmers pick a character to play with and then choose from the three categories of puzzles listed in bold below. Each category gets progressively more advanced, challenging children to create step-by-step directions that help their character navigate through mazes while collecting as many coins as they can. After completing a maze, children are awarded points and one, two, or three stars depending on how many tries it took to them to find a solution. As more and more stars and points are earned, new characters are unlocked, offering students a fun reward for their hard work. Multiple solutions are possible for each puzzle, and with the option to replay levels, this resource offers hours of problem solving fun!
1. Smeeborg
- Create instructions using simple directional commands and loops for repeated actions
- Includes four levels: 1, 2, 3 Roll!, If Fuzz, Then Roll, Loopy Lesson, Test Your Skills
- Free version offers a total of 45 different mazes
2. Function Junction
- Create instructions that include imbedded three-step functions for performing specific actions
- Includes three levels: Functions 101, Function Pro, Functions +
- Free version offers a total of 29 different mazes
3. Bugs Below
- Find the mistakes in code meant to solve given mazes
- Includes four levels: Buggy Basics, Loopy Bugs, Funky Bugs, Infestation!
- Free version offers a total of 26 different mazes
Curator Rating
-
Adherence to task
-
Worth the money
-
Fun factor
-
Scaffolding of learning
-
User safety
-
Control and feedback
-
How techie do I need to be?
Novice
Instructional Ideas
- Offer this as an option for students finishing their math and science lessons early
- Use the included user guides to create mini-lessons on concepts like sequences, loops, and functions
Classroom Considerations
- The teacher/adult sections of the app are locked, but can be accessed by correctly answering a simple single-digit addition or subtraction problem; be sure students understand they are not to enter these areas
- The program does include in-app purchases that open up additional features, but the free version offers a lot of functionality on its own
Pros
- Resource provides teachers with printable user guides
- Free version allows for 25 student profiles
- Includes visual and verbal instructions for completing the levels
- Answer keys are provided for all of the included puzzles
Cons
- None