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Additional scaffoldingTo allow for multiple means of representation, you could also show a flowchart (like the one above) and have students come up with examples of a problem that could have three solutions. Also, instead of a story, you could also model a familiar sequence like ‘How to enter the classroom’ or ‘How to make a pizza’ so that the task is a bit more familiar. Note: you may want to do the ‘choose your own adventure’ story later as it allows for multiple endings. |
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Working memoryYou may wish to keep planning and decision making to simple Yes-No branching at the start, then add complexity as appropriate. |
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Additional scaffolding/ Having limited, low or no visionTo allow for multiple means of expression, students could do this activity on paper (A3 suggested), with physical blocks (rectangles and diamonds/squares), or using a computer word processing or slide presentation application. |
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Additional scaffoldingPerhaps have students work in pairs and/or share their stories as a form of debugging. |
ExtensionYou can have students include programming language in their visual flowchart (e.g. “if yes then”, “else if”, and “while”). |
Decisions are an important concept of computational thinking. They allow actions to be changed based on the value of data. Algorithms are the step-by-step procedures required for solving a problem. A storyboard depicting a choice of events within a plot is a fun way of visualising algorithms and can be an effective way to teach the concept of ‘branching’. Branching involves making a decision between one of two or more actions depending on sets of conditions and the data provided.
This activity can be used to strengthen students understanding of computer programming as a series of instructions that can change depending on different user inputs or conditions. The focus is on how computers follow instructional pathways.