I really like the idea of introducing the concept of loops with a dance. I also might pull up some school appropriate gifs to show my students. Being in the library, I might pull a book that has a lot of repetition to read, as well.
In PE, students do a unit on group dance. Students learn the electric slide and cupid shuffle. I think it would be a great segue into teaching loops.
The students of primary education use the loops through a dynamic game that lasts a minute where the students make a circle and pass a ball in 30 seconds if the student stays with the ball loses this is repeated until there is a last player.
I love the idea of teaching students looping through dance or clapping different rhythms. This will help reiterate the repetition part of looping. I am looking forward to trying this with my first graders.
Teaching loops to students can be tough; I had a hard time figuring it out. Having students write out all the plans without the loops added first and then going back and having them use the idea of patterns to create a loop. Introducing a loop as a way to not rewrite the pattern multiple times may help. I had to work through the challenge and determine how many times my pattern repeated and use that to form my loop.
I need help getting BB8 to pick up the metal on the stair shaped puzzle with only 6 lines of code. I am using one loop, but 8 lines of code. I wrote the steps down on paper. I liked that hint, but I am just not getting less than 8 lines of code. I will persist. I have to be a good example.
One way I have shown students loops is with math. Iāve shown them that we can continue to add 2+2+2+2 to get an answer or how using multiplication we are looping that addition a number of times. The kids catch on fairly quickly.
Check to see which direction you have BB8 turning. I was having a similar problem. I had to check how many times I was moving forward and my turns.
Hope that helps.
The dance party looks like so much fun! I think that my Kinders would really get the hang of repeating the moves over and over. I love how the kinesthetic learning helps teach them about looping!
Loops allow you to do actions repeatedly and minimizes the blocks used for these actions,.
This would be great to use in PE so that while you are getting your required minutes you are also working in computer science.
Terri Hughes
I would explain loops to my students as a way of shortening instructions when the instructions repeat. Loop them, instead of spelling them out each time. I think the dance move lesson really shows this.
With 1st graders I would relate loops with patterns and identifying repeating parts and what comes next.
When explaining loops I try to compare it to when you put a song on repeat. It will continue to repeat unless you stop it.
I explain loops as matching directions that reoccur over and over again. By using repeat, the students are able to be more efficient in their coding, with the side effect of having less code to be stored so that their programs can run faster.
A loop is repeating an action, like dance steps in a coreography, I would ask my students to try to follow a coreography that is well known ( like the Macarena, because everyone knows it).
The concept of loop appears since the choreograph requires to repeat the same steps over and over
This will be my first year as the Technology Teacher and teaching āCodingā so, I think IĀ“m going to use the unplugged activity āGettining Loopy.ā
I think I would introduce looping with a movement exercise that repeats - partners write on whiteboards what they observe. A repetitive song would be fun as well.
The Getting Loopy lesson seems like a great way to introduce this concept to students. I also wonder if using examples from their own lives - getting ready to go to school in the morning for example - might be a good way to introduce this concept. Itās concrete, and itās personal which will increase their learning.
I think the students would have fun with learning loops through the dance movements as shown in the video. In working through the puzzle problem 6 where you had to move forward turn right, then move forward twice, turn left, move forward twice turn right I struggled with the nested loop. Having them write it on paper is helpful so they get the left right part down and doing it in baby steps & seeing the character move would be a tip I will share.