I will teaching Computer Science Discoveries and wanted to run through this free online course. I am enjoying it so far. I think for 8th graders, I would probably teach “repeats” (“loopy”) using a line dance such as the electric slide. I would ask the students to write down the steps to the electric slide. Then rewrite it using repeats. Then teach the class as a whole, getting everyone up and moving.
Then review the words iteration, repeats and loops.
So, currently I teach PK thru 1st grade. Loops will probably not be a topic that I introduce to my students as a whole class. If I worked with the students more than once a week I would introduce this idea to challenge certain students. Initially I think I would start by having the students look for a pattern. Kindergartners are introduced to patterns and I believe that it is continued in first grade. But they have a basic understanding of AB… etc patterns. They might be able to break it down that way. Once they identify the pattern, the introduction of the loop should be fairly straight forward. That is the theory. Since I have not had the chance to try it out I am not sure if it would actually work. Mainly at these early elementary grades focusing on the idea of sequences is pretty good.