Warm Up (10 min)

Introduction

• Review "The Big Event" activity with students:
  • What did we "program" the button click events to do?
• Now we're going to add events to our coding. Specifically, we're going to create an event for clicking the mouse and one for when the bird hits an object like the ground or an obstacle. When have you seen a character touch another object as an event in games?

Bridging Activity - Events (10 min)

This activity will help bring the unplugged concepts from "The Big Event" into the online world that the students are moving into. Choose one of the following to do with your class:

Unplugged Activity Using Paper Blocks

Using the remote from the The Big Event (Course C) - Event Controller and Unplugged Blocks (Courses C-F) - Manipulatives, gather your class to reprise the activity from the previous lesson. Ask the class "when the teal button is pushed, what do we do?" then fill in one of the when event blocks and one of the blue action blocks accordingly. Make sure that the students understand that the when blocks need to be on top of the blue block and they need to touch in order for the program to run.

Preview of Online Puzzles as a Class

Pull a lesson from the corresponding online stage, we recommend puzzle 2. Ask the students what should happen when the Flappy Bird runs into something like the ground or an obstacle. Explain that Flappy in this game will move forward with a click of the mouse and the game will end if Flappy runs into anything.

Complete the puzzle with the class and allow time for a quick discussion on what was and wasn't an event. For every event, ask the students what the action corresponding to this event is.

Main Activity (30 min)

Online Puzzles and Free Play

This entire lesson builds towards students creating their own Flappy game, but the second half of the levels are all linked. This mean students will see their own code as they move between bubbles 6-10, allowing for more personal customization that will carry all the way to the final product.

In the final stage of this lesson students are able to tweak their game to make it unique - encourage them to see how different they can make each game within the constraints provided. If the class doesn't use pair programming, then tell students to go around and look at other student's games. Otherwise, have students discuss and try out different ways to set up their game with their partner.

Wrap Up (10 - 15 min)

Journaling

Having students write about what they learned, why it’s useful, and how they feel about it can help solidify any knowledge they obtained today and build a review sheet for them to look to in the future.

Journal Prompts:

• What was today's lesson about?
• How did you feel about today's lesson?
• What did you do to make your game unique?
• Draw out a game you want to make in the future.

Extended Learning

Use these activities to enhance student learning. They can be used as outside of class activities or other enrichment.

Look Under the Hood

When you share a link to your game, you also share all of the code that goes behind it. This is a great way for students to learn from each other.

• Post links to completed games online or on the board.
  • Make a game of your own to share as well!
• When students load up a link, have them click the "How it Works" button to see the code behind the game.
• Discuss as a group the different ways your classmates coded their games.
  • What suprised you?
  • What would you like to try?
• Choose someone else's game and build on it. (Don't worry; the original game will be safe.)