Day 1
01 Workshop Opener 02 Prev., on U3 03 Break 04 Model Lesson U3L6 05 Reflection 06 Debugging 07 Lunch 08 Curriculum Investigation 09 Assessment 10 Break 11 Conclusions and Connections 12 Scenarios 13 Wrap Up 14 Debrief

Session 2: Previously, on Unit 3

15 Minutes

facilitator presentation

Purpose

This session is designed to highlight concepts from Unit 3 that will be necessary to engage in the remainder of the day. The session begins with a quick reminder of the concepts introduced in the summer workshop followed by an introduction to the concept of variables. This overview is necessary to ensure participants are ready to engage in the upcoming model lesson.

Objectives

  • Review concepts from Unit 3 in preparation for the model lesson

Supplies & Prep

Room Setup (using the supplies provided by regional partner):

  • Participants seated in pods

Facilitator Supplies:

Teacher Materials:

Agenda

Review of Unit 3 Concepts from Summer Workshop (3 minutes)

Introduction to Variables (10 minutes)

Set Up for Model Lesson (2 minutes)

Facilitation Guide

Review of Unit 3 Concepts from Summer Workshop (3 minutes)

  • Show the Unit 3 timeline and highlight the lessons that were covered in the summer workshop
  • Remind teachers of the content in the lessons they have explored so far
    • Lesson 2: Students are introduced to the grid in an unplugged lesson. They practice placing shapes on a 400 by 400 grid.
    • Lesson 3: Students continue to explore the concept of using grids to place shapes as they transition into Game Lab for the first time. The are also introduced to sequencing.
    • Lesson 4: This lesson extends the drawing skills to include width and height and introduces the concept of random number generation. The class learns to draw with versions of ellipse() and rect() that include width and height parameters, use the background() block to fill the screen with color, and use the randomNumber() block.

Introduction to Variables (10 minutes)

Teaching Tip

Show the video from U3L5 bubble 2 in Code Studio. (The title in the slide deck is a link to Code Studio.) This will allow you to easily transition to the variable example that you will demo.

(4.5 minutes) Variables Video

Show the variables video.

(1.5 minutes) Variable Example

The facilitator demos the activity in bubble 3 to ensure participants understand that a variable holds information and can be accessed using a label. Numbers, text, and colors can all go into variables, as well as more complicated data structures that students will see later in the course.

Teaching Tip

This overview can be a lot of information for a new to CS teacher. Let participants know that they will have time after lunch to explore the curriculum.They can return to this lesson and complete the full bubble progression. (This lesson is not specifically called out in the curriculum exploration, but participants can make the choice to return to it if they choose.) Additionally, there will be an opportunity to explore an unplugged lesson involving variables if they would like to explore the concept further. Also show participants that can always refer to the Help & Tips tab within Code Studio if they are unsure of a concept.

(4 minutes) Introduce Variable Creation and Naming

The facilitator uses the map levels in bubbles 7 and 10 to discuss creating, using, and naming variables (Remind participants that they will be able to access this content in the “Help & Tips” tab of Code Studio:

  • A variable lets you store a single value in your computer's memory with a descriptive name. Using variables lets you easily refer to the same value many times in your program or save a number that you'd like to refer to later.
  • Variable labels should be meaningful, but you can choose almost any label you like. There are just a few rules and guidelines to be aware of.

Remarks

By the end of this lesson, students should feel comfortable using variables in a program to store a piece of information that is used multiple times.

Set Up for Model Lesson (2 minutes)

(1 minute) Set the Scene

Remarks

When we return from break we will be engaging in a Model Lesson. In the past we have done TLOs or Teacher-Learner-Observer sessions, but this will be different. We are just going to focus on two “hats” this time a “teacher” and “learner” hat. I (or my facilitator) will be acting as the teacher and you all will be acting as learners. After we are done with this Model Lesson we are going to have a conversation about some of the pedagogy in the model lesson with a focus on the role of the teacher.

(1 minute) Pre-Break Reminders

There is a 10 minute break between this and the next session. Remind teachers how long they have for a break before they head out.