Computational thinking unplugged

As part of our outdoor learning day, Primary 4-7 spent the afternoon combining Language and technologies skills on the beach.  The pupils were tasked to apply ‘computational thinking’ without the use of computers, which is known as being unplugged.  They had to write an algorithm (set of instructions) for the processes required to make a sand castle.  The children had to apply ‘logic’ and ‘decomposition’ to break the task down into its component steps.  They then had to use ‘abstraction’ to remove any unnecessary information. Once they had ‘debugged’ any errors through practicing their instructions, they challenged another group to carry out their instructions verbatim to see if they worked for others.  We had a discussion on what information was needed/not needed in our instructions to see if we had written a functional algorithm.

Just for fun, we used our Craft, Design and Technologies skills to create sand sculptures, thinking about how we used the material of sand to form stable structures using pressure and moisture.  The winning group was Jenna, Mia, Katie and Olivia for their raft model.  Everyone cooperated well; sharing ideas and tasks effectively.

#Successful Learners