Some of the students got intimidated when the coding got lengthier and/or more difficult. We decided to continue with this same activity for another week. I gave them some tips to help them.
- Don't stop when it gets hard!
- When you tackle a big project, sometimes it seems overwhelming. Do a little at a time and the next thing you know you've made a lot of progress.
- With coding, you don't have to write all your code at once. I like to write a little and then test it to make sure it's right before going on.
- I always put a forward block after a turn block, so I can see if I turned in the right direction.
- I drew patterns on the board and we practiced identifying what pattern was repeating.
- We talked about how in coding - there is usually more than one right answer. But with the Code.org activities sometimes they are looking for a specific answer because they are trying to teach a specific concept. So they won't let you go on until you've achieved it.