This lesson is to help students build up the skills to create a game for the periodic table where the
program
leads the user to an element of the periodic table. The product of this lesson will not be shared with an
audience wider than the classmates but will be used to determine scaffolding for students. For example, one
class may be able to make the periodic game from scratch, while other students may need a pre-made
program that can be adapted to different element groups.
Module 6 Lesson Plan
Unit: Periodic Table and Computational Thinking
Day 6 (may take more than one Creating a Decision Tree on Scratch
class period depending on the
experience of the class)
Objectives/Standards
Computer Science 3A-AP-19
Students will test algorithms and provide feedback.
Students will respond to feedback, reworking an algorithm.
Iowa Core: Employability 21.9-12.ES.1
Communicate and work productively with others, incorporating different
perspectives and cross cultural understanding, to increase innovation
and the quality of work.
Iowa Core: ELA EE.SL.9–10.1
Engage in collaborative discussions.
Prepare for discussions by collecting information on the topic.
Work with adults and peers to set rules for discussions.
Relate the topic of discussion to broader themes or ideas.
Indicate agreement or disagreement with others during discussions.
Overview of Lesson
Teacher Students
1. Discuss the lesson from the 1. Participate in discussion
previous class: virtually (Google Classroom) or in
● How does 20 Questions class
utilize algorithms?
● How do we use algorithms
in daily life?
Equibility: Wheel decide to draw
student names
2. Review the goal of the decision 2. Participate in discussion
tree virtually (Google Classroom) or in
● What is a boolean phrase? class
● What are boolean phrases
used for in computer
science? How does that
relate to other parts of our
lives? (i.e. decision trees)
Equibility: Wheel decide to draw
student names
3. Demonstrate decision tree with 3. Students access the link on
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/55 Google Classroom in their groups
9533844/ [already made the lesson before,
3-4 students per group], click
through the program.
4. Time to work on decision trees 4. Students should complete
(on paper) and convert them to analog decision trees (paper and
digital (via Scratch) remixing the pencil/marker that was started or
code Mrs. Crist created. completed the lesson before).
Meeting diverse needs:
● Students who are ● Students should pair/group
struggling could create a code.
slideshow with links to ● They need to decide how
different scenarios (like a they want to approach the
choose your own problem.
adventure) ● They should be working in
● Students who are excelling assigned roles (i.e. Time
can start their code from keeper/timer, Cheerleader/
scratch (no pun intended). Encourager, Facilitator,
Spokesperson, Quality
Control, Process Analyst,
Manager, Recorder,
Reader, Materials
Manager, Document
Controller, Technician
[POGIL roles]).
5. Time to give feedback on other 5. Groups will be matched up with
decision trees. other groups to run the program
and provide feedback.
● Did the code work?
● Did the group playing the
program understand the
goal of the coders?
Informal Assessment
● Did the students collaborate well? (All students had a role and
performed that role.)
● Did the code work?
● Was the analog decision tree able to be recreated digitally?
● Can students define boolean phrase and algorithm? (This would
probably be assessed as a bell ringer or exit ticket.)
