The big ideaA program is steps in order. Bo does exactly what the steps say.
How it works
Bo is a little robot who does just what we tell him.
A list of steps is a program. Bo does one step, then the next, in order.
Bo never skips a step and never adds one.
If Bo bumps a rock, that is a bug, a mix-up. We change the steps and try again.
Bo's morning, in order.
Example 1: Socks first
Bo put the shoes on first, and then the socks over the top.
How silly! Bo did all the steps, but in a funny order.
Now the socks go on first and the shoes second.
Example 2: Follow the steps
Bo faces up, at the bottom left of the board.
Forward, forward, turn right, forward, forward.
Bo does each step in order and lands on the star.
Forward, forward, turn right, forward, forward.
Example 3: A rock in the way
Bo goes forward, and the next square has a rock.
Bonk! Bo did the step he was given, but the steps had no turn.
That is a bug, a mix-up. We change the steps, and then Bo goes round.
The rock is straight ahead.
Example 4: Bo cannot guess
Bo does not know the way by himself.
He does exactly the steps we give him.
So the steps must be right, and in order.
Words to know
program
A list of steps for Bo, in order.
step
One thing for Bo to do.
bug
A mix-up in the steps. A bug is easy to fix.
order
What comes first, next and last.
Watch out
Bo does not know the way. He does only the steps he is given.
Order matters: socks go on before shoes.
A bump is not anyone's fault. It is a mix-up we can fix.
Bo never skips a step he is given, and never adds one.
Try it
Which goes on first, the socks or the shoes?
Does Bo know the way to the star by himself?
Bo bumps a rock. What do we do?
Bo is at the left end of a row of four squares, and the star is at the right end. How many forward steps reach it?
Answers: 1. socks · 2. no · 3. change the steps and try again · 4. three
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to be the programmer. They say three steps, one at a time, like forward, forward, turn. You are the robot and you do only what they say. Then swap!
For grown-upsPlay robot at home: you say three steps, one at a time, like forward, forward, turn, and your child does only what you say. Then swap, so your child is the programmer.
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