Codable maze unplugged lesson for shortest-distance algorithms across content areas¶

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Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The deck describes an unplugged lesson in which "Students will use this unplugged lesson to code the shortest distance through a maze". It proposes applying the maze task to various content areas, including moving through a map, ordering a historical timeline, and ordering the parts of a story, making the same sequencing task reusable across subjects without computers.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• No computers are required since the lesson is unplugged; teachers adapt the maze task to their content

Constraints¶

• The deck presents applications as possibilities across content areas rather than tested implementations

Target Learners¶

• Students in grades 3-8

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sequencing steps to find an efficient path, applying algorithmic thinking to maps, timelines, and story order

Related Elements¶

• Code.org CS Fundamentals unplugged lessons: Dice Race, My Robotic Friends, Paper Planes, Plant a Seed, Tangrams
• Scratch coding activities expressing content as interactive illustrations, games, or stories
• Code and Go Mouse robot activities combining mapping, story ordering, and number-line arithmetic
• CT Boosters: 30-minute algorithmic-thinking professional learning sessions for grades 3-8

Examples¶

• Embed algorithmic thinking lessons across content, standalone, SEL, problem-based, and review contexts

Key Sources¶

• Computational Thinking Boosters: Algorithmic Thinking 3-8. (2021). Presentation dated Jan. 12, 2021, supported by NSF grant award #1923314. https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1923314