Context of the Standard

At school and at home, students engage in step-by-step activities on a routine basis.  These may include such activities as brushing their teeth or preparing to leave school at the end of the school day.  When students document these step-by-step instructions they are creating algorithms.  

As students learn to construct simple algorithms that reflect a daily activity, they realize that the sequences use have a beginning, middle, and end.  Just as people use algorithms to complete daily routines, they can program computers to use algorithms to complete different tasks. Algorithms are commonly implemented using a precise language that computers can interpret.

Essential Skills

Essential Questions

Essential Vocabulary

Students should demonstrate these skills:

• Identify daily activities that are completed using a sequence of steps.
• Describe the steps taken to accomplish an activity.
• As a class, construct a sequence of steps to accomplish an activity.
• Identify the beginning, middle and end of a sequence of steps.

Students should investigate these concepts:

• What are examples of activities that are part of a daily routine?
• What are the steps of an activity that you perform frequently?
• How does having a defined sequence of steps make an activity easier?

Students should be introduced to these concepts:

• Sequence