Context of the Standard

When approaching a task it is sometimes easier to break the problem down into manageable chunks. Programs can also be broken down into smaller parts to facilitate their design, implementation, and review. This is called program decomposition. Decomposition helps in addressing aspects of program development, such as testing, by allowing people to focus on one piece at a time. Decomposition also enables different people to work on different parts of a program at the same time. An example of decomposition at this level is creating an animation by separating a story into different scenes. For each scene, a background needs to be selected, characters placed, and actions programmed. The instructions required to program each scene may be similar to instructions in other programs.

Programs can also be built by adding together these smaller components to complete a task. In third grade, students are expected to break down large problems into subproblems when designing or debugging programs.

Essential Skills

Essential Questions

Essential Vocabulary

Students should demonstrate these skills:

• Analyze a problem and determine sets of smaller problems.
• Explain why dividing problems into subproblems will help in completing a project and in planning or testing programs.

Students should investigate these concepts:

• If you have a big job to do, what are ways you can break it down to make it easier?
• Why does breaking a problem down into smaller problems make the overall task easier?

Students should apply these terms in context:

• Decompose