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Coding + Physics: Lesson Plan

This lesson plan provides coding activities using the Bitsbox platform to teach physics concepts to students in grades K-5. The plan incorporates Next Generation Science Standards on forces, energy, and engineering design. Students will complete tutorials and apps that simulate concepts like gravity, energy transfer during collisions, and the function of a trampoline. The activities are self-guided and include questions to promote discussion of physics principles. The plan outlines setting up the activities, troubleshooting support, and a debrief to discuss how coding helps scientists understand the natural world.

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41 views

Coding + Physics: Lesson Plan

This lesson plan provides coding activities using the Bitsbox platform to teach physics concepts to students in grades K-5. The plan incorporates Next Generation Science Standards on forces, energy, and engineering design. Students will complete tutorials and apps that simulate concepts like gravity, energy transfer during collisions, and the function of a trampoline. The activities are self-guided and include questions to promote discussion of physics principles. The plan outlines setting up the activities, troubleshooting support, and a debrief to discuss how coding helps scientists understand the natural world.

Uploaded by

govandlaw4671
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LESSON PLAN

CODING + PHYSICS
AGES:
K-5
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:
15-30 students per facilitator, no prior skill necessary.

Next Generation Science Standards applied:


3-PS2-1

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of


balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

3-PS2-2

Make observations and/or measurements of an objects motion to provide


evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

4-PS3-3

Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur
when objects collide.

5-PS2-1

Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is


directed down.

3-5-ETS1-3

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points
are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be
improved

Materials, Resources and Preparation


Review the
Hour of Code Educator Guide
and
Best Practices from Successful Educators
to plan your Hour of Code event.
Register your Hour of Code
event to receive a thank you gift and f
un posters
.
If youre running an online tutorial, be sure to test it first before asking your students to
complete it. Check your technology and decide if you need to troubleshoot anything in
advance.
Print certificates
to hand out at the end.

Getting Started (2-5 mins)


FIRST: Introduce the activity (2-5 minutes)

Kick off your Hour of Code by inspiring students and discussing how computer science
impacts every part of our lives and is revolutionizing the study of biology.
Show

The Hour of Code is Here


.
Its okay if both you and your students are brand new to computer science. Here are some
ideas to introduce your Hour of Code activity to connect with the subject matter:
Explain ways technology plus physics impacts our lives, with examples both boys
and girls will care about.
Designing new and more sustainable ways to harvest and store energy
Figuring out how to send people to space, to the moon, and soon, to Mars!
See tips for getting girls interested in computer science
here
.

NEXT: Direct students to the activity (1 minute)


Write the tutorial link on a whiteboard: b
itsbox.com/hoc
Tell students to visit the URL and start the activity by:
Click the Build Apps Now link in the center of the screen. This will launch a short
guided tutorial that will show the students the basics of using Bitsbox.
Once you've completed the tutorial, click the star-shaped New App
button. Enter the first app number from the work sheet nd click "Go".
Tip:
For younger students, load the Build Apps Now page ahead of time or save
it as a bookmark.
Pass out Bitsbox app handouts (last page of this guide) and direct students to start with the
first app.

Activity (20-40 mins)


NEXT: Ask students to complete the tutorial, alone or in groups
Direct students to type in exactly what they see on the handouts.
This will create an app they
can then experiment with. Circulate around the room ensuring students are typing into the
Bitsbox code window.
Note that the first app (Quick Trampoline) is a simplified version of the next app (Trampoline)
- if students can get the first app working...
Show them how to start a new app by:
1. Pressing the Home Icon at the bottom of the virtual tablet

2. (optional) Have them set up an account if they want to save their progress and show
their parents their work later! An email address is required to do this.
3. Press the star-shaped New App button, enter the app number (XXXX) and click "Go".
When your students have a working 2nd app (Trampoline) ask questions or have them discuss
with a partner / neighbor:
What causes you to fall when you jump up?
Possible answer: Gravity! The Earths massive size pulls us towards its center
Why does a trampoline make you jump higher?
Possible answer: The trampoline is bouncy and works like a spring when we
jump on it. When we fall down, it stretches the trampoline down but the elastic
material wants to reshape so it pushes us up again as it re-shapes.
As you walk around the room, you can help students answer the following questions about
their code:
How could you make the jumper fall faster? [Hint: look at line 8 and change the 2 into
a bigger number]
How could you change the code so you can move the trampoline up and down not just
side to side? How does this change your app? Do you find any problems when this is
changed?
Hint: change to toy.move(x,y)
[OPTIONAL DISCUSSION OF BIGGER PICTURE: Gravity, Conversion of energy during collisions]

When your students come across difficulties


Make sure to check for common errors. Remember, every character matters.
Incorrect capitalization
Missing syntax like { or (
Missing or mismatched quotation marks. (e.g. stamp(cow') or stamp('cow"))
Misspellings
Its okay to respond:
I dont know. Lets figure this out together.
Let's try something and see what happens."
Learning to program is like learning a new language; you wont be fluent right
away.
What to do if a student finishes early?
Have them continue to the 3rd app.
Students can see all tutorials and try another Hour of Code activity at
code.org/learn
Or, ask students who finish early to help classmates who are having trouble with the
activity.

Wrap-Up (5-10 mins)


FOUR: Debrief & Close
Debrief the activity, connect the role of technology and coding to helping scientists
understand why things in the present work the way they do, figure out what happened in the
past, and predict what might happen in the future.
Celebrate and
pass out certificates
and stickers.
Let participants know they can continue to learn at
code.org/learn/beyond
.
Share photos and videos of your Hour of Code event on social media. Use #HourOfCode and
@codeorg so we can highlight your success, too!

Beyond one hour


If your kids enjoyed Bitsbox, they can find more materials at b
itsbox.com/hoc.
There are many ways to go Beyond an Hour of Code:
Explore other curricula
from our partners
.
Teach the
Code Studio Computer Science Fundamentals
courses. Code.org offers f
ree
professional development
for these courses, o
nline
or
in-person
.
Invite a computer science expert to your class.
Sign up for a virtual classroom.

Bitsbox App Handout

Quick Trampoline
1. fill('backyard')
2. toy = stamp('trampoline',384,900,200)
3.
4. function drag() {
5. toy.move(x,900)
6. }

Trampoline
App Number: 4225 simplified
1. fill('backyard')
2. toy = stamp('trampoline',384,900,200)
3. kid = stamp('jumper',300)
4. fall = 0
5.
6. function loop() {
7. kid.move(NORTH,fall)
8. fall = fall - 2
9. if (kid.hits(toy)) {
10.
fall = Math.abs(fall)
11.
kid.rotate(random(360),1000)
12. }
13.}
14.
15.function drag() {
16. toy.move(x,900)
17.}

Tuba or Not Tuba


App Number:
5199
1. fill('road')
2. bird = stamp('bird',50)
3. bird.hide()
4. stamp('tubaman2',150,800,250)
5. output = text('0',105,975)
6. robot = stamp('wrenchbot',700,random(1000),150)
7.

8. across = 0
9. fall = 0
10.gravity = 4
11.power = 0
12.
13.function loop() {
14. bird.move(RIGHT,across)
15. bird.move(DOWN,fall)
16. fall = fall + gravity
17. if (bird.hits(robot)) {
18.
robot.explode()
19.
sound('hurt')
20. }
21.}
22.
23.function touching() {
24. power = power + 1
25. bird.move(180,770)
26. output.change(power)
27.}
28.
29.function untouch() {
30. bird.unhide()
31. sound('bloop',power*2)
32. across = power
33. fall = power * -2
34. power = 0
35.}

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