Hour of Code 2013: Programming in Pencil Code

At a well-attended Hour of code at AMSA on Saturday December 7, we found that it was useful to:

• Break kids up into groups by age and expereince. Older kids can start with Lesson 3, and younger kids can start with Lesson 1.
• If kids quickly master things in their initial activity, you can show them the video from Lesson 2, and it will get them to think more deeply and creatively about what they are doing.

Before you start, make sure you can set up an account and save work under an account. Make sure your school firewall does not block *.pencilcode.net. For kids to save their work, they will need to have access to their own domain under pencilcode.net.

Lesson 1: Start Here

Learn how to make your own program to draw line art, and save it on your own website. Good for all ages.

Materials

• Video (youtube) or Video (vimeo)
• Quick Reference (one for each student).
• Lesson 1 Activity (one for each student).
• Photo Waiver (one for each parent, to be signed and returned).
• Guide for Organizers.
• Outline for Teachers.
• Zip of answer screenshots.

The language used in Pencil Code is CoffeeScript. Background on the CoffeeScript language can be found in several good books online (for example here or also here).

Lesson 2: Angles and Arcs

Use Pencil Code to explore math facts about angles, arcs, and polygons. Good for middle school and high school math students.

Materials

• Video (youtube) or Video (vimeo).
• Quick Reference (one for each student).
• Lesson 2 Activity (one for each student).
• Simple square example.
• Triangle with angle measurements shown.
• Exterior Angle experimentation tool.
• Circular Arc experimentation tool.

Lesson 3: One Project in Detail: Hangman

A one-to-two hour lesson introducing the basics of programming with Pencil Code by building one detailed project from end-to-end. Good for high school students and advanced middle school students who are motivated to take on a coding challenge.

Topics covered:

• Memory and naming
• Computer arithmetic
• Using functions
• Simple graphics
• How to make a program
• Input and output
• Loops and choices
• Delays and synchronization
• Connecting to the internet

Materials

• Hangman Activity (pdf)
• guide.pencilcode.net/edit/coffeescript/ source code examples for Hangman.

After the Event: Recognition

After your event, we would like to picture your group on our websites to recognize your effort and celebrate the Hour of Code. During your event, please

• Gather photo waivers from students' parents.
• Take a moment to take a photo that we can post on the website.
• Take a note of any delightful creations by students.

Then after the event, upload your photo and forms and links here along with any feedback for us.

Thank you for your participation!