Week 9: Teach the Computer to Follow Instructions
Introduction to Simple Coding Concepts
Up to this point you’ve been using tools on the computer.
Now we begin something exciting:
Teaching the computer what to do.
Computers are very powerful, but they have one important limitation:
They only do exactly what they are told to do.
When people write code, they are really writing instructions for the computer to follow.
The big idea this week:
Computers follow instructions step-by-step.
This is the beginning of coding.
- You do not need to teach every bullet on the page. Use the learning goal and one or two activities for the session you are teaching today.
- If time is short, teach one guided session well and leave the rest for later. The lessons are designed to stretch across the week.
- The independent session works best after the learner has already explored the main idea with you once.
Facilitator Preparation
- Time needed: ~30–40 minutes per guided session; ~20 minutes for the independent session.
- Devices: This week is mostly unplugged — no computer is required for Sessions 1 and 2. A drawing app or browser is helpful for Session 2, Activity 2 but not essential.
- Accounts: None needed this week.
- Prepare a simple space on the floor or table for a movement activity.
- Print or write a few simple instructions on paper (optional).
- Ensure a browser is available for Session 2 if you plan to use a drawing app.
- Bookmark a beginner-friendly block coding site (Scratch or Scratch Jr preview page is fine, but full Scratch will be used next week).
- Set up a visual timer.
This week introduces computational thinking, not programming syntax.
Focus on the idea that computers follow clear, ordered instructions.
Week at a Glance
Learner Goal
I can give clear step-by-step instructions and notice when the order matters.
Materials
- open floor or table space for movement games
- paper or cards for writing steps
- optional drawing app or Scratch preview page
Quick Formative Check
Give the learner three instruction cards and ask them to put the steps in the order that makes sense.
What Success Looks Like
- The learner can write or say a short algorithm another person can follow.
- The learner can explain how changing the order changes the outcome.
Low-Tech / Offline Option
This week already works well unplugged: use a human-robot game, paper arrows, or a drawing sequence with no device at all.
Guided Session 1
In pair work, one person can drive while another navigates. The driver controls the keyboard; the navigator watches the goal, asks questions, and spots patterns. Both roles are real work — swap them often. (More on the Collaboration Skills page.)
Instructions Control Behavior
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- analyze a set of directions and identify where missing steps cause failure
- design a clear instruction sequence for a simple task
- justify why computers and robots need precision instead of guessing
Activities
1. Human Robot Game
Explain that the student will be the robot, and you will give instructions.
Give very simple commands:
- take one step forward
- turn left
- raise your hand
- sit down
Explain that robots follow instructions exactly.
2. The Peanut Butter Problem (Simplified)
Explain a classic programming idea:
If you tell a robot:
“Make a sandwich”
The robot would not know how.
Instead we must give very specific steps.
Example:
Pick up bread
Open peanut butter
Spread peanut butter
Ask the student:
“What other steps might we need?”
This shows how computers require clear instructions.
3. Build a Simple Instruction List
Ask the student to invent a set of instructions for a robot.
Examples:
- how to brush your teeth
- how to draw a circle
- how to open a book
Write the instructions together.
Explain that coding is basically writing instructions for a computer.
Reflection Questions
- “How did you know a set of instructions was missing something important?”
- Sentence starter: “I noticed something was missing when…”
- “Why do computers fail differently from people when directions are unclear?”
- Sentence starter: “Computers are different because…”
- “What would make your own robot instructions easier to follow?”
- Sentence starter: “My instructions would be better if…”
Guided Session 2
Sequences and Cause-and-Effect
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- analyze how changing a sequence changes the final outcome
- evaluate which order of steps works best for a task and explain why
- create an ordered algorithm that another person could follow successfully
Activities
1. Instruction Order Experiment
Write a small sequence like this:
Stand up
Clap
Spin
Ask the student to follow the instructions.
Then rearrange them:
Spin
Stand up
Clap
Observe how the outcome changes.
Explain that the order of instructions is called a sequence.
2. Drawing with Instructions
Open a drawing app.
Give step-by-step instructions such as:
- draw a circle
- draw two small dots
- draw a curved line
Ask the student what the drawing becomes.
Example:
🙂
Explain that these instructions created something.
This is how coding works.
3. Prediction Game
Ask the student:
“If we changed the order of these instructions, what would happen?”
Let them experiment with different sequences.
Encourage curiosity.
Reflection Questions
- “How did changing the order of steps change the outcome?”
- Sentence starter: “When I changed the order, it…”
- “Which sequence worked best, and how can you justify that choice?”
- Sentence starter: “The best order was ___ because…”
- “Where else in life do you see a sequence that must happen in the right order?”
- Sentence starter: “One place I see this is…”
Independent Session
Instruction Creator
Instruction
Invent a set of instructions for something simple, then test whether they really work.
Choose a task and write or draw the steps in the clearest order you can.
After you finish, review your instructions and ask:
- Is anything missing?
- Could someone follow this without guessing?
- Would changing the order break the task?
Revise the instructions at least once before saving them inside:
My Projects → Experiments
Skills Reinforced
- designing and revising clear instruction sequences
- analyzing how order changes outcomes
- communicating procedures with precision
- applying early computational thinking to real tasks
Setup
- writing tool or drawing tool available
- access to My Projects → Experiments
- visual timer
🔄 Simplify or Extend
To simplify:
- Use only the Human Robot Game and keep instructions to 3–4 steps.
- Let the learner draw their instructions instead of writing them.
- Skip the drawing app activity and keep the entire session unplugged.
To extend:
- Ask the learner to write instructions that include a decision point (e.g., "If the door is closed, open it first").
- Challenge them to test their instructions on a family member and observe where confusion happens.
- Introduce the idea that programmers sometimes add comments to explain what instructions do.
💾 Save This Week's Artifact
Save the learner's written or drawn instruction sets from the activities and independent session. Place them in My Projects → Experiments. These are the learner's first "algorithms" — simple step-by-step procedures — and they connect directly to the real coding work starting next week.
Check for Understanding
By the end of this week, look for signs that the learner can:
- Write clear, step-by-step instructions that someone else could follow without guessing.
- Recognize that the order of instructions matters and changing it changes the result.
- Identify when a set of instructions is missing a step or is ambiguous.
- Explain in their own words why computers need precise instructions.
- Revise their own instructions after testing or reviewing them.
- Approach the task with curiosity rather than frustration when instructions don't work as expected.
- Follow the Troubleshooting Routine (Stop → Think Back → Try One Thing) when an instruction set doesn't produce the expected result.
Instruction • Sequence • Algorithm • Predict • Debugging (preview) • Input / Output (review)
See the Glossary for definitions.
Preview of Next Week
Next week, students build their first real program in Scratch — connecting blocks of instructions to make a sprite move, speak, and react on screen.