Review: solving problems and making things
In Theme 4 you learned that programs help us in many ways. To solve a problem, understand it, make a guess, test it safely, and learn from a try that does not work. Big problems are broken into small tasks. An algorithm is a list of steps in the right order. Programming means writing many algorithms to build a program, with exact instructions, and a flowchart shows the steps and the yes/no decisions. Notice the link: solving problems and programming both break a problem into steps, test them and fix the mistakes. A drawing program has a menu bar and a toolbox, and a presentation program has slides, layouts and thumbnails. You can explain how you did a job in a short presentation: the problem, the steps and the result.
| Skill | Solving problems | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking down | small tasks | small algorithms |
| Order | steps in order | instructions in order |
| Testing | test a guess safely | run the program and try it |
| Fixing | learn and make a new guess | debug the bug |
| Slide | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| 1 | The problem: the printer prints nothing |
| 2 | My guess, my test and the result |
| 3 | What I learned |
From problem to presentation. Choose a problem: a torch that does not light, a kite that does not fly, a pencil case that is always messy. On three paper slides: slide 1 the problem, slide 2 the steps (guess, test, result), slide 3 what you learned. Present to a partner in one minute.