Week 5: Fun with Physical Codes!

Time Spent: 1 Hour
Materials: Handouts, If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen, 9 squares, 9 triangles

Creative House-Building Activity

This week, the students participated in a physical and tangible coding activity. They listened to the story If I Built a House, which is about a little boy imagining in detail how his ultimate house would be built. He describes each room he creates, from a space room where you can float to a room filled with sliding boards and games.

After finishing the story, the students were given 9 squares and 9 triangles. They used these shapes to complete various 3D houses based on the codes given by me. For example:

• House 1: 4 squares, 4 triangles

• House 2: Two-story house, 8 squares, 4 triangles

Students used these specific codes to create various houses. They were given 7 different codes, then had the opportunity to create their own houses.

Reflection

After talking to the media specialist, we both agreed that the students would benefit more from having additional shapes. We were limited on the total number they received because there is only one kit. The media specialist plans to order two more kits soon so the students have a larger variety of codes, which will allow them to create other houses. Overall, this was a great activity!