Unit 8 — Coding and Digital Control: Hour of Code and Sphero Robots
Description
From December through January, students engage with coding and programmable robots to understand how digital instructions control physical devices. The unit begins with Code.org Hour of Code activities, where students learn basic programming concepts such as sequences, loops, and conditionals through block-based coding. Students then apply these concepts to control Sphero robots, giving robots specific commands to move, turn, and follow paths. The unit emphasizes logical thinking, debugging when programs don't work as intended, and the relationship between code and physical action. Students progress from simple sequences to more complex programs, documenting their learning through screenshots and reflections.
Essential Questions
- How do computers and robots understand and follow instructions?
- What is a sequence, loop, or condition, and how do we use them?
- How do we fix a program that doesn't work correctly?
Learning Objectives
- Understand that computers follow step-by-step instructions (code).
- Write simple programs using blocks (sequences and basic commands).
- Identify and use loops to repeat instructions efficiently.
- Debug programs by finding and fixing errors.
- Program a robot to perform specific tasks or follow paths.
- Explain the connection between code and robot movement.
Supplemental Resources
- Sticky notes for planning code sequences before building
- Printed word lists of code block categories and functions
- Index cards for creating challenge maps or paths for robots to follow
Algorithms and Programming
Formative Assessments
- Code.org activities and progression through levels.
- Screenshots of completed code sequences.
- Observation of robot movement based on student programs.
- Student explanations of what their code makes the robot do.
Summative Assessment
A documented program (with screenshot or printout) that successfully makes a Sphero robot complete a challenge task, with a written reflection on how the code was designed and tested.
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through verbal explanation of their code blocks with teacher guidance, pointing to or naming each command in sequence instead of independently writing or selecting blocks. Visual step-by-step cards showing code sequences, reduced complexity tasks (e.g., three-block programs instead of longer sequences), and one-on-one support during robot control activities may be provided as needed.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During block-based coding activities, provide visual step-by-step task cards that break programming sequences into smaller, manageable steps, and use color-coded blocks to help students distinguish between types of commands such as move, turn, and repeat. Allow students to demonstrate their understanding of code and robot movement through oral explanation or pointing rather than requiring written reflection, and offer a scribe or voice recording option for the summative documentation. Provide additional time and repeated opportunities to test and debug programs, with teacher or paraprofessional support to help students identify where in a sequence an error may have occurred.
Section 504
Ensure students have preferential seating near the demonstration area during robot programming activities to minimize distractions and support focus on visual modeling. Provide extended time for completing coding progressions and the summative challenge task, and allow breaks between activity phases as needed. Printed visual directions for logging into platforms and navigating block-based tools should be available at the student's workspace.
ELL / MLL
Support vocabulary development for key coding terms — such as sequence, loop, command, and debug — using picture-word cards and physical demonstrations that connect the words to visible robot actions. Provide simplified, visual directions for navigating coding platforms, and pair students with a supportive partner during robot programming tasks when possible. Where available, allow students to discuss their coding decisions in their home language before sharing with the group, and use the robot's physical movement as a concrete, language-light reference point for understanding what code does.
At Risk (RTI)
Begin with the most concrete entry point — watching a robot respond to a single command — before introducing multi-step sequences, so students build confidence through immediate, visible cause-and-effect relationships. Reduce the number of blocks students are asked to work with at one time, and provide a partially completed code sequence that students can finish or test rather than building from scratch. Connect debugging to familiar problem-solving language, such as 'try it, check it, fix it,' to give students a manageable framework for working through errors without frustration.
Gifted & Talented
Encourage students to design more complex robot challenges that incorporate multiple loops, directional changes, and a defined start and end point, pushing beyond simple path-following to purposeful problem design. Invite these students to predict what a code sequence will do before running it and to explain their reasoning, building habits of computational thinking. Students may also explore how changing one variable — such as the number of loop repetitions or the degree of a turn — affects the robot's path, and document their findings as a mini-experiment with before-and-after comparisons.