Have cards with simple code examples as reminders, stipulate that the example code can't be used in their program. Have groups use the same code with Marty to see how it runs.

Challenge groups to include three or more of the concets in their program. Encourage learners to review their code to see if they can make it m vore efficient.

Teacher's Guide - MartyBlocks Revision

I can describe the functionality of some programming commands.

I can design a small program using a visual language.

At this stage, students should have spent some time programming with MartyBlocks and in this lesson, we will revise what has been covered, previously. Students will get the chance to put into practice what they have learned through creating a small project with the only restriction being that they have to feature a chosen block, specific to their group.

Ask for volunteers to share if they have experience with MartyBlocks already. Ask about any Martyblocks commands or blocks that they can remember and if they can remember what they do. 

Have learners complete the quick matching activity, either individually or in small groups. Encourage learners to think  of when / why a program might make use of this element: conditionals, when there are two possible outcomes; loops, when I would have to drag multiple of the same kind of block to achieve a result.

Groups of learners will each receive a coding concept to practise using. Functions is the most challenging, sit with this group initially to remind them what happens when this block is clicked: a function start block is put on the workspace and a block with the function name appears in the 'My Blocks' section, to be used for 'calling' the function, later.

Reassure learners that the only success criteria is that they properly implement their one block and the program runs with Marty completing an action. 

Bring learners together to share any challenges and successes with the work done. If groups had opportunities to collaborate, ask them to share how they might have used another group's concept. Open the discussion for peer feedback.

Workbook for MartyBlocks Revision

MartyBlocks Revision ppt

MartyBlocks Revision

What do you remember?

TEKS - Elementary Technology Applications: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Georgia Standards of Excellence - Computer Science:

Curriculum for Excellence - Technologies: Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics

Georgia Standards of Excellence - English Language Arts: Writing

TEKS - Middle School Technology Applications: Grade 6 to Grade 8

Australian Curriculum - Mathematics: Number and Algebra - Number and place value

Curriculum for Excellence - Technologies: Computing Science

National Curriculum - Computing, Design and Technology: Design and Technology

Common Core - English Language Arts: Writing

Australian Curriculum - Mathematics: Measurement and Geometry – Geometric reasoning

Georgia Standards of Excellence - Mathematics:

Curriculum for Excellence - Health and Wellbeing: Relationships

Curriculum for Excellence - Technologies: Technological Developments in Society and Business

Next Generation Science Standards - Earth and Space Sciences:

National Curriculum - Science KS2: Physics – Light

National Curriculum - Mathematics KS2: Geometry – position and direction

Common Core - English Language Arts: Speaking & Listening

Georgia Standards of Excellence - Science:

Common Core - English Language Arts: Language

Curriculum for Excellence - Science: Planet Earth 

CSTA Education Standards

National Curriculum - Mathematics KS2: Number - fractions

TEKS - Elementary Technology Applications: Grade 3 to Grade 5

National Curriculum - Mathematics KS2: Geometry – properties of shapes

Curriculum for Excellence - Technologies: Digital Literacy

Curriculum for Excellence - Science: Materials

Common Core - Mathematics:

Curriculum for Excellence - Numeracy: Information Handling

National Curriculum - Mathematics KS1: Number - addition and subtraction

Australian Curriculum - Mathematics: Measurement and Geometry – Location and transformation

National Curriculum - Science KS4: Chemistry – Earth and atmospheric science

Australian Curriculum – Digital Technologies, Design & technologies: Design & Technologies

Curriculum for Excellence - Literacy & English: Listening and Talking

Curriculum for Excellence - Science: Forces, electricity and waves

Australian Curriculum - Science: Science as a Human Endeavour

Georgia Standards of Excellence - English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening

Curriculum for Excellence - Health and Wellbeing: Physical Activity and Sport

Curriculum for Excellence - Health and Wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing

Curriculum for Excellence - Numeracy: Number, Money and Measure

Curriculum for Excellence - Health and Wellbeing: Planning for Choices and Changes

TEKS - Elementary Science: Knowledge and Skills

Curriculum for Excellence - Numeracy: Shape, Position and Movement

Australian Curriculum - Mathematics: Number and Algebra - Fractions and decimals

National Curriculum - Science KS3: Physics – Motion and Forces

Australian Curriculum – Digital Technologies, Design & technologies: Digital Technologies

National Curriculum - Computing, Design and Technology: Computing

Curriculum for Excellence - Literacy & English: Reading

Next Generation Science Standards - Science and Engineering Practices:

Australian Curriculum - Science: Science Understanding - Physical Sciences

Next Generation Science Standards - Physical Sciences:

Curriculum for Excellence - Literacy & English: Writing

TEKS - Elementary Math: Knowledge and Skills

Georgia Standards of Excellence - English Language Arts: Reading

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

Georgia Standards of Excellence - English Language Arts: Knowledge of Language

National Curriculum - Mathematics KS1: Number - number and place value

3.07: Marty Blocks Revision

Decrease the size/complexity of the maze, for learners who are challenged by lengthy instructions.
Have physical Marty devices to show them what happens with each of the commands in MartyBlocks or have quick video clips available to view on devices, highlighting the command. 

Once completed, have learners think if there is a way to group or simplify commands with code not included on the sheet.
Have learners think of more advanced blocks - sensors, for example - that could be used were this a real maze. 

Teacher's Guide - MartyBlocks vs Python

Presentation for MartyBlocks vs Python

I can describe the way that information could be displayed in more than one representational system - MartyBlocks and Python

I can write a sequence of structured steps to complete a goal

In this lesson, students will be comparing MartyBlocks - a block-based programming language - to Python – a text-based programming language, that is widely used in many disciplines including websites, gaming, machine learning and robotics. Students will be drawing links between the two languages as they begin to prepare for writing their first Python script in future lessons.

Show a simple ''Hello World' print statement, in Python. Ask learners what they think this would do. Ask if they can think of a command in MartyBlocks that would end in the same result. Ask which they prefer to use? Familiarity might suggest MartyBlocks. Show a line of Python, that won't necessarily be understood but can be used to show how long it takes to write code. Repeat this in MartyBlocks showing how long it can take to 'write' code. Talk about the reasons why a person might choose Python over MartyBlocks: time, versatility, portability, etc. (Have a video of someone using / talking about python.)

Take time to go over the presentation, particularly the slide showing the MartyBlocks and Python text , and talk about the print outs with MartyBlocks and Python code. Share with the learners a task to guide Marty through a maze, stipulate that only the commands on the pages they have may be used. Divide learners into groups of MartyBlocks and Python coders. Have learners work together to write  commands onto paper for what they think they need for Marty to get to the goal. 

As learners write each command, have them move a Marty counter on the maze.

Once learners have reached the goal, have them compare their full instructions with another group to see if they are the same or how they were different: choice, number or order of commands. Distribute a second maze and ask learners, in the same groups, to complete it using the other language. 

Once the mazes are complete, have groups discuss what was easy, difficult and interesting about navigating the mazes with the language given to their group: was one language trickier than the other? They will be sharing with the class.

Ask for spokespersons from each of the groups to showcase their code and share their thoughts on the ease or challenge of using the different languages. 

Interesting text comparing Python and MartyBlocks syntax

Marty Blocks

Python commands

Maze template

Python Student Workbook - MartyBlocks vs Python

2nd Maze

MartyBlocks vs Python Solutions

How different languages are similar

3.08: Marty Blocks vs Python

Encourage learners to run small Scratch commands to remind them of the result, alternatively, have video clips of Marty carrying out Scratch commands. Have step-by-step instructions printed out for starting and using the IDLE interface.

Challenge groups to combine their work or find a way to write code that seems as if their Marty's interact with each other. Challenge learners to create pseudocode to represent possible Python code to explore in future lessons.

Teacher Guide - Starting with Python

Presentation for Starting with Python

I can describe the purpose and function of text commands.

I can use different interfaces to produce programs

I can compare different ways to write commands to complete the same goal

Students will begin interacting with the Python shell so that they can play around with running different commands to control Marty before creating code using a game-based activity for creating code in Python. 

In this lesson, we will be focusing on using the IDLE program to access the Python shell before creating some small scripts. This needs to be installed in each device.

Have a goal for Marty to accomplish and a sample program written in pseudocode, that is supposed to achieve the goal, for the learners to discuss. Have learners work as a team to create an  efficient version of the program in scratch. Perhaps learners could include a loop, change a variable, add a conditional, etc.

Share with learners Python statements that could be used to achieve the goal of the pseudocode, without defining any of the statements. Have teams talk with other teams to share and compare: did different teams use the exact same code in exactly the same order? If it isn't exactly the same: does it still accomplish the goal; is one more efficient than another; is one easier to modify if the goal of the program changes? 

After learners have decided that their code is good, have learners click the windows button or open their Mac terminal. In both instances, they should type 'idle'. Then, instruct them to code along as you type the command to connect Marty and model how to enter text into IDLE and run it. 

Explain that IDLE has a 'shell' which is a window allowing a programmer to enter commands that are run in Python. When the window is closed, and you don't first save, all the work is lost: saving is crucial! 

Have learners enter separate Python commands into IDLE and observe the results through Marty's actions. 

Demonstrate or code along creating an IDLE script and running the file.

Have learners combine Python commands, in a file, and run the file. Challenge learners to try creating either similar code in different ways or more efficient code than what was created earlier.

Create the paper dice for the game-based way of practising the code on each of the faces. Have learners show you each time they pass a challenge.

Ask if there are any groups wanting to display anything that they think is interesting. Ask learners for the challenges they faced with Python. Ask them if the same challenges were faced with Scratch. Ask if they can think of any other reasons a person might use Python over Scratch, for work, a hobby, research, study, etc.

Laptop or PC with Python and MartyPy installed

Access to IDLE editor on programming device

Python Movement Die

Python Student Workbook - Starting with Python

Python Commands

Starting with Python Solutions

Get Started with Python 

4.01: Starting with Python

Share a list of common bugs, with Python code examples for learners to use as a reference.

This lesson needs to be group-based: everytime a bug is discovered, the person discovering it must clearly describe why they think this by sharing with the rest of the group.

The group must not move on to the next script until everyone is able to describe why the bug prevents the script from running properly.

Have learners create buggy code for their peers or for the teacher. Encourage creativity in what they write. Share with learners that some bugs are intentional - they might lower security of an app or website. How might a flaw be exploited by people who want to harm others? Encourage learners to research this, either during or after the lesson.

Marty Teacher Guide – Debugging in Python

Presentation for Debugging with Python

I can identify where the written code and the intention for the code is different and  fix the discrepancies.

I can describe some historical figures who have had an impact on the world of computing science.

Finding problems and errors in Python looks different when compared to Scratch, but the end goal is the same: working code. In this lesson, we cover some easy ways to find the problem with our programs and put them to the test briefly. Students will be using the IDLE editor in this lesson to create and modify Python programs.

Warm up activity, go through two or three short scripts from the ppt, with learners offering suggestions what each of the statements do. Each short script will have an error that could easily be missed. Run the scripts on the teacher machine and display the result - perhaps Marty will move, perhaps not. The buggy text should include missing quotations, lower/upper case mistakes, spelling mistakes, conditions that will always be true/false, code in the wrong order, 

Have learners look more critically at the scripts to find if they can spot an error / a bug. Have them suggest fixes for the problem. End on a more complex example, providing the equivalent Scratch block. Make sure to try running the code again after discussion / debugging.

Discussion with students around why they think we need debugging and why things don’t always work like we expect when programming. What if programmers didn't take the time to debug? What might happen for a user, like us, when we: go to a website; use a device; play on an app; interact with a calculator; plan a journey, when the program that is necessary, for whatever we use, has a bug? What kinds of problems are possible?

List ideas on the board or have learners record them somewhere. Look back to the code samples from the warm up, try to identify why they might be bugs: why would they stop a program from running, properly?

Students should go into small groups of around 2-3, where each group has access to a Marty .

Students in the group should work together to work their way through the Python treasure hunt where they will have to debug some short scripts to get enough clues to work out a fact about Marty. Each of the first four scripts will have one or more of the bugs already seen in the lesson. As the clues progress, the number of bugs, and complexity of the bugs, should increase. The last script is almost blank; learners need to use commands, from the documentation, that they have not yet written. 

Have learners compare written English to written code. Have them think how the two are different: consider dialect, accent, syntax or a person's ability to comprehend what the writer means. How is a computer different, why must we treat the computer differently when writing code? 

Imagine what might happen if a computer or program was able to think about what the programmer was meaning when it encounters a bug: might it make things better; might it make things worse? Have learners share suggestions.

Python treasure hunt scripts and instructions

Laptop or PC with Python, MartyPy and IDLE installed

Treasure Hunt files

Python Student Workbook - Debugging in Python

Debugging in Python Solutions

4.02: Debugging in Python

This lesson pack contains four lessons that are a starter for using Python with Marty, starting with a comparison between Python and Scratch and ending with debugging in Python.

Learning Portal

4: Introducing Python with Marty

Lesson Pack Overview