Have learners consider about how 'big' a Marty step is. Use Marty steps to estimate about how long other objects are.

Have learners create challenges for other groups by setting up start and end points and asking other groups to estimate the number of steps Marty will need to reach them.

Allow learners to put tape down after each estimate and record on the tape the number of steps that were taken. Use the information there, and talk about, 'about how many more steps do you think?' Model breaking up the work they have done to inform the next estimate: put one hand on the starting point and a second where the estimate stopped; maintain the distance between your hand and move your 'starting hand' to the place where Marty stopped; observe the new position of the 'stopping hand'; compare where the goal is to where the stopping hand is to inform the next estimate. Do we need a lot more steps or a few more steps?

Teacher Guide

Presentation for Getting Started with MartyBlocks Jr

Presentation for Introducing MartyBlocks Jr

In this lesson, learners will explore the new interface for Marty, where their instructions will stay on the device screen. Learners will be estimating how many steps they think Marty will need to reach a goal.

For this entire lesson, Marty should be on the ground, not on a table.

Share with learners the objectives and success criteria for today's lesson, from the presentation. Read the story text from the lesson. The presentation will contain video to support the day's learning.

Have various starting points and goals for learners throughout the classroom. Green / red dots, or some other marker, will suffice. Learners need to think about, how far away is the goal from the start: how many steps do I need to get to the goal? 

Have learners estimate the number of steps and then have them test it. If they do not achieve the goal accurately, have them return to the start and estimate again; discourage learners from walking to the goal if they were incorrect, they should be thinking about, "I didn't go far enough, I need to take more steps," or vice versa. 

Showcase Marty walking forward to reach a goal. The code from MartyBlocks Jr is below. The presentation does not have this.

The workbook has the four arrows from the Marty Controller. Learners need to draw a line from the symbol to the word. Before learners start, review the words, heavily emphasizing the first sound for those challengede by reading: fffffforward, lllllleft, rrrrrrrright and b b b b b back. 

The second activity presents a route that Marty has taken on the page. Learners need to draw the arrows in the empty squares and then horizontally, at the bottom, to symbolize the route Marty took. For any errors, use your finger to trace Marty's movements as the arrows progress along the route. Verbalize the direction that your finger is taking. Have learners repeat what you are saying.

Have learners fill out the route Marty can take for the second illustration. Again, have them draw the arrow for the direction and the full instruction, at the bottom. Encourage discussion and sharing ideas. 

Let learners know that for today's lesson, we will be focusing mainly on the forward block, but not with the controller they already know. Additionally, it may take some time to get their instructions correct. Inform learners that this is OK and is, in fact, a big part of coding.

Model how to access MartyBlocks Jr and connect to Marty for learners. 

Once on-screen, show learners the effect that adding the forward movement block, and tapping the block, has on Marty. Ask learners if they saw how many steps Marty took with one of the blocks. Show again to check their thoughts. Once the number of steps per block has been established, ask how many blocks we would need for (

Place an object on the ground that is a distance of about 25 cm from Marty. Have learners estimate about how many steps they think it would take for Marty to get to the object. Model this with learners watching you use that many blocks. Once Marty reaches the goal, which may take multiple attempts, have groups take their Marty and find a place where they can set them down with a goal to reach. 

Learners should first mark, perhaps with tape, the starting point for Marty and the endpoint for the object, in case the object gets knocked over or multiple tests are required; additionally, this could be used to ensure that the tests are not changing with each attempt, an important consideration for science experiments. It is also a good idea to have a bit of a border around the object Marty is aiming to reach, to allow for a range of success. Challenge learners to estimate about how many steps it will take for Marty to get to the goal. Then, have them build the sequence in MartyBlocks Jr with the arrow pointing upward (for forward): learners will engage in some trial and error in order to reach the goal. Emphasize that this isn't about getting it right the first, or even the second, time: this is about getting better with each attempt. 

The presentation had an initial video of Marty trying to reach the goal. This clip also shows how to build the code with MartyBlocks Jr. Remind learners that developers do not get their code right the first time: trial and error often occurs when writing code, it is through this process that code is improved. Feel free to show the video again, if it will support this.

Let learners experiment with the blocks to reach a goal that they have set on the floor. If one or two groups manage to reach the goal early, encourage them to move their goal to a different distance; alternatively, if the resource is available, have learners experiment on a different surface and discuss if this made a difference for Marty's movement; if it did, have learners discuss why this might be.

Bring learners back together to discuss the challenges they faced and overcame. Have groups model their creations and explain what is happening, when. Encourage other groups to ask questions to deepen the understanding of the processes.

What changes did you make when Marty was not near enough? Did you try one more step or one less or did you try more than one? What encouraged you to choose this number of steps?

Can you think why it was important to mark the starting point for Marty before beginning any of the tests?

Is there anything you thought of to make this trial easier?

Log off devices and clear everything away.

Support for getting started with MartyBlocks Jr.

Object for 'goal', like beanbag, ball or other marker

Workbook for MartyBlocks Jr

Story text for lesson

Using blocks to estimate how far

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

1.02: Getting Started with Marty Blocks Jr

Have learners bring together all the benefits that changing an argument brings. They might choose to organise the benefits into different categories: time, readability, correcting mistakes / debugging. Have groups present their ideas to the class and display their finding to encourage learners to modify the arguments for blocks, rather than adding duplicate blocks, for future learning.

Link arguments to multiplication: when the argument is 1, the block code runs 1 time; when 2, the code runs 2 times; 3, 3 times; etc. This should help learners to see that the number doesn't change how often the block runs, just that it changes the number of times the block runs.

Illustrate with number sentences for them to see: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is the same as 4 x 1. 

Presentation for An Argument with Marty

I can say what an argument is, for a program.

I can decrease the amount of code I write by changing an argument.

Learners know that adding a duplicate block copies an action: two forward arrow blocks cause Marty to take two steps. In this lesson, learners will discover the part of a block that contains an argument, which modifies how many times a block is carried out.

One thing to note is that the maximum number for any argument is 20.

For this entire lesson, Marty should be on the ground, not on a table. 

Share with learners the learning objectives and success criteria for the lesson, from the presentation file. 

Read the story text from the resources section or in the presentation slides. Notes have been added to support the flow.

The video near the end of the story text, in the presentation, illustrates an argument changing in a set of instructions. 

Ask learners if they have ever had an argument with a friend or a brother or sister. Is that the kind of argument that Marty had to find out about? 

Now have them think about the other kind of argument, the argument that changes one step in an instruction. Have they ever done something with this kind of argument. 

If no one says they have or no suggestions were offered, ask about when they brush their hair or teeth, do the brush only once? How about eating a sandwich, do they only need to take one bite? When they wash their hands, do they only rub their hands together one time? Ask learners if they can think of any other instructions that require them to do one thing more than once.

Have learners complete the activity in their workbooks that gives an estimate of the number of times a one action task should be carried out. This will give learners an idea of the benefit of using 

Show learners the code for Marty completing a task that requires two separate actions, this is after the last slide of the story, from the presentation. The example displays several blocks, because of the number of times an action is carried out. The following slide, in the presentation, shows Marty completing the actions from the code. Here is the same video.

The code that makes use of different arguments is not in the presentation but have learners think and talk about what they could do to make the longer code easier to read. Here is what they might suggest:

Learners need to think of an action that Marty can complete that requires more than 3 separate blocks: walk forward, wave, change expression, for example. Learners need to plan for Marty to complete a movement/task with these 3+ blocks: they need to think about how far they need to move and when the different blocks make sense, in the sequence. Have them write these into their workbooks with a sensible sequence and argument for each block.

Encourage learners to mime the movements they would want Marty to perform with others, in the group, noting down the actions and how often they occur. If learners cannot think of a movement to mime, here are a few suggestions they could plan for Marty: a dance sequence - side-stepping, arm raising, eyebrow expression or sound; washing windows/painting - side-stepping, raising one arm then the other, sounds to indicate effort; going for a walk and calling/waving to friends; putting the shopping away; typing on a keyboard; posing for a photo.

Bring learners back together to discuss the challenges they faced and overcame. Have groups model their creations and explain what is happening, when. Encourage questions about differences between the design of different groups' code.

How much time do you think you could save by changing the argument compared to adding more blocks?

If you had to go shopping, would it be easier to remember to get a banana and another banana and another banana and another banana and another banana or would it be easier to remember to get 5 bananas?

The same thing in a reading book, would you rather read that a character climbed a tree and then another tree and then another tree and then another tree and then another tree or that he climbed 5 trees?

This is one of the reasons why we have arguments, in code.  

Student Workbook for An Argument with Marty

Story Text

Change Marty's Arguments to Change the Action

1.03: An Argument with Marty

Have learners think about how they might have two Martys use different repeat blocks to create a routine together: as one takes 3 steps forward, the other takes three steps back; as one takes three steps to the right, one takes three steps to the left, etc.

The discussion should be timed properly: starting at the same time and keeping the movements synchronized. 

Take time to repeat the steps that make up an action. Display some ideas to groups, depending on the ideas that learners suggest. Ask for whole-class support in breaking down the steps and either illustrate them or use text to describe them for groups to consult.

Presentation for Let's Do That Again

Story text

I can describe an action that has different parts.

I can create a block of code that causes the instructions inside to repeat.

Learners already know that you can change the arguments for applicable blocks, which eliminates the need to use multiple copies of the same block. The repeat block (loop) allows for the repetition of one or more action eliminating the need for repeating a sequence of blocks that you want to loop.

Ask learners what they can remember about having an action occur more than once. This was explored in the lesson on parameters and arguments - when you change the number value for steps in whichever direction you have, that many steps will be taken. Ask learners what might happen if I wanted to take 5 steps how could I tell Marty to do that? 

The video in the presentation illustrates the blocks and how Marty looks. 

What if I wanted to have Marty take a step forward and a step to the side 5 times? 

Illustrate the next slide of the presentation showing 5 forward steps and 5 sidesteps and Marty moving. Ask if that is what was wanted. Learners should say, "No, you want a forward steps and then a sidestep and to do that 5 times." 

Share with learners ideas for what routines repeat: 

Music and dance could be suggested but so are bigger things, like getting ready for school. We do the same thing most mornings. 

Have learners think about other instructions that Marty might like to repeat.

Have learners watch the following video clip that has 7 basic steps: 

Stop after the dance moves repeat because the dance then goes into reverse unless you want to look at both ways the dance can be performed. Repeat the initial sequence as needed. If you allow the backwards and forwards view of the dance, be prepared for learners to present the order of dance steps in either direction: 1 to 7 or 7 to 1.

Have them watch for the order of the steps and how many times they repeat. Then have them complete the workbook page to put the actions in order.

The second video features a musical ostinato. The repeating sequence is D, C, B flat, A. The four colors for the keys on the keyboard repeat throughout the whole of the piece (blue, dark green, violet, apple green). If learners watch carefully, they can see these four notes repeat as the other music is playing.

The following slide will show one step forward and one to the side, repeated 5 times. This is better but takes a long time to write and a long time to read. Tell learners that today we will be working with a block that lets us repeat more than one action so that we can make a sort of routine. 

show just the code in MartyBlocks Jr with Marty's movements

Have learners think about the benefit of using a block that lets us repeat an action in code. 

It will take less time to write, it will take up less space on the page, I can easily see how many times something will happen, etc.

Share with learners a very basic example of an action that repeats, without a loop.

Have learners describe the parts that repeat. Then, show a repeat block being applied that eliminates the need to duplicate the blocks on the workspace. 

again, show the just code of Marty in action - the video is below.

Ask learners to model / describe what they think the code will do, for Marty:

Talk with learners about the difference between the two instruction samples: the output is the same (in the short term), the code blocks used (apart from the repeat block) are the same, the number of blocks used is different. There is a slide with both collections of code blocks side by side.

Discuss with learners what they think Marty could do, making use of the loop block - a dance move, a drama (mime of an action), some other routine. Give learners time to discuss and plan movements they know that can be repeated. 

Bring learners back together to discuss the challenges they faced and overcame. Have groups model their creations and explain what is happening, when. Encourage questions about differences between the design of different groups' code. If a group chose to explore any extension activities, allow for time to explain this.

Which interesting combinations did you create? What movement is Marty performing?

Were there any problems you discovered with the repeat block you used? 

It never stopped - this was the repeat forever block.

Do you think it is a good idea to use this block to improve your code or would you prefer not to use it? Why? 

Learners may say it wasn't good because it didn't stop but it did take away the need for so many code blocks.

Workbook for Let's Do That Again

Learn how loops work and program Marty to repeat moves again and again and again...

1.04: Let's Do That Again

Have learners create broken code for their peers. It will help for them to first properly create the instructions and then either change the order of 2 or 3 blocks or delete or add a block. Then have another group discuss, debug and test their solution.

A key thing is to ask questions about what the bug, they have identified, is. Removing the pressure of writing about a bug should encourage them to engage with their peers and the code in the workbook.

Presentation for Fixing Instructions

I can find a mistake in someone's instructions.

In this lesson, learners will examine several examples of code and determine if they do what they are supposed to do. This examination often leads to finding mistakes, bugs, and fixing them, debugging. 

Learners will be challenged to explain why a person might have made a mistake like this.

Share with learners the objectives and success criteria for today's lesson, from the presentation. 

Play the game telephone, with your class: 

The first player thinks of a message, maybe an advertising slogan, a catchphrase from a character they know or a known saying. It may help to have that person whisper it to you as well so not one forgets it.

The player whispers it to their neighbor, who whispers to theirs, around the whole circle. 

The last person to have the message whispered to them says it aloud, or writes it down.  

The initial message person shares what they said.

Chances are the initial message and the final one will not be the same.

You could say that there was a bug somewhere because the message is not what it was supposed to be. Tell learners, 

this is very similar with computers and robots and the instructions that are written for them. A person, called a programmer, knows what they want to do so they create a plan for their instructions. Sometimes the computer, or robot, doesn't understand the instructions the way they are written and we could call this a bug. The programmers job changes from writing the instructions to debugging what they write to fix the mistake.

Read the story text from the lesson. The presentation will contain video to support the day's learning. 

Below is a video describing how the term debug came to be, it is located in the presentation as part of the narrative. The video in the presentation is set to stop at 68 seconds and will stop automatically. If you wish, feel free to show more about Grace Hopper by clicking the YouTube logo while the video is playing.

Learners will have seen the video of Marty trying to paint the wall and step back for more paint from the presentation, it is inserted below. 

Ask learners what they think the problem with the instructions might be. 

Learners might suggest he walked too many steps, he didn't move to the side, he didn't turn, he didn't stop quickly enough, he took too long to step back.

Share with learners the buggy painting code, in the presentation. Ask them to put on their detective hats to see what it was that Marty did that was incorrect. Learners can consult the workbook to debug the code, it is suggested they program Marty with this code in order to try and debug it. 

Bring learners back to talk about what may have caused the bugs and how they decided to approach fixing the problem. The likelihood is that there are a number of potential solutions to the bug they identified, largely depending on what they decided they wanted Marty to do. There is no one correct answer, each answer depends on the goal they had identified for Marty that was not achieved with the initial code. One idea is suggested in the teacher guide. The video in the presentation shows this.

In the workbook, there are other examples of 'buggy' code. Beside each snippet, there is a description of what the programmer wanted Marty to do. In each instance, Marty did not manage to achieve the goal due to one or more mistakes. Have learners discuss, in their groups, what they can see in the code that looks wrong. Once they have had the time to work through this, have them recreate the code in the app to see how Marty reacts; encourage learners to go slow: start with the event block and the next command; have them click to run this. If Marty looks good so far, add the next command and run that. This physical debugging process aims to support the abstract nature of the code: once learners see the mistake through Marty's movement, they should be able to identify where the bug exists, in the code. 

There is a space for learners to comment on the buggy code, they might use the boxes to tick or cross the good / buggy code or write a brief comment to describe what was wrong and how they fixed it depending on their writing ability. Ideally, learners should recreate and fix the buggy code on their own devices and show this to you as evidence of work complete, allowing them to explain their thinking while you are there.

Bring learners back together to discuss the challenges they faced and overcame. Have groups model their creations and explain what was wrong and how they fixed it. Different groups may have identified different routes to solve the same bug; celebrate this diversity. Encourage other groups to ask about the work of other groups so that the questioner and the ones being questioned can develop their understanding.

Did everyone in your group agree about the best way to fix the bugs? If they didn't, how did you solve the disagreement?

Were there any solutions you are particularly proud of?

Workbook for Fixing Instructions

What happens when there is a mistake

1.05: Fixing Instructions

In this pack, learners will be introduced to a new environment where there code will be visible and will highlight what is running. Learners will start slowly with familiar movements and continue a two new ideas - arguments and repeat blocks, or loops - the last lesson will revisit debugging, this time with proper code blocks.

Learning Portal

Learner Resources —

2: Learning to Code with Marty Blocks Jr

Lesson Pack Overview