I love looking for new ways to demystify the term algorithm (a set of steps to complete a task) for my students. I recently had my Kindergarten students breakdown the steps to create a snowman. This turned out to be a great lesson on fixed and flexible sequences or algorithms!
I started the lesson by having the students watch a Peppa Pig video where the children make a snowman. The kids loved this video!
Next, I had the class work together to sort picture cards of the steps to create a snowman. I did this by calling student helpers up in front of the class to hold picture cards. I then moved pictures around and we discussed whether the algorithm would still work. We decided except for building the body, this was a flexible algorithm. You can place the eyes before the nose or flip that.
Finally, I had the students use Starfall and ABCYa create a snowman sites on the computer. These sites also worked great to continue the discussion on fixed and flexible algorithms. The Starfall activity forced students to add items to the snowman in a certain order, while the ABCYa activity was open ended.
You could also have students draw a snowman of their own or even go outside and make one if time permits!
Do you have creative activities to help students understand the concept of algorithms? I would love to hear about them!
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