Lesson Idea | Get in the Game

Facilitator

This project is supported by the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the If/Then Initiative, part of whose mission is to inspire girls to pursue interests in STEM careers by better representing women in STEM through media and learning experiences. The Tech Interactive's featured guest for this activity is If/Then ambassador Dr. Siobahn Day Grady. Dr. Grady is a computer scientist and assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at North Carolina Central University. Some of her research interests include using machine learning to determine
authorship of tweets and detecting false errors in autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles.

Description

Use computational thinking (decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms) to design your own board game!

Grade Levels: 3-8
Duration: 90 minutes
Concepts/Skills: Computational thinking - decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms
Objectives:
- Brainstorm the design for a board game.
- Use computational thinking elements to reflect thoughtfully on all elements of game design.

Background Information

Computational Thinking
Computational thinking is a problem-solving process that can be used in everyday life and applied to a wide range of tasks and problems. Although computational thinking may not be the first approach we think of when it comes to games, many of the techniques are actually applicable in the game design process and are used while playing games. This activity will guide students in using these techniques in a creative project while also featuring computer scientist Dr. Siobahn Day Grady and how she applies the very same techniques in her everyday work.