GALLERY #3: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING LESSON PLAN
Computational thinking refers to decomposing a problem into its smaller, individual parts so that it can then be solved using algorithms or a particular pattern or series of steps. It also involves reflection on how the issue at hand is similar to other problems and how/if computers can be used to more effectively provide a solution to that issue.
For this lesson, my students will be asked to create an animated comic representation of the epic poem Beowulf using the online computer programming software Scratch. The purpose of this is both to help students become more comfortable and successful in using basic computer programming software (to strengthen their computational thinking skills) and to help them better understand the plot and author's stylistic choices in the poem. By collaborating to recreate passages from the poem, students will be forced to consider and accurately represent all of the poem's various elements, including the setting, diction, and order of the action. Ideally, they will rely on their collective computational thinking skills to effectively decompose their assigned passage into a series of plot points and individual elements that can then be remade on Scratch.