Monster Mash

Context

I created this activity with a colleague for my Computational Environments for Learning module in my Spring semester. Modules are 1-credit courses that are only 5 weeks long. Thus, this project had a more limited scope than did the semester-long Design Studio projects.

In the activity, learners will be able to create their own monster using various monster parts (such as eyes, bodies, mouths, arms, etc). We chose to center this activity around building a cute, brightly-colored monster because we hoped this would be inviting to learners who do not typically identify with Computer Science. Young girls may not see themselves as computer scientists, and so we wanted to introduce an activity that would be engaging for them. The field of Computer Science is rapidly growing, and it is important that girls can identify with this field. Ideally, this activity could serve as a "spark" to help girls become interested in Computer Science. This connects to my personal interests as I am interested in helping a broader range of learners identify with STEM.

The activity will teach elementary school learners about Computational Thinking skills such as problem decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. The activity is designed for users who have little to no prior coding experience. Part of the activity will be "unplugged" and part of the activity will be completed using the block-based coding platform Scratch.

This project was inspired by an activity from Code.org.

Iteration 1: Unplugged Activity

In the first iteration of this design, the learning experience was completely "unplugged," meaning that it was done without the use of a computer. We chose to create an unplugged activity because we were designing for learners who have little or no prior coding experience. We wanted to introduce Computational Thinking skills without the use of coding so that learners could focus on honing these skills rather than focusing on the syntax of a programming language. We believe that an unplugged activity would provide a gentle introduction to Computational Thinking skills.

Imagine of 5 different monsters. Each monster has a body, eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, and horns. Some of the monsters share the same component parts, for example three of the monsters share the same body, and two of the monsters share the same eyes

Computational Thinking Skills

This activity is designed to introduce learners to various Computational Thinking topics. Learners will be introduced to problem decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. These Computational Thinking skills were chosen because they are useful skills when approaching a variety of problems. Although these skills are taught in a Computer Science context, learners can use problem decomposition and pattern recognition when approaching a variety of problems.

Learners will start by decomposing the problem of how to build a monster. They will be given examples of monsters, and they will have to break the monsters down into their component parts. They will realize that all monsters are composed of a body, eyes, a nose, a mouth, arms, legs, and horns.

Next, learners will look for patterns. Learners will be invited to sort monsters by body type or eye type. They will look for similarities and differences between monsters.

Learners will then be asked how they could describe a particular monster to a friend, so that their friend could draw the monster. For example, to draw any monster's body, you could say "Draw ____ body," and then fill in the blank with the body type. Learners will create a list of how to draw all the different features that the monsters have with the details abstracted out:

Draw ____ body

Draw ____ eyes

Draw ____ nose

Draw ____ mouth

Draw ____ horns

Draw ____ arms

Draw ____ legs

Learners will then fill in the details from their abstraction to write an algorithm to draw a particular monster. For example, to draw the monster to the right, learners would write the following algorithm:

Draw green body

Draw purple horns

Draw blue eyes

Draw purple nose

Draw green mouth

Draw blue arms

Draw purple legs

A monster with a green body, purple horns, blue eyes, a purple nose, a green mouth, blue arms, and purple legs

Iteration 2: Addition of Scratch Implementation

In our second iteration, we added a Scratch implementation to the learning experience. Although we still kept the first unplugged portion of the activity the same, we thought it would be useful for learners to implement their project in Scratch as well.

When learners implement their project in Scratch, it will feel more "real" to them. Learners will be able to see how the algorithm they created in the unplugged portion would be executed by a computer. Learners will also see that the computer is able to create a monster much faster than they could draw a monster by hand.

By including the Scratch implementation, learners will also see the connections between Computational Thinking skills and Computer Science. They will see how the Computational Thinking skills they honed in the unplugged portion can be used to implement their project in Scratch.

Scratch code, showing how the monster's body will be selected. In the code, it will ask which body type you would like, and then it will switch to the body type you answer. For example, if you answer you would like the blue body, then the monster will switch to having a blue body
Scratch code showing how the monster will change its body type.

Scratch Implementation

After learners complete the "unplugged" portion of the activity, they will be guided through how to implement in Scratch. Scratch was chosen because it is block-based, so learners do not need to worry about learning the proper syntax of a programming language.

Since learners will be new to coding, they will first be given pre-made code for the monster's body, shown to the left. After examining this code and learning what the various blocks mean, they will modify the code for the monster's eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, and horns. This progression, called Use-Modify-Create, was developed by Lee et al, 2011.


To see the full Scratch implementation, and to create your own monster, you can view my Scratch project page here. Click the "see inside" button to view the full code.

Use-Modify-Create: A Form of Scaffolding

The Use-Modify-Create progression was chosen because it helps to provide scaffolding to learners. Learners who have never coded before may be overwhelmed when they first enter the Scratch environment. By first providing learners with pre-made code (the "Use" step of Use-Modify-Create), they will gain an understanding of what the various blocks do. In the "Modify" step, they will edit this code to fit a new context. By allowing leaners to modify existing code, they will increase their competence and confidence. Learners will see that they were successful in modifying the code, without having to create code that is completely new.

Scaffolding means providing supports to a learner, before they are able to carry out a task on their own. First-time coders would not be able to create code that is completely new, but would be able to modify existing code to fit a new context. As learners gain competence in coding, this scaffolding will fade. Eventually, learners will be able to create their own new code without the help of the Use-Modify-Create framework.

To learn more about my insights about scaffolding, take a look at my insights page.

Math Extension

As an extension activity, learners will be challenged with creating a monster that has a certain number of Strength, Health, and Cuteness points. Each monster body part will be associated with a certain number of each of these points, and learners will need to create a combination of parts that adds to enough points.

The Math Extension was included because we wanted to help learners see that Computational Thinking skills and math are closely related. Too often, Computational Thinking skills are taught in isolation—without drawing attention to how these skills can be applied to other disciplines.

This design decision is supported by a paper by Weintrop et al, 2015 entitled "Defining Computational Thinking for Mathematics and Science Classrooms." In this paper, Weintrop et al. discuss how Computational Thinking skills can be used in a math context. By including this math extension activity, learners are able to see how Computational Thinking skills are useful in disciplines other than Computer Science. When learners see how Computational Thinking skills apply to other disciplines, they may be more motivated to hone these skills.

You can view the Scratch implementation here.

Scratch code showing how a monster will gain a certain number of Strength, Health, and Cuteness points for each body part. For example, the blue body will earn 4 Strength points, 2 Health points, and 2 Cuteness points
Scratch code showing how the monster will gain Strength, Health, and Cuteness points for a certain feature.

What I Learned

  • From working on this project, I learned that sometimes when an idea isn't working, you need to move on and come up with a new idea. I had initially wanted to do an extension activity where you would input the monster's algorithm and the output would be a scientific name. However, this idea did not work, and so I created a math extension activity instead.

  • I learned more about how to use Scratch to code. I had some familiarity with Scratch before this project, but I learned more through creating the Scratch implementation for this project. For example, for the math extension activity, I learned how to create variables for Strength, Health, and Cuteness.

  • Through this project, and throughout the Computational Environments for Learning course, I learned about how to teach Computational Thinking skills without coding. This is so important for introducing young learners to these skills.

What I Did Well

  • My design includes "invitations" for a variety of learners. I wanted to ensure that this activity was inviting to many learners, especially those who are not typically represented in Computer Science. By framing the activity around creating a monster, I am hoping it will be inviting to girls.

  • By following the Use-Modify-Create framework, this activity has enough scaffolding that it will be accessible to learners who have little to no prior coding experience. Learners will be introduced to Scratch slowly, and will not be expected to create their own code immediately.

  • By walking learners through the steps of approaching a problem (problem decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms), this design supports mental model building. These are skills that learners can use to approach many types of problems.

Next Steps

  • In the future, I hope to adapt this activity to be appropriate for a younger audience. The current activity would be appropriate for upper elementary or early middle school. I would like to create a version of this activity that is appropriate for a K-2 setting. For this adaptation, I imagine having the various monster parts as cut-outs that K-2 students can glue together to create a monster. I think it is important to introduce young learners to Computational Thinking skills and this would be a fun way to do it!