Teacher Guide
Welcome to CodeMonkey Jr., CodeMonkey’s pre-coding game for 4-6 year olds. CodeMonkey Jr. teaches preschoolers computational thinking skills and the basics of coding through the use of blocks. In the game, students will program a monkey’s journey in order to catch bananas and unlock treasure chests.
how to set up a classroom
CodeMonkey Jr. is available on tablets and desktops. Log in to your CodeMonkey account. In the scope of this version, the game consists of four courses and two chapters in each course with a total of 120 challenges that either increase in difficulty or introduce a new concept.
The first course is free. In order to access the other courses, you will need an active subscription that includes CodeMoonkey Jr. content. Each chapter can be accessed through the map. No reading or writing is required throughout the game.
coding instructions
The following coding instructions are taught throughout the game
Block
Meaning
abbreviation
Move-right: Moves the monkey one tile to the right
MR
Move-left: Moves the monkey one tile to the left
ML
Jump-up: Jumps the monkey one tile up
JU
Jump-right: Jumps the monkey one tile up and to the right
JR
Jump-left: Jumps the monkey one tile up and to the left
JL
Loop: Repeats code until you reach the goal. After adding a loop to the line, every new block that will be tapped will be placed after the loop. To add an instruction to the loop, students need to drag it into the loop block.
LP
Conditional Loop: Repeats code until the monkey reaches a flower with the same color as in the loop block. After adding a loop to the line, every new block that will be tapped will be placed after the loop. To add an instruction to the loop, students need to drag it into the loop block.
CLP(color)
Procedures: Invoke blocks inside a procedure when the monkey stops on a tile with a procedure. If the monkey stops on a tile without a procedure, then the challenge fails (unless the monkey reaches the treasure-chest). When there is more than one procedure in a challenge, the students will need to drag the blocks into the relevant procedure.
Square/Circle/Triangle
computing concepts
- Sequencing
- Algorithms
- Logic
- Direction/Orientation
- Counting
- Loops
- Conditional Loops
- Procedures
Challenges
The goal of every challenge is to program a block sequence that will take the monkey to the treasure chest and collect all the bananas without hitting any tiles or bricks.
Each challenge contains the following components:
- Path – the area the monkey moves through
- Coding Area – where students drag and drop blocks
- Block Library – a collection of all available blocks for the challenge
How to Solve a Challenge:
- First, students should think about how to program the correct block sequence
- Then, they should tap or drag the desired blocks in order to build the sequence. When tapping, the block will go to the first vacant spot in the coding area or after a loop block.
- In order to change the order of instructions in the coding area, they will need to drag the blocks.
- To execute their code, they will tap Play
- If the monkey reaches the goal, the score will appear and the student can move to the next challenge. If the monkey does not reach the goal, they can tap replay and correct their code.
Chapters:
The game is built in a consecutive order, where each chapter is based on the one before. The current version includes the following chapters:
- Sequencing & Loops
a. Sequencing
b. Loops - Advanced Sequencing & Loops
a. Advanced Sequencing
b. Advanced Loops - Conditional Loops
a. Conditional Loops
b. Advanced Conditional Loops - Procedures
a. Procedures
b. Advanced Procedures
Once the students complete the first chapter- Sequencing, they can continue to Loops or to Advanced Sequencing.
Once the students complete the chapter – Loops, they can continue to Conditional Loops, Procedures or Advanced Loops.
Advanced Conditional Loops challenges are unlocked once completing Conditional Loops challenges.
Advanced Procedures challenges are unlocked once completing Procedures challenges.
Sequencing & Loops
Chapter 1 – Sequencing
The first chapter is designed to introduce students to the game environment, rules and interface. It also teaches sequencing, or the order of instructions. In this chapter, students will get to know the different block instructions available in the game. The challenges within this chapter start from basic challenges that teach the game interface such as how to use the coding area to challenges that teach sequencing. In this chapter, students will also have to count the number of steps and differentiate between directions.
Chapter 2 – Loops
The second chapter will introduce students to the concept of loops, specifically how and why to use them. This chapter starts from a long repeating sequence that demonstrates the benefit of using loops, then sequences that are too long to solve without a loop. This leads students to understand the need and the rationale for using loops, and the Loop block is introduced. The loop ends when the monkey reaches the treasure chest, so any block after the loop will not be executed. All challenges in this chapter will be solved using a single loop.
Advanced Sequencing & Loops
Chapter 1 – Advanced Sequencing
After completing the sequencing chapter, students will know how to build a sequence of instructions leading the monkey to the treasure chest. In this chapter, the challenges require moving in both directions to reach the goal. Students will use advanced counting abilities for going back and forth and combining both directions in a single sequence of instructions.
Chapter 2 – Advanced Loops
This chapter combines sequences and loops. Specifically, the solutions for challenges in this chapter require students to program several instructions that happen before the loop and then the loop itself. For example, in the following challenge (2-4), students need to program a sequence to first pick up the banana on the right and then a sequence for going to the treasure chest on the left. To get to the treasure chest, students will need to use a loop.
JR – JR – MR – MR – JL – JL-LOOP [ML]
Conditional Loops
Chapter 1 – Conditional Loops
The first chapter will introduce students to the concept of conditional loops. This chapter includes a flower along the monkey’s path. The students need to add the loop block and then add the blocks inside the loop. Before running the blocks inside the loop, the computer checks if the monkey reached the flower with the same color as in the loop. If yes, then the loop ends and the blocks after the loop are executed. If not, then the blocks inside the loop are executed. Students need to make sure that the blocks inside the loop take the monkey to a flower and not pass the flower or they will end up in an endless loop.. All challenges in this chapter will be solved using a single loop.
Chapter 2 – Advanced Conditional Loops
The second chapter will include challenges with more than one conditional loop. The monkey’s path will include two or three flowers. In some challenges the students will need to go back and forth to get the bananas. Some challenges will include two or three flowers of the same color.
Procedures
Chapter 1 – Procedures
The first chapter will introduce students to the concept of procedures. In this course, the monkey’s path is filled with different procedures – Square, Circle and/or Triangle. The students need to drag blocks to the procedures. When clicking on Play, the first procedure is called. If the monkey lands on another procedure after all blocks in the previous procedure are executed, then the next procedure is called and so on until the monkey reaches the treasure chest. Most challenges will include 2 procedures, some will have 3 procedures.
Chapter 2 – Advanced Procedures
This chapter includes more advanced challenges with procedures. Students will need to go one direction first to get the bananas and then the other direction to get to the treasure chest.
Star-Score
Upon completion of a challenge, students can get anywhere between one to three stars.
- One Star – The monkey got to the treasure chest but one or more of these happened:
– did not collect all the bananas
– bumped into tiles or bricks
– did not code all procedures. - Two Stars – The monkey got to the treasure chest with all the bananas and without bumping into anything but did not use the shortest code possible.
- Three Stars – The monkey got to the treasure chest, collected all the bananas, did not bump into anything and used the shortest code possible.
CodeMonkey Jr. in Your Class
We recommend four courses of a total of 29 lessons lasting 35 minutes. Part of the lessons will be theoretical and others practical by playing CodeMonkey Jr. For questions or comments, contact us at info@codemonkey.com
Good luck!
