Space Adventure:
TEACHER NOTES
Computer Science Education Week
overview
Our monkey friend is back! Join him in an hour-long Space Adventure that will introduce your students to the basics of computer science. In the activity, students will advance through a self-paced progression of 17 challenges in which they will help an astronaut monkey catch bananas in space as they write real lines of code.
No coding experience needed!
specifications
- Ages 8-16
- Web-based & Tablet
- No installation required
- Internet connection required
- Headphones recommended
- Up-to-date verstions of Firefox, Chrome, Explorer or Safari
ABOUT Space ADVENTURE
THE HOUR-LONG VERSION
17 levels
In an hour, students will progress through 17 fun coding challenges
3rd - 8th GRADE
Space Adventure is great for beginner coders, no matter the age
REAL CODING
Students will learn CoffeeScript, a programming language that is easy and functional
EASY TO FOLLOW
The platform is intuitive and instructions are easy to follow
how to host an hour of code
STEP 1: PREP
Go through as many coding challenges as you can to get familiar with the program. We also recommend reading CodeMonkey's post on how to host a successful hour of code.
STEP 2: PRINT
Print out certificates for your students to take home. Students who have their own email can request a certificate at the end of the hour of code.
STEP 3: WRITE
Write https://www.codemonkey.com/hour-of-code/space-adventure/ on the board so students know where to begin.
STEP 4: DISCUSS
Discuss the following topics:
- Computer Science: the art of blending human ideas and digital tools to create anything from phone apps, animated movies, and robots.
- Program: a set of instructions for your computer to follow.
- Commands: what you use to build a program
STEP 5: START
Instruct students to go to the link and click on ‘Start Playing’ to get started. Once in a while, discuss different ways to solve challenges. We recommend doing so with challenges 7 and 14.
STEP 6: GO BEYOND!
Continue the fun with the full Coding Adventure course.
Read more below:
FAQ
Coding Adventure uses the programming language of CoffeeScript. CoffeeScript is similar to JavaScript in that it is primarily used for web applications, however it has a much friendlier syntax that resembles the way we write in English.
The activity starts off with very simple tasks in order to gradually teach students different aspects of coding.
Yes, you can print out certificates for your students to take home. Students who have their own email address can request a certificate at the end of the hour of code. If not, you can print certificates out here.
Encourage them to go back and try to get 3 stars in all 17 challenges. Ask them to help classmates who are having trouble or start a new activity here.
Encourage them to read the instructions carefully and double check their code if something is not working.
Encourage students to start each challenge by pressing “run” and watching what the initial code does. This will help them clarify where the code needs fixing.
Follow the hints to fix the code, if necessary.
After every challenge, students will get a star score based on their solution.
- One star means you earned all the bananas.
- Two stars means you earned all the bananas and incorporated learned topics.
- Three stars signifies that you caught all the bananas, incorporated learned topics, and did so in the fewest possible steps.
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