1 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING

LEARNING IN THIS CHAPTER

What is Computational Thinking? Abstraction
Components of Computational Thinking Algorithms
Analysing Applying Reasoning to Make Decisions
Decomposition Importance of Computational Thinking
Pattern Recognition

Aaryan is a Class VI student who wants to plant a large number of trees to make his large colony green again aftera
significant amount of tree cutting was done to widen the roads. He wants to plant two thousand trees for which he
needs a large number of seedlings. His budget is limited, and he cannot afford to buy so many seedlings. After
consulting with some conservation experts and online research, he concludes that seedlings can be grown at home
at a lesser cost. He first breaks this massive task into smaller ones, studies each sub-task individually, and works a

step-wise solution for each task. As a result, Aaryan succeeds in getting 1000 new trees planted, and his colony'is
now green again.

How does Aaryan accomplish this task successfully in spite of being new to it? He does it by using a technique caled

Computational Thinking.
WHAT IS cOMPUTATIONAL THINKING?
Computational Thinking is a thought process that teaches us how to solve
complex real-world problems in sucha
way thata human or a computer can effectively carry these out.

it is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just for computer scientists. It involves solving problems by following the
concepts necessary for computer science, which includes logical reasoning, devising step by step solutions, and
designing systems.
COMPONENTS OF cOMPUTATIONAL THINKING
There are five key components of computational thinking:
Analysis: Analysis is the process of understanding the problem
and conditions, and defining the goals.
Decomposition: Breaking down a large problem into smaller parts Analysis
which are easier to understand is called
decomposition. The
smaller parts can be examined closely and solved
individually.
Pattern Recognition: Observing patterns, trends, Computational Decomposit
and similarities Algorithm Thinking
in the data is known as
pattern recognition. When you discover
patterns, it becomes easier to make
predictions and create rules
to solve other problems.
atter
Abstraction: Abstraction is the process of ecogni
filtering out details or
components of the problem to focus on the relevant ones.

LTR
Computars weith Kips 6
 task.
Algorithn Design it is the pocess ot developing a list of steps that we can follow to finish the
etus understudhow the above discussedproblemissolved by using theelements of Computational Thinking.

ANALYSING

He learns, or senses, that the

Aary.an analyses the problem well in advance when a lot many trees are being cut.
envinonmnent is getting polluted so he needs to plant more seedlings with the help of more persons around his

neighbouuhood tonmake a greenenviroment.

Here the problemis the environent is getting polluted, and the goal is to purify the environment

DECOMPOSITION
Decomposition makes the task more nmanageable. Here, Aaryan breaks down the task of plantinga large number of
seedings into the following steps to make the job more organized:

Find donors tor contributing totheexpenses

Collect seedlings and seedsfrom various sources

Arrange tor nursery bags/containers

Organize soil, compost, and natural pesticide

Bagging of seeds/seedlings
Nurture the seedlings until they are ready for plantation with adequate water.

Convincing colony people to plant the seedlings around their homes and nurture them.

PATTERN RECOGNITION
What are the patterns?
different kinds of birds. Since all birds share
Imagine that we want to make a drawing of
some common

characteristics like they all have eyes, beaks, and wings. So, we can quickly draw a bird by including these standard
features. In computational thinking, these standard characteristics constitute patterns.

In the earlier example of the making seedlings, Aaryan searches on the

Internet and talks to experts who have already made seedlings in a large
and
quantity. He recognizes similarities between his goal existing
an

procedure that experts have followed.

Patterns exist among different problems and within the individual
issues. We need to look for both. Patterns make our task more
because us to make predictions and use the same
they help
manageable
in the past.
techniques that have been provento solve similarproblems
ABSTRACTION
Abstraction focuses on essential features and avoids unnecessary complexity. As in the above example, While

experts, Aaryan gets various inputs, and then finds the solution that
searching on the Internet and talking to

lesser cost.
Seedlings can be planted at home at a

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 ALGORITHM
An
algorithm employs logical thinking to develop a step-by-step strategy to solve any problem. It involves
all of the bringina
above elements together to solution.
design a One algorithm can be applied to solve multiple probleme
with the similar
pattern.
The algorithms can be represented in the form of a flow chart or plain English text. In Computer Science, this
algorithm can be converted into a program using a computer
language
Aaryan makes the following algorithm to
accomplish his task of preparinglow cost saplings:
Collecting seeds and saplings
During the monsoon season,
many seeds can be found fallen under trees. Also, newly
collected from under the trees, which sprouted seedlings can be
germinate from the seeds that had fallen and grown naturally. The seeds and
saplings can be obtained, making sure that the collected
saplings have their roots intact.
Making sapling containers
Nursery bags can be acquired from local nurseries.
containers by slicing them in the middle Alternatively, plastic bottles can be recycled into making
and making small holes for excess sapling
be used as water to drain out. Coconut shells
bags for smaller plants. can also

Making the mix needed for nursery bags

Compost can be obtained from nurseries. Kitchen
waste mixed with
compost in a couple of months by dry leaves or sawdust can also be used to make
keeping it in a container and mixing it to aerate it
along with soil and coconut husk shreds from regularly. This can be mixed
temple offerings to create the mixture
saplings. Grounded Neem seeds make a natural required for bagging the
longer. pesticide and can be added to the mix
to help seedlings survive
Bagging of seeds/saplings
For the saplings, the bags are partially filled with the mixture.
bags filled till the roots are covered
are irst, saplings are inserted in the
with the mixture. For the bags, and then the
the seeds are placed at around
one-inch deepfrom the surface
seeds, first the bag is filled
with the mixture, then
of the
bag.
Nurturingof saplings
The sapling bags are then kept in an area which had the
to3-feet height before they could be right mix of rain, shade, and
planted in the sunlight to help them growto a2
pesticide which can be made at home with
ground. The saplings are sprayed
diluted cow urine and periodically with the natura
10 months for this process to
complete. ingredients like garlic and ginger. It takes about 8 to
Planting
Once the saplings have grownto the appropriate height,
they can be planted in the
ground.

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A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm and its workflow. This diagrammatic representation
illustrates a solution to a given problem. The problem discussed here can be understood with the help of the

following flowchart
Start
Know the Fact
Collect
seeds and
saplings

Prepare/Buy
containers
Muhammad-lbn-Musa-

Al-Khwarizmi was a
Prepare the Persian scholar who
mix produced works in
mathematics and
astronomy. He is known
Insert the seed an Insert the saplings as the father of
Is it a seed or Sapling i n such a way thatthe
inch below the soil Seed
sapling? roots lie below the soil Algorithm.
surface

Nurturing4

Planting Let's Know More

Flowcharts use
Stop
rectangles, ovals,
diamonds, and several

APPLYING REASONINGTO MAKE DECISIONS other shapes to define

the types of steps, along
with connecting arrows
Everyone makes decisions in daily life. Some of our problems are sogeneral that we hardly
to define the flow and
take any time to decide on them. But sometimes when a problem is complex, it needs our sequence of the

wisdom and experience to take decisions. Difficult situations require more reasoning and process.

skills to solve problems. Let us understand this with a simple mathematical equation

Problem:
To calculate the sum of the first 10 odd numbers.

1+3+5+7 +9 + 11+ 13 +15 + 17+19 100

Solution:
Looking at the first 10 odd numbers from 1 to 19, we can easily notice tha
1+3 +5+7+9 11+13+15+17+19
1+19 20
20-
3+17 20 20-
Example
5+15 20 20-
7+13 20 -20-
20-
9+11 20
In this problem, there are 5 pairs. When these are added individually, the answer comes out to be 20, as shown
above.
Therefore, the sum of odd numbers is 5 *20 =100.
Hence, by following the above method, we can calculate the sum of first 20 or 50 odd numbers easily.

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 We can solve the simple equations quickly like:

15 15 30 60/3 20

16 2 32 40-25 15
Example When the mathematical equationis complex, it needs our right reasoning to solve it.

18 35 20 160/4) 33-5*150
Here we need to apply the BODMAS rule to give correct solution.

Let us take another situation.

Suppose you have to select two games in your school from the given list:
A B
Outdoor Games Days Indoor Games Days
Skating Wednesday Table Tennis Friday
Horse Riding Friday Chess Wednesday
Swimming Wednesday Carrom board Friday
Lawn Tennis Friday Badminton Wednesday
Example Conditions
There certain conditions and rules to be followed
are
by every student before making the selection from
the given list of eight Rules to select the
games. combination of are games as follows:
Each student has to select at least 2
games.
The selection of one game from each section is
mandatory.
The periods for two selected games should not fall on the same day.

Look at the shapes given here:

The main steps in logical thinking are:

i. TASK:

Read the problem carefully. Here three shapes are given.

What comes next in the sequence
M i. IDENTIFY:
Example Goal:To find
the fourth shape in the sequence.
Information: In the sequence, the first shape has 4 sides, the second shape has 5 sides, and the thir
shape has 6 sides.

Condition: In the sequence, the number of sides

of the shapes is increasing by 1.

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Comp.ters 10
 ii. SOLVE:

To achieve the goal by using the given information and

following the condition.

Reasoning: The next shape should have 7 sides. i.e., 6+1=7

Solution: To work out the solution in step-by-stepmanner.

This proves that with logical reasoning, any problem can be solved.

Using Computational Thinking for Programming

When you are developing an l.T. application, Computational thinking enables you to work out exactly what to tell
the computer to do and then convert the solution into a programming language.

IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING

The computational thinking technique gives us the courage to solve problems and design systems that none of us
would be capable of tackling alone. Moreover, the practice of computational thinking fosters key-skills in children
like:

PERSEVERANCE: Children learn not to give up and learn not to be intimidated by the complexity of a problem
like, in the previous example, Aaryan was able to accomplish a large and new task by following the principals of
computational thinking.
DEBUGGING: Inthe process oftrying various possible solutions and finding the most appropriate one, children
to find and fix errors. In the given example, Aaryan broke down the project in to smaller tasks and
assigned the duties to the volunteers. This way if there is an error in the procedure, it will be easy to identify
where the error has occurred and rectify it.

CREATING: Children learn to think creatively and innovate novel solutions. They also learn to develop models
for multiple uses, for example, when Aaryan realized that planting seedlings will be too expensive, he found a
wayto make seedlings at home.

EXPERIMENTING: Children gain the courage to experiment and lose the fear offailure.

Computational Thinking is a problem-solving thought process, which includes logical

ecap reasoning, devising step-by-step solutions, and designing systems.

There are five key components of computational thinking, Analysis, Decomposition,

Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, and Algorithm Design.

Analysis means understanding the problem and conditions, and defining the goal.

Decomposition means breaking down a large problem into smaller parts which are easier to understand and
manage.

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 Pattern Recognition means observing patterns, trends, and similarities in data. Recognising patterns heln
erns help us
make predictions and use the techniques that have been proven to solve similar problems in the past to

Abstraction means filtering out irrelevant details of the problem to focus on the relevant ones.

Algorithm Design means developing the list of steps that we can follow to finish the task. An algorithm emni
logical thinking to develop a step bystep strategy to solve any problem.
mploys
Logical Thinking helps us to developastep-by-step solution for anygiven problem.
The practice of in children like perseverance,
computational thinking fosters key-skills debugging, creatns
experimenting.

Brain
DEVELOPER
A. Fill in the blanks:

1. An algorithm employs. . . to developa... strategy to solve any problem.

2 Abstraction is.. * ******************* '** ** ....
Out details of the problem to focus on the relevant ones.
3. Observing.. in data is known as pattern recognition.
4. The process of
developing the list of steps that we can follow to finish the task is called. ******'******** ***
5.
Understanding the problem and conditions, and defining thegoal comes in . . .
* * * * * * **** * *

Filtering Logical thinking Trendsand similarities

HINTSAlgorithm design Step-by-step
Analysis

B. State True or False:

1. Algorithms are written in computer programming languages.

2. Abstraction helps to avoid unnecessary complexity.
3. Logical reasoning means applying formulas.
4 Patterns help us in spotting similarities in problems.
5 Debugging means cleaning your surroundings.
C.
C. Application Based Questions:
1. The class teacher has divided the whole class in
groups and assigned different
of his group and he is overwhelmed with all the work. projects. Ravi is the Tearm Leade
that will help him Suggest him the two steps of Computational in
organise the tasks at hand.
**********ro****e
***vad**************r***************************r*******"***** **
************************************************i**************** :*** *******************

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 Shruti is excited about learning Computational thinking at school. She wants to explain to her parents that

computational thinking will help her in developing some key-skils. What key skills she should mention to her
parents?

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

D. Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Computational Thinking is used by.. ******** ****' ****** ***'** ***

a. Humans b. Computers c. Both a &b

2. Thereare. key elements of Computational Thinking.

a.5 3 C. 6

3. Decomposition refers to

a. Making compost b. Breaking down in small parts c. Decompressing a file

4. In the context of Computational Thinking, patterns are found in . . .

a. Dresses b. Problems c.Computer

5. Abstraction refers to filtering. ** ******* ***************

a. Irrelevant Solutions b. Irrelevant Details c. Irrelevant Problems

E. Answer the following:

1. What is Computational Thinking? Where is it used?

******************************************************************************

2. What is the first element of Computational Thinking? What does it define?

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************'*********************************************************************r**** seanenen.. .............

3. What is Abstraction in context of Computational Thinking? Howis it used in solving problems?

... ....................... sresaeanrnnna.*aaunnam************************************************************************************************************************* *.**o******

**************************************************************** *** ******* * ** ********************************************* * *ee**o*. . . . s s s u n s . . ... ....esnau...ue.

4 How does Computational Thinking help to develop the key-skill of Debugging in children2

********a***s** -*dsrrsn**otndo** **ra*********************************************************************************************** *******************************************************-***neo*****aes*oa****etr*** ******

5. What are Patterns? Why is it important to observe patterns?

***************************** ******** ********

****************************e************************e******************* *** * *********************4************pton**** ****o*ad*** * **********************************************************

Learning
13 Computers with Kips
 ACINMY
SECTION
LAB SESsiON Perfection Through Practice

Your school wants to install a

computerised School Library system toreplace the existing manual system.
Folowing algorithm shows how the
computerised library system will work. Display this algorithm in the
Chart form. Flow

Algorithm For Computerised Library system

1. Start 5. If the data is not valid, discard it, and accept details of the next
Accept Book Details bobok.
6. Save the data
Validate the data inserted 7. Stop
Check if the data is valid

GROUP DISCUSSION For Concept Clarity

Conduct group discussions on the given topics:

importance of Analysis element of Computational
Thinking.
Benefits of decomposing the
given problem and the task.
Writing and presenting the Algorithm in plain language vs. Flowchart.

PROJECT WORK Using Creativity

Your school is participating in an Inter School Science exhibition.

Your team is given a task to
prepare a model on Global Warming. Since you are the leader of
your school's Science Club, you
have to ensure that this project gets ready within aweek's time. You may search the
talk Internet, refer to books, and
to some
knowledgeable persons to gather relevant information on this topic.
Soive this
problem by applying the elements of Computational Thinking you have
learned in this chapter,
namely, Analysis, Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, and
Algorithm.

ONLINE LINK Looking For More

To know more about computational thinking, visit the folowing link:

https://www.slideshare.net/showslidedump/computational-thinking 1594 308

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