Amazing Algorithms Connected

Level 2
by Caitlin Duncan
2018

Overview
This article introduces and explains the concept of algorithms. It supports
understanding of this abstract concept by providing concrete examples from
everyday life, mathematics, and computer programming.

A Google Slides version of this article is available at www.connected.tki.org.nz

Curriculum contexts

TECHNOLOGY: Technological Knowledge: Key technology ideas

Technological systems  An algorithm is a list of steps that solves a problem or completes
a task.
Level 2 – Students will understand that there are
relationships between the inputs, controlled transformations,  An algorithm for one problem can be used for similar problems.
and outputs occurring within simple technological systems.

Computational thinking for digital technologies:

Progress outcome 1
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users,
students use their decomposition skills to break down simple
non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-
step instructions (algorithmic thinking). They give these
instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed,
and correct them (simple debugging).

ENGLISH: Reading Indicators:

Level 2 – Ideas: Students will show some understanding of  uses their personal experience and world and literacy
ideas within, across, and beyond texts. knowledge to make meaning from texts
 makes meaning of increasingly complex texts by identifying
main ideas
 makes and supports inferences from texts with some
independence.

ENGLISH: Writing Indicator:

Level 2 – Structure: Students will organise texts, using a  organises and sequences ideas and information with some
range of structures. confidence.

MATHEMATICS and STATISTICS: Number and Key mathematics ideas

Algebra: Equations and expressions  Algorithm is a term used in maths to refer to a certain way of
Level 2 – Students will communicate and interpret simple working out an answer (for example, a written vertical algorithm
additive strategies, using words, diagrams (pictures), is used to add, subtract, multiply, or divide).
and symbols.

The New Zealand Curriculum

Technology

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Meeting the literacy challenges

While texts at this level should contain some abstract ideas, The following strategies will support students to understand,
this text is entirely structured around the abstract concept of respond to, and think critically about the information and ideas in
algorithms. This concept is described and supported with the text. It may be appropriate to use all or only one or two of
written explanations, familiar concrete examples, diagrams, these strategies, depending on your students’ literacy knowledge
illustrations, comics, and infographics. The text includes and skills. You are encouraged to reword the suggested
activities and questions that will prompt active engagement questions that will best suit your learners’ strengths and needs.
with the text.
You may wish to use shared or guided reading, or a mixture of
The language is clear and straightforward, but the text is quite both, depending on the reading expertise of your students and
long. It includes multiple sections, each focused on a different the background knowledge they bring to the text. However, it is
aspect of algorithms. Students will need to track information suggested that the initial reading should be shared to support
and ideas across paragraphs and sections. They will need to students to process the abstract concepts and track the ideas
integrate the ideas in the text with ideas from the visual across the text.
images, the questions, and the activities. The activities require
After reading the text, support students to explore the activities
them to follow the steps in procedural text.
outlined in the following pages.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Finding the main ideas Using design features for deeper understanding

Tell the students this text is all about algorithms. Explain to them PROMPT the students to look closely at the illustrations on
that we use algorithms every day and that they are like page 3.
instructions. Have the students read the title and introductory  What do these illustrations show us? Why are they there?
text and SCAN the article to predict what algorithms are used How do they connect to the text? Can you show me the
for. The author asks the question “What are they?” Let’s find out! specific parts of the text that they are illustrating?
MODEL how to create a Frayer Model, a type of graphic  Talk me through the steps in the algorithm for the computer
organiser that explores a concept’s definition, key game. How does this relate to the pictures on the right?
characteristics, examples, and non-examples. Explain each of What does the person playing the game see on their
the categories. Read pages 2 and 3 together and model how screen? What stays “behind the scene”? EXPLAIN that the
you find information for the definition of algorithm. Have the word for this is ‘coding’.
students work in pairs to find information for each of the other  Do any of the pictures contain information that you could
three categories. If students have trouble thinking of examples or add to your definition of an algorithm?
non-examples, you could PROMPT them to think about the
difference between cooking something from a recipe or from Listen in to the students’ discussions as they develop their
memory. Have the students work in groups or pairs to create Frayer Model definitions, checking that they are reading the
their own Frayer Models. Read through the text together, visual imagery as well as the written text.
section-by-section. Pause after each section to discuss, add to
Evaluating and using the text features
or refine the students’ definitions. After the reading, they can
DISCUSS and COMPARE their definitions as a class. If they still EXPLAIN that the writer has taken what could have been quite
have questions about what an algorithm is, they could a dry topic and has found lots of ways to get people interested.
investigate further using some of the resources in the resource Have the students IDENTIFY some of the ways the writer has
links section. done this as they read (for example, the direct address to the
reader, the activities and questions, and the conversational and
upbeat tone). Make sure the students notice the invitations to
think through questions, follow through the steps in diagrams,
or try out activities. Encourage them to respond to these
invitations. After the reading, PROMPT them to reflect on how
this active engagement with the text helped them to understand
a topic that they may otherwise not have enjoyed.
 How well did you understand the main ideas before you
responded to the questions or tried out the activities?
 Why do you think responding like this helped?
 How might you use this in your own writing?

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Meeting the literacy challenges

Have the students move into groups. Tell them that each group Dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary
is to select a diagram or activity and use it to teach the rest of
The article focuses on algorithms, but as it does so, it
the class. They will need to think about the learning purpose and
incorporates other words that the students need to know and
what they will do to achieve their purpose. For example, if they
understand. Have the students IDENTIFY those words and
choose “Sort it out” on page 7, their process could include:
DISCUSS which of them they want to understand further. As
 checking they understand the main idea a class, take them through the process of creating a definition
 explaining the main idea to the class for one of the words, using the Frayer model. They could
move back into groups and create a definition for other words.
 inviting the rest of the class to respond orally to the
The definitions could then be shared, critiqued, and improved
questions in the text
before being compiled into a class or school resource. This
 handing out small items (such as Lego pieces) that pairs of resource can continue to be developed and refined over time.
students could sort into groups Selected examples could be posted around the school or on
 having the pairs write an algorithm to explain how to create the school website to familiarise people with the language of
their patterns digital technologies.
 having the pairs swap each other’s instructions to see if they
can re-create the patterns.

DISCUSS what the students gained from these activities,

clarifying the idea that we often understand a concept better
when we have to do something with it and explain it to others.
 How could we apply this idea to other texts we read?
 Some of us found X difficult to read. Is there an activity we
could have tried to help us understand what we were
reading?
 Is this an idea we could apply to our own writing?

TEACHER RESOURCES

Want to know more about instructional strategies? Go to: We have retained the links to the National Standards while a
 http://literacyonline.tki.org.nz/Literacy-Online/Planning-for- new assessment and reporting system is being developed.
my-students-needs/Effective-Literacy-Practice-Years-1-4 For more information on assessing and reporting in the post-
National Standards era, see:
 “Engaging Learners with Texts” (Chapter 5) from
Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1 to 4 (Ministry of  http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-and-reporting-
Education, 2003). guide

Want to know more about what literacy skills and knowledge

your students need? Go to:
 http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Assessment/Reading-and-
writing-standards
 http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz

Reading standard: by the end of year 4

The Literacy Learning Progressions

Effective Literacy Practice: years 1–4

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 Illustrating the key ideas

TEACHER SUPPORT

Decomposition skills are used

to break down simple non-
computerised tasks into
step-by-step instructions.

Algorithms are
step-by-step
instructions to
solve problems or
complete tasks.

There are
relationships
between the inputs,
controlled
transformations,
and outputs within
simple technological
systems.

The above page: TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIAL FOR “AMAZING ALGORITHMS” CONNECTED, LEVEL 2, 2018
Text and images copyright © Crown 4
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COPYRIGHT © CROWN 2018
 The following activities and suggestions are
Learning activities – Exploring technology designed as a guide for supporting students
to explore and extend student content
and mathematics and statistics knowledge across the learning areas. Adapt
these activities to support your students’
learning needs.
Activity 1 – Creating our own algorithms
Follow the suggestions for introducing algorithms provided by
Extension
Australia’s Digital Technologies Learning Hub. In this activity,
students create a sequenced list of instructions for carrying out Present the students with a scenario in which another student
an everyday task, such as making a sandwich or getting has lost their hat. Have them list all of the places the hat might
dressed. Use the examples to check that the students be, such as the playground, the lost property box, their desk,
understand the importance of getting the sequence right. their locker, or their bag. The students are to write a sequential
search algorithm for finding the hat. Working in pairs, they can
 What would happen if I put my shoes on before my socks?
then test that their algorithm works. Afterwards, they could reflect
Or my jumper on before my T-shirt?
together on any lessons about what is needed to create a
 What have we learnt from this that would be useful to successful algorithm.
remember the next time we write an algorithm?
 What have we learnt that would be useful the next time we
Extension write an algorithm?

Have the students create a game or puzzle for younger students Activity 3 – Coding club
where success depends on following a simple algorithm.
Look on Code Club Aotearoa’s website to find out about a
Activity 2 – How many guesses? coding club near you. You could invite a volunteer to come and
run a session. You could also approach your local high school or
“How many guesses?” is one of a series of teaching and
college, tertiary institution, or technology business.
learning activities designed by CS Unplugged. This one
demonstrates an algorithm called the “sequential search”. It If there is already a coding club at your school, the students
shows how we can reduce the time spent searching for an could share some of their projects and explain how they created
answer by removing incorrect answers as we go. It’s a technique them and what they like about coding. They could then support
that helps us predict how long an algorithm will take. The activity you and/or the volunteer to run a session.
involves statistical thinking, as students make guesses and think
Note that Code Club Aotearoa offers advice and resources for
about probability. It also involves computational thinking, as it
setting up a club. There’s help for accessing volunteers and
supports students to think about how problems can be solved by
there’s even teacher training. If your students are interested in
an agent, such as a person or a computer.
having a club of their own, this is a great place to start.

RESOURCE LINKS

School Journal CS Unplugged:

“As Easy as One, Two, Three”, School Journal Level 2, How many guesses?:
June 2018 https://csunplugged.org/en/topics/searching-
algorithms/sequential-and-binary-search-unit-plan/how-many-
Other sources guesses/#ct-links
Code Club Aotearoa: https://codeclub.nz/
What is computational thinking?:
WhatIs.com – algorithm: https://csunplugged.org/en/computational-thinking/
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/algorithm
How Stuff Works – What is a computer algorithm?:
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/question717.htm
BBC Bitesize – What is an algorithm?:
www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3whpv4
Digital Technologies Hub (Australia) – Algorithms:
www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teachers/topics/algorithms

ISBN 978–1–77669–374–0 (WORD) ISBN 978–1–77669–375–7 (PDF)

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