Unplugged Lesson
Beginner
40 mins
Teacher/Student led
+50 XP
What you need:
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Colouring Robot

In this lesson, you'll become a robot artist, learning how to follow specific instructions to create art. Using worksheets and coloured pencils, you'll practice sequencing by following step-by-step code cards to colour grids and debug mistakes.
Learning Goals Learning Outcomes Teacher Notes

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    1 - Introduction

    This lesson will help students with the core coding concept of sequencing.

    They will learn that computers follow instructions in a specific order and that a single mistake (a "bug") can change the entire outcome.

    This is a hands-on, unplugged activity where students become the "robots" and you are the "programmer."

    Materials Needed:

    • Worksheet: A simple grid with squares (Downloadable from this step).

    • Coloured Pencils/Markers: A small set of three colours.

    • Instruction Cards: A set of cards with a different icon for each colour and a simple icon for "move to the next square." 

    2 - Robots around us

    Begin the lesson by gathering students and sparking an engaging discussion about robots to establish a foundation for the activity.

    Explain simply that a robot is a machine that follows instructions (or "bossy words") perfectly. It doesn't have a brain for guessing; it only has a processor for following commands.

    Ask your students: "Have you ever seen a real-life robot? What does it do?"

    • Guide the discussion toward common, familiar examples they might have seen at home or in the garden:

      • Robot Vacuum Cleaners: "What instructions does the vacuum robot need? (Go forward, turn, stop at the wall)."

      • Robot Lawn Mowers: "It needs commands like, 'Go straight,' and 'Turn around when you hit the fence.' "

      • Automatic Doors: "While simple,they follow an "if/then" command: IF a sensor sees a person, THEN open the door."

    3 - Robot Students

    Invite one student to the start line and tell them they are the robot. Read a tiny program aloud such as step forward, step forward, clap, jump. Ask the class to watch whether the robot follows the order exactly. When they finish, ask what the last step was and whether the robot did it.

    4 - The Robot Artist's Golden Rule

    Now that we know robots only follow instructions, you need to understand the most important rule for today's activity: The Golden Rule.

    As the Robot Artist, you must follow every example exactly as it is given, without guessing or changing anything.

    Precision is the key to all coding! If your Programmer gives a confusing instruction, you still must follow it exactly, because robots can't correct bad code—they just execute it.

    5 - Colour Coding Challenge

    Open the Colour Coding Challenge and generate a 5-square pattern using only red, blue and white. Tell students, “This is our target code.”

    Before anyone attempts it, have them silently “finger-run” the sequence from left to right: point to square 1, say the colour in a whisper, then move to the next square.

    Ask a volunteer to read the colour sequence aloud as a program (e.g., “Red, move; Blue, move; White, move…”).

    You can solve one or two as a class before inviting students up to solve themselves!

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