First Things First: What Comes Next?

This lesson guides teachers through activities to help students understand the concept of sequencing everyday activities using 'first/then' statements. Activities include discussing 'Bossy Words', playing 'Simon Says', discussing instructions, and completing a 'First/Then' worksheet. This lesson lays the foundation for understanding the logical order of coding instructions.

Learning Goals Learning Outcomes Teacher Notes

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1 Introduction
2 What is a Bossy Word?
3 Bossy Words Slideshow
4 Understanding Instructions
5 Playing Simon Says
6 First/Then Cut and Stick Activity Sheet

1 - Introduction

Today, you'll be guiding your students through a series of fun and engaging activities designed to help them understand the concept of sequencing everyday activities using 'first/then' statements. This is a fundamental skill in coding, as it lays the foundation for understanding the logical order of coding instructions in future lessons.

The format of this lesson is:

Discuss the concept of 'Bossy Words'
Play the game 'Simon Says'
Engage students in a discussion about instructions
Do the 'First/Then' worksheet activity

2 - What is a Bossy Word?

Explain to the students that 'Bossy Words' are words that tell us to do something. They are commands. For example, when we say 'sit', we are telling someone to sit down. This is a bossy word because it is giving a command or instruction.

You can further elaborate on this concept by giving more examples. You can say, 'When we say 'stop', we are telling someone to stop what they are doing. This is another example of a bossy word. Similarly, 'run' is a bossy word because it tells someone to start running.'

3 - Bossy Words Slideshow

Next tell your students that you will be looking at some Bossy Words together. Show the students the below slides and for each slide:

Asks your students what they think the bossy word is?
Read out the bossy word to the class.
Ask your students if they can think of any examples of using that bossy word? For example "Sit down on your chair."

4 - Understanding Instructions

Next engage your students in a discussion about instructions. Ask them, "Who are the people who usually give us instructions?". Expect responses like parents, teachers, and coaches. This will help them relate the concept of instructions to their daily life.

Explain the importance of instructions. You can say, "Instructions help us learn new things and help us understand how to do things."

Ask the students if they can share some examples of instructions or commands they follow at home or in school. Examples could be "Raise your hand before speaking", "Put on your coat before going outside", or "Sit on your chair properly".

Encourage students to share their examples and discuss why these instructions are important.

5 - Playing Simon Says

Introduce the game 'Simon Says' to the students. Explain that this game is about listening carefully and these are the rules:

Only perform actions that begin with "Simon says"
Ignore commands that don't start with "Simon says"

Remind the students that they should only perform the action if the command starts with 'Simon says'. For example, if you say 'Simon says touch your nose', they should touch their nose. But if you just say 'Touch your nose' without 'Simon says' at the beginning, they should not do the action.

Start the game with simple commands like 'Simon says touch your nose' or 'Simon says jump'. Gradually, you can introduce more complex commands like 'Simon says touch your toes and then jump' to reinforce the concept of 'first/then'.

Observe the students as they play the game. Make sure they understand the importance of listening to and following instructions in the correct order. This will help them develop their ability to think sequentially and follow precise steps, which are crucial skills for coding.

Teacher Notes

Simon says touch your nose.
Simon says clap your hands.
Simon says hop on one foot.
Simon says wave your hand.
Simon says pat your head.
Simon says turn around.
Simon says jump up and down.
Simon says touch your toes.
Simon says stand on one foot.
Simon says blink your eyes.
Simon says march in place.
Simon says put your hands on your hips.
Simon says shake your head.
Simon says pretend to swim.
Simon says sit down.
Simon says stand up.
Simon says wiggle your fingers.
Simon says stomp your feet.
Simon says hug yourself.
Simon says make a funny face.
Simon says hop like a bunny.
Simon says act like a robot.
Simon says pretend to swim.
Simon says crawl like a crab.
Simon says roar like a lion.
Simon says jump like a kangaroo.
Simon says tiptoe quietly.
Simon says stretch like a cat.
Simon says flap your arms like a bird.
Simon says march like a soldier.
Simon says shake your whole body.
Simon says pretend to ride a horse.
Simon says freeze like a statue.
Simon says pretend to catch a ball.
Simon says act like you're blowing up a balloon.
Simon says spin around slowly.
Simon says pretend to be a tree swaying in the wind.
Simon says walk like a dinosaur.
Simon says pretend to be a superhero.
Simon says act like you're riding a bike.

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