Welcome to 'Unplugged 1st 5'! In this lesson, you will guide a bird to its fruit on a 5x5 grid. This activity will help you understand the importance of sequence and direction, which are key concepts in coding. You will take turns giving directions and work on a worksheet independently. Remember, planning your sequence carefully is crucial for success. Let's get started!

Tell the students that they will take turns being the "navigator" and the "Robot."

The navigator will give directions to the traveler, guiding them to specific locations in the classroom (e.g., the teacher’s desk, the bookshelf, the door).

The commands will be simple: "Move forward," "Move backward," "Turn left," "Turn right."

Pair up the students and have them choose who will be the navigator and who will be the robot first. The navigator will secretly choose a destination in the classroom (e.g., the whiteboard, a specific table, the sink).

Once the traveler reaches the chosen location, they stop, and the navigator reveals the destination.

After reaching the destination, switch roles so that the traveler becomes the navigator and chooses a new destination for their partner.

Play this game with your class: The students will guide a bird to its fruit on a 5x5 grid. They will take turns giving directions, similar to the last lesson, but with a more complex grid.

Encourage the class to think carefully about the sequence of directions needed to navigate the larger grid.

Print out and distribute  the 4x4 grid worksheets to each student. ➡️

The worksheet will feature a bird at a starting point and fruit located somewhere on the grid.

As with the previous lesson, you may choose to draw the arrows in or you may guide the bird to the fruit by cutting and sticking directional arrows onto the separate "solution" grid on the worksheet.

Encourage them to plan their sequence carefully before they start cutting and sticking the arrows.

Allow the students to work independently to complete the task. Remind them to think about the best path for the bird and to double-check their directions before finalizing them.

For early finishers, provide a blank grid where students can create their own grid challenges.

Download and distribute the blank grid, and encourage them to design their own problems to share and solve with their friends!