In this lesson, you'll be guiding your students through a series of fun, interactive activities designed to introduce them to the concept of grid navigation. They'll learn about forward and backward movement, and how to give and follow instructions.

The lesson is broken down into several steps, each involving a different activity or game. The format of this lesson is:

1. You'll start with a game of 'Robot Roger'.
2. Then move on to some direction games.
3. Finish with a worksheet activity.

Start off this lesson by playing a game called 'Robot Roger' with your students. This is a fun, interactive game that teaches them to follow and give simple instructions.

How to Play

1. Introduce the game:

   "Today, we're going to play a game called 'Robot Roger.' In this game, we'll take turns being a robot who follows instructions and a programmer who gives instructions."

2. Demonstrate the game:

   • Tell the class: "I'll be Robot Roger first. Can someone give me a simple instruction?"
   • Follow the instruction exactly as given.
   • Explain: "Robot Roger only does exactly what you tell him. He can't guess or add extra actions."

3. Start playing:

   • Choose a student to be Robot Roger.
   • Select another student to give instructions.
   • Rotate roles frequently to keep everyone engaged.

Next play the following direction games with your students, using your IWB/projector or large screen. This engaging activity will help students develop crucial skills in sequencing, spatial awareness, and basic coding concepts. By giving step-by-step instructions to guide the frog, students will enhance their problem-solving abilities, practice logical thinking, and improve their ability to communicate directions clearly. 

How to Play

1. Introduce the game:

   "Now, we're going to play a direction game. In this game, we'll take turns to give the frog instructions to get them to the target."

2. Demonstrate the game:

   • "At the start of the game, Digi is going to tell me which square I need to move the frog to."
   • "I'm going to use the blue arrows to give the frog instructions on how to get to the target. The right arrow will move the frog one step to the right, and the left arrow will move the frog one step to the left."
   • "Once I've given all the instructions, I will press the green Go button and the frog will my follow instructions."

3. Start playing:

   • Click the Reset button to start a new game.
   • Choose a student to give the instructions, they can either come up and enter the instructions themselves or they can tell you what instructions to enter.
   • Click the green Go button and watch as the frog follows the instructions.
   • The game will say whether they were correct or not.
   • Repeat with other students to keep everyone engaged.
     

Now play the same game with your students, but this time with numbers as the target.

To finish this lesson, download and print the attached worksheet that has a 5x1 grid with the numbers 1 to 5 in them➡️.

Give a grid strip to each student along with a counter, such as a button or coin.

Have students place their counter on number 1 (starting point) on their grids.

Tell the students to move their counter forward 2 times when you say "Go". Ask the students if they can tell you where their counter is now.

Repeat this a number of times to land on various answers. 

Pair Work

Now put your students into pairs and ask them to give similar instructions to one another. They may have one grid each or work on one grid together.