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PlayOwl

Coding · Grade 4

Build and Explain an Original Mini-Game

Fourth graders design an original mini-game (goal, controls, rules, score, win and lose, scripts), build it from events, variables, conditions, loops, functions and messages, playtest it with planned test cases including edge cases, and explain how it works and why they designed it that way.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 95 minutes
  • Mini-game check: 8 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, put code in order, trace code, highlight a text, match pairs and put in order
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Write a game design plan: goal, player, controls, rules, score, win and lose, and the scripts needed.
  • Combine events, variables, conditions, functions and messages in game scripts, and trace them.
  • Playtest a game with a checklist and planned test cases, including edge cases, and fix the bugs found.
  • Explain how a game works and why design choices were made.

Lessons

  1. Design the game 4 steps2 practiceabout 17 min
  2. Build it with what you know 5 steps3 practiceabout 17 min
  3. Playtest with test cases 5 steps3 practiceabout 16 min
  4. Explain your game 4 steps1 practiceabout 15 min
  5. Mini-game check 8 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Robot RoutesSnap together arrow, repeat and dance blocks to guide Bolt the robot home.
  • Bug DetectiveA robot program almost works. Run it, spot the buggy block, and fix it.
  • Sorting FactoryTurn a work order into if/else rules and watch the conveyor sort every item.

More 4th grade coding

Guide for grown-ups