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Coding · Grade 8

Specify and Decompose a Software Project

Using a community-garden booking app, learners write and classify functional and non-functional requirements and constraints, identify stakeholders, and turn vague wishes into testable Given/When/Then acceptance criteria that become code checks. They decompose the system into modules with clear responsibilities and data flow, then plan an MVP, milestones and risks, and write a reviewed mini specification for a project of their own.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 85 minutes
  • Check what you learned: 8 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, trace code, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Classify requirements as functional, non-functional or constraints, and identify stakeholders and their needs.
  • Write testable acceptance criteria and replace vague requirements with measurable ones.
  • Decompose a project into modules with single responsibilities and trace data flowing through their interfaces.
  • Plan an MVP, order milestones by dependencies and score risks by likelihood and impact.

Lessons

  1. Requirements and stakeholders 5 steps2 practiceabout 20 min
  2. Testable acceptance criteria 6 steps4 practiceabout 22 min
  3. Modules and data flow 5 steps3 practiceabout 20 min
  4. Planning scope, risks and milestones 5 steps4 practiceabout 18 min
  5. Check what you learned 8 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • 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.
  • Garden AutomationProgram a garden robot with sensor rules — then watch a whole day play out.

More 8th grade coding

Guide for grown-ups