Lesson 1: Unspotted Bugs

What This Lesson Is About

In this lesson, you will learn how to debug. Debugging means finding a mistake and fixing it.

You will learn to ask three questions:

• What happened?
• What was supposed to happen?
• What does that tell you?

Why This Lesson Matters

Sometimes it is easier to find a mistake in something than to make it yourself. This lesson helps you learn what a "bug" is in real life, not just on a computer.

You will practice finding bugs and learn that everybody makes mistakes. That's normal! Later, you will use these same skills to fix mistakes in computer programs.

New Words to Learn

• Bug – Say it: Buhh-g. This means something is going wrong, like a mistake.
• Debugging – Say it: Dee-bug-ing. This means finding a mistake and fixing it.
• Persistence – Say it: Purr-siss-tense. This means not giving up, even when something is hard. You keep trying in different ways.

What You Will Do

Warm Up: Story Time

You will read or listen to the story "Unspotted Bugs." In the story, a boy named JD finds strange things, like an upside-down flower, an upside-down clock, and a car with no wheels! Each strange thing means there is a "bug."

You will talk about how JD found each bug and fixed it.

Marble Run Activity

Next, your teacher will show you a marble run. A marble run is a toy with two parts. You drop a marble in one end, and it should come out the other end.

But something goes wrong! When your teacher connects the two parts and drops the marble in, it doesn't come out where it should. That's a bug!

You will help figure out:

• What happened? (The marble didn't go where it should.)
• What was supposed to happen? (The marble should have gone from one end to the other.)
• What does that tell you? (Something needs to be turned around or fixed!)

You will try different ideas until the marble run works. Don't worry if it takes a few tries — that's persistence!

Wrap Up: Journaling

At the end, you will draw or write in your journal. You might draw a face that shows how you feel, or answer questions like:

• How do you feel when something you're working on doesn't work?
• How many times should you try to fix something before you stop?
• What should you do if you find a bug but don't know how to fix it?

Extra Activity: Real Bug Hunting

You can also go outside with your class to look for real signs of bugs — like spots on flowers or marks on leaves. Can you find the actual bug?

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Lesson 2: Stevie and the Big Project

What This Lesson Is About

Sometimes when you are working on something hard, you might feel stuck. You might want to give up. This lesson teaches you that feeling frustrated is a normal part of learning — not a sign that you failed.

Why This Lesson Matters

This lesson helps you understand that it's okay to feel frustrated when working on a big project. It does not mean you should stop trying. You will talk about times you felt frustrated but kept going anyway.

New Words to Learn

• Fail – Not getting something right the first time.
• Frustrated – Feeling upset or annoyed when something is hard or not working.
• Persistence – Not giving up, even when something is hard.

What You Will Do

Warm Up: Story Time

You will read the story "Stevie and the Big Project" and talk about it with your class.

Marble Run Project

You will build your own marble run using materials like cardstock, safety scissors, and tape. Building it might be tricky, and you might feel frustrated. That's okay! You will keep trying and fixing your marble run until it works.

Wrap Up: Journaling

At the end, you will write or draw about how you felt during the project and what you learned about not giving up.