News from STEM

WEEK 8 | TERM 4

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Years 3 and 4 Unplugged Coding Cup Challenge

Our Years 3 and 4 students have been exploring coding in a hands on way through our Unplugged Coding Cup Challenge. This activity helps students understand how algorithms work without using any devices. Instead, they direct a partner to build a structure using cups by giving clear step by step commands.

Students were limited to only six commands, which encouraged them to think carefully, plan ahead and communicate with precision. They quickly discovered that every action needs to be clear and purposeful for the final design to match the intended plan. If the code was unclear or out of order, the structure did not work as expected, which led to great conversations about problem solving and debugging.

It has been wonderful to see students collaborating, testing their ideas and celebrating each successful algorithm. This challenge is building their confidence in the foundational skills of coding and preparing them for more complex digital learning later in the year.