Block coding lesson 9: Colors and pictures
US version. US grades and US spelling. · UK version of this lesson
pen color red changes the color of the lines drawn AFTER it. Lines drawn before keep their color. A complete 35-minute block coding lesson (Grades 2–4), from Unit 3: Drawing with the pen. Myrtle the Turtle runs right here in your browser – nothing to install.
- Time
- 35 minutes + 15 min homework
- Grade
- Grades 2–4 (ages 7–10)
- You need
- A computer or tablet, squared paper and a pencil
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know anything about coding. The lesson explains each step on screen, the way Mr Babbage, our Head of Computing, likes it: watch Myrtle first, then have a go. Programs are made from blocks – no typing – and every answer is graded straight away.
- Before the screen: Draw a flag with felt tips, changing color like Myrtle does.
- Press Start the lesson below and watch the worked examples together. Press Run and say what each block does before Myrtle does it.
- Let your child do the practice on their own. When Myrtle goes the wrong way, that's a clue, not a failure – press Run again and watch which block it is on.
- Finish with the talk question: “Why does it matter where you put the color block?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Thinking a color block changes lines already drawn. It only changes what is drawn next.
- Putting the color block after the line. Choose the color first, then draw.
Miss Lovelace's tip for home: ask your child to be Myrtle. Read out the blocks and let them walk it on the floor. If they can act it out, they understand it.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: change the pen color.
Success looks like
- I can change the pen color.
- I can draw a picture in two colors.
- I can read a program and say what it draws.
Key words
color · picture · order · read code
The big ideas (for the adult)
pen color red changes the color of the lines drawn AFTER it. Lines drawn before keep their color.
Spelling note: UK pages show this block as pen colour. Python and most programming languages use color, the spelling used here.
A worked example
move forward 3 pen color purple move forward 3
Press Start the lesson to watch the turtle run it.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teach | 8 min | Watch, talk and try |
| Worked example and try it | 7 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Practice | 10 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Wrap up | 5 min | Graded by Classfern + self-check |
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser. Each visit picks a new mix of questions.
Homework
15 minutes: 5 questions – work out what Myrtle does, then build or fix a program – and a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly. Away from the screen: draw a flag with felt tips, changing color like Myrtle does.
Practice tests
- Block Coding: Drawing with the Pen Practice Test (Grades 2–4)12 questions · graded instantly
- Block Coding: Mixed Practice Test (Grades K–5)15 questions · graded instantly
All computer science practice tests · All 18 block coding lessons
Curriculum
CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards (2017), grades 3–5: 1B-AP-10 – Build programs with sequences, events, loops and conditionals; 1B-AP-12 – Modify, remix or reuse parts of an existing program to add features.
The standard codes are CSTA's; the descriptions are our own words.
Our lessons, blocks and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.