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Block coding lesson 11: Shapes with repeat and angles

US version. US grades and US spelling. · UK version of this lesson

To draw a shape with n equal sides, repeat n times: move, turn. Myrtle turns all the way round once, so each turn is 360° ÷ n: a square turns 90°, a hexagon 60°, an octagon 45°, a triangle 120°. A complete 35-minute block coding lesson (Grades 2–4), from Unit 4: Repeat. 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.

  1. Before the screen: Walk round a triangle drawn in chalk and count how far you turn at each corner.
  2. Press Start the lesson below and watch the worked examples together. Press Run and say what each block does before Myrtle does it.
  3. 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.
  4. Finish with the talk question: “Why do all the turns of a closed shape add up to 360°?”
  5. Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

  • Turning by the inside angle (60° for a triangle). Myrtle turns the outside angle: 180° − 60° = 120°.
  • Thinking every shape turns 90°. Only squares and rectangles. Work out 360° ÷ number of sides.

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: draw regular shapes with repeat.

Success looks like

  • I can draw regular shapes with repeat.
  • I can choose the turning angle for a shape.
  • I can say why the turns add up to a full turn.

Key words

angle · degrees · regular shape · full turn 360°

The big ideas (for the adult)

To draw a shape with n equal sides, repeat n times: move, turn. Myrtle turns all the way round once, so each turn is 360° ÷ n: a square turns 90°, a hexagon 60°, an octagon 45°, a triangle 120°.

Myrtle turns through the OUTSIDE angle at each corner. A triangle's inside angles are 60°, but Myrtle must turn 120°.

A worked example

repeat 4 times
    move forward 2
    turn right 90°
end

Press Start the lesson to watch the turtle run it.

The lesson, step by step

35 minutes in 5 parts
PartTimeHow it is checked
Starter5 minGraded by Classfern
Teach8 minWatch, talk and try
Worked example and try it7 minGraded by Classfern
Practice10 minGraded by Classfern
Wrap up5 minGraded 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: walk round a triangle drawn in chalk and count how far you turn at each corner.

Practice tests

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-08 – Compare and refine several algorithms for one task and pick the best.

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.