Block coding lesson 18: Project: your own turtle picture

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

The project brings everything together: plan a picture on squared paper, write the program, test it, and improve it. A complete 40-minute block coding lesson (Grades 4–5), from Unit 6: Variables. Myrtle the Turtle runs right here in your browser – nothing to install.

Time: 40 minutes + 20 min homework
Grade: Grades 4–5 (ages 9–11)
You need: A computer or tablet, squared paper and a pencil
Graded: Questions instantly; the picture with our checklist

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; the picture your child designs is judged by you, with our checklist below.

Before the screen: Show your picture to someone and explain one block in your program.
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: “What would you add to your picture next time?”
Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

Trying to build everything at once. Build one part, test it, then add the next.
Copying a big program without understanding it. Explain each block to someone. If you cannot, simplify.

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: plan and build my own turtle picture.

Success looks like

I can plan and build my own turtle picture.
I can use repeat, a variable or a choice in my program.
I can test and improve my program.

Key words

project · plan · test · improve

The big ideas (for the adult)

The project brings everything together: plan a picture on squared paper, write the program, test it, and improve it.

The questions are marked by Classfern. The picture itself is judged by the adult with the checklist – a computer cannot tell whether a picture is creative.

A worked example

repeat 2 times
    repeat 4 times
        move forward 2
        turn right 90°
    end
    move forward 2
end

Press Start the lesson to watch the turtle run it.

The lesson, step by step

40 minutes in 5 parts
Part	Time	How it is checked
Starter	5 min	Graded by Classfern
Teach	8 min	Watch, talk and try
Worked example and try it	8 min	Graded by Classfern
Practice	14 min	Graded by Classfern
Wrap up	5 min	Graded by Classfern + self-check

Checklist for the project (teacher or parent)

The questions in this lesson are graded by Classfern. The picture your child designs is judged by you with this checklist – a computer cannot tell whether a picture is creative. For each line, choose the description that fits best.

Planning
No plan → A rough sketch → A clear plan on squared paper, followed
Uses ideas from the course
Only move and turn → Uses repeat or a color block → Uses repeat AND a variable or a choice
Testing and fixing
Did not test → Tested and fixed one bug → Tested often and improved it
Explaining
Cannot explain the blocks → Can explain some blocks → Can explain every block and why it is there

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

20 minutes: 6 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: show your picture to someone and explain one block in your program.

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-11 – Break problems into smaller sub-problems; 1B-AP-13 – Plan programs iteratively using others' views and user preferences; 1B-AP-15 – Test and debug a program or algorithm so it works as intended.

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.