Organize an activity in which one student gives other students precise instructions for how to draw a certain picture to teach students how a computer executes code.

  • Start the activity allowing the class to ask the instructing student clarifying questions when drawing the picture.
    • This task will be quickly and easily completed.
  • Repeat the exercise without allowing students to ask clarifying questions of the instructing student.
    • Now, students will see that the task has become much more difficult.
      • This is an opportunity to explain to students how programmers must communicate with a computer. They give a set of instructions to the computer, and don’t find out the effect of the instructions until afterwards.
  • Check out the CS Unplugged Programming Languages activity!