Completing Tasks: Using Algorithms

Gr 3–6—Coding language can be daunting, and this series aims to relate those fundamental concepts to a youngster's limited life experience. In Breaking Down Tasks, a seemingly difficult coding term such as decomposition is likened to a birthday cake recipe, which breaks down "something that is assembled into smaller parts." More analogies (cleaning a bedroom, putting a puzzle together) help reinforce concepts as the narrative makes a seamless transition to coding function. In Algorithms, readers are asked to think carefully about the sequences of instructions in terms of steps in getting ready for school or in telling a robot to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A discussion of this exercise illustrates how "people would use common sense," but computers "need more specific commands." The titles shine in repeating and reinforcing vocabulary and concepts with new examples, and in scaffolding information. Color photos of elementary-age children, archival black-and-white images, color-blocked sidebars, and diagrams provide visual support in an uncluttered manner.