Training Workshop

on Computer Science
Education
UNPLUGGED ACTIVITIES - LANGUAGE

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 STARTER ACTIVITY
LET'S INVENT A LANGUAGE TO GUIDE A VEHICLE

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 STARTER ACTIVITY
LET'S INVENT A LANGUAGE TO GUIDE A VEHICLE

You can uses your own instructions such as:

• Symbols
• Letters
• Numbers
• Etc. all

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 STARTER ACTIVITY
LET'S INVENT A LANGUAGE TO GUIDE A VEHICLE

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 STARTER ACTIVITY
LET'S INVENT A LANGUAGE TO GUIDE A VEHICLE

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 STARTER ACTIVITY
THREE KINDS OF LANGUAGES TO GUIDE THE VEHICLE

Absolute directions :
“go North”, “go East”, “go South”, “go West”.

Relative directions that depend on the rover’s actual position :

“turn on site right”, “go forward”, “turn on site to the left”,
“pull back”, etc.

Coordinates-based directions (battleship like) :

“go from A1 to A2”, etc.

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
A DIVERSITY OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

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 A LIMITED LEXICON IN A
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
31 key-words in C:
auto break case char const continue default do double else enum extern float for
goto if int long register return short signed sizeof static struct switch typedef union
unsigned void volatile while

32 key-words in Python:
and assert break class continue def del elif else except exec finally for from global if
import in is lambda not or pass print raise return try while yield

For comparison:
60,000 entries in the french dictionary "Petit Robert"
3,000 to 3,500 words of vocabulary for a French adult with intermediate
education

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
 NO AMBIGUITY IN A
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Whereas in a natural language…

« I saw a man on a hill with a telescope. »

Draw the scene…

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 NO AMBIGUITY IN A
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

« I saw a man on a hill with a telescope. »

Several alternate meanings :

There’s a man on a hill, and I’m watching him with my telescope.

There’s a man on a hill, who I’m seeing, and he has a telescope.
There’s a man, and he’s on a hill that also has a telescope on it.
I’m on a hill, and I saw a man using a telescope.
There’s a man on a hill, and I’m sawing him with a telescope.

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte
 MAIN CONCEPTS

To command machines, we invent and use special

languages called ………………….. languages.
There is a ………………. of existing programming languages,
designed for different uses.
Programming languages can be understood by both
……………… and ……………… .
A program is the expression of an ………………… in a
certain programming language.

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

 MAIN CONCEPTS

To command machines, we invent and use special

languages called programming languages.
There is a variety of existing programming languages,
designed for different uses.
Programming languages can be understood by both
humans and machines.
A program is the expression of an algorithm in a certain
programming language.

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte

1, 2, 3... code ! - Fondation La main à la pâte