Students build ideas through concrete steps: 1) Brainstorm, 2) Organize, 3) Abstract, 4) Transform.
While Organizing, students should look for patterns and group ideas. When Abstracting, students identify the most important concept from each grouping.
Review “pattern recognition” and “abstraction” as computational thinking vocabulary words.
Example Script:
Let’s review! Remember that computational thinking is a set of skills for problem solving.
Call & Response: Computational thinking is a set of skills for what? 📣 “Problem solving!”
Right now we’re going to focus on two skills– first “pattern recognition.” Can you clap it out with me? 📣 “Pat–tern re–cog–ni–tion”
Pattern recognition means to notice when features, information, or relationships repeat.
We also have the word “abstraction.” Can you clap it out with me? 📣 “Ab–strac–tion”
Abstraction means to identify or find the most important parts.
Teacher Models Routine (I do…)
(8 min/Whole Group)
Use the anchor chart to guide through the routine. Cover up the visuals on the right side with paper and slide down the paper as you go through each step.
Example Script:
Let’s use our B.O.A.T routine. First I’ll show you how, then we’ll try it together, and lastly you’ll do it on your own.
Read from Anchor Chart: We can use computational thinking to build ideas and knowledge. Let’s use it to help with prewriting for an opinion piece for the prompt: “How can our school be more environmentally friendly?”
For Step 1, I am going to brainstorm. I’m going to write all ideas that come to mind. (Use sheets of paper to write down ideas and tape them to a wall for the class to view).
a. Example ideas to jot down: “clean water is not available to everyone,” “plant more trees,” “bring reusable water bottles instead of plastic,” “recycling bins in each classroom,” “only take what you will eat at the cafeteria,” “turn off faucet after washing hands,” etc.
Step 2 says to organize. That means to look for patterns.
a. Example organizing ideas: Group ideas about reduce/reuse/recycle, water usage, and miscellaneous.
Step 3 says to abstract. I’m going to look at the groups, label them based on concept, and abstract the main idea.
a. Example abstraction: Reduce/reuse/recycle grouping → The 3Rs are a holistic way of making our school environmentally friendly.
Step 4 says to transform your ideas. I’m going to connect my abstracted ideas to past knowledge and identify gaps where I need to research more information.
a. Example transformation: Creating a web of all the ways the 3Rs take place in school, how to build on existing systems, and noting where more information is needed for a strong argument.
Teacher Guides Students Through an Example (We do…)
(10 min/Whole Group)
Work through this process together to brainstorm around the prompt: “Should our school start a community garden?” Use sheets of paper taped to the board to annotate ideas.
Example Script:
Let’s try B.O.A.T. We’re going to brainstorm for an opinion piece on whether our school should start a community garden.
📣 For Step 1, we’ll brainstorm all ideas that come to mind. Who has an idea to share? (Popcorn share out, write each idea on a sheet of paper.) Let’s keep the ideas flowing!
📣 Step 2 says to organize. Can someone volunteer to come up and look for patterns and group our ideas? (Allow a student to move the sheets of paper around.) Can you share why you grouped them like that?
📣Step 3 says abstract. Who would like to come up and abstract the groups? (Allow a student to annotate.) Can you share your thinking?
📣Step 4 says transform. What ideas do we have about transforming? What prior knowledge do you have? What knowledge is missing for a strong argument?
Now you’ll practice this on your own.
Students Work Through an Example Independently in Pairs (You do…)
(10 min/Pairs)
Divide class into pairs; provide each pair with sticky notes and pencils/pens.
Example Script:
Each pair has sticky notes to practice B.O.A.T. for the prompt “Should our school start a compost bin for food scraps?”
📣When finished, we’ll have 2 pairs share out how they used B.O.A.T to make your ideas “float!”
Final Reflection
(5 min/Whole Group)
Facilitate a discussion about when else students can use B.O.A.T. for writing in other subject areas.
Example Script:
📣How can B.O.A.T. help you with other reading and writing activities? How can it help you with other subject areas? (Encourage think–pair–share before sharing with the whole group.)
Connections to Inclusive Pedagogies and “Plugged” Computing
This table provides examples of how to draw connections to inclusive pedagogies and how this scaffolds to applications in “plugged” (with digital devices) computing which may be taught in other subject areas (e.g. STEM, Library Media class, etc.).
Examples of Inclusive Pedagogies
Bridging to “Plugged” (with digital devices) Computing Lessons in STEM Subject Areas
Foster choice and honor differences in communication style by providing multiple mediums to implement B.O.A.T. (e.g., sticky notes, white boards, digital tools such as a virtual white board on a tablet, etc.).
Build up to an explicit connection to the concept of “abstraction” in computing.
Students can abstract a multi-step action in a block-based coding environment by creating a custom block, allowing a series of instructions to be a reusable unit abstracting the overall function rather than focusing on individual steps.
Examples of Inclusive Pedagogies
Foster choice and honor differences in communication style by providing multiple mediums to implement B.O.A.T. (e.g., sticky notes, white boards, digital tools such as a virtual white board on a tablet, etc.).
Bridging to “Plugged” (with digital devices) Computing Lessons in STEM Subject Areas
Build up to an explicit connection to the concept of “abstraction” in computing.
Students can abstract a multi-step action in a block-based coding environment by creating a custom block, allowing a series of instructions to be a reusable unit abstracting the overall function rather than focusing on individual steps.
Computational Thinking