Grade 3 · Science · Unit 14 of 15
Computational Thinking
Break a task into steps, spot patterns and fix bugs.
What your child practises
Computational thinking: breaking tasks into steps, finding patterns, writing clear instructions, fixing mistakes, and thinking of several creative solutions. No screen or coding experience is needed.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: 3CS1.1, 3CS1.2 · computational thinking, clear instructions and creative problem solving
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A program uses commands such as “move” and “turn.” These are…
💻- snacks
- songs
- instructions for the computer
- pictures
Show answer
instructions for the computer
Hint: Computers follow instructions exactly.
Question 2
A bug in a program is…
🐞- a small insect
- a loud sound
- a kind of battery
- a mistake that makes it not work as planned
Show answer
a mistake that makes it not work as planned
Hint: Finding and fixing bugs is called debugging.
Question 3
Which part of computational thinking is it? Tap an item, then tap its basket.
Sort into: 🧩 breaking it down · 🔁 finding a pattern
- 💃notice a dance repeats every 4 beats
- 🍳plan each step of a recipe
- 🧩split a big job into small tasks
- 🤖design the parts of a robot
- 🪜see that stairs go up the same way
- 🔷spot the same shape again and again
Show answer
🧩 breaking it down: plan each step of a recipe, split a big job into small tasks, design the parts of a robot · 🔁 finding a pattern: notice a dance repeats every 4 beats, see that stairs go up the same way, spot the same shape again and again
Hint: Breaking a task into steps is decomposing. Finding the same thing again and again is spotting a pattern.
Question 4
Why might two groups write different instructions for the same dance?
💃- dances cannot be written
- instructions are not needed
- one group is wrong
- there are many ways to do the same thing
Show answer
there are many ways to do the same thing
Hint: Creativity means different ideas are fine.
Question 5
A robot is told to walk forward 3 steps, turn right, then walk forward 2 steps. What is the first step?
🤖- stop
- walk forward 3 steps
- turn right
- walk forward 2 steps
Show answer
walk forward 3 steps
Hint: Follow the instructions in order.
Question 6
You want a robot to take 4 steps. Which is faster to write?
🔁- write the step 40 times
- write the step 4 separate times
- repeat the step 4 times
- do not write it
Show answer
repeat the step 4 times
Hint: A loop saves time.