Instructions

Have students work on the following activities in small groups. We recommend 2–3 students per group.

When students work together while coding, they’re able to help each other identify mistakes and develop creative solutions!

  1. Say, “We will be writing our own version of 'Going on a Bear Hunt,' but this time we will use functions to make it easier. Your song will be called 'Going on a Dash Hunt.'"
  2. On the board, write Chorus and write the chorus of the song below it:
    chorus image
  3. Say, “The chorus of this song will act as our Function. Whenever we want to repeat the chorus, we will write “Chorus.” This is how we call our “Chorus” Function instead of writing all the words each time.”
  4. On an index card, have each group of students write their own verse of the song about obstacles to get through while looking for Dash. Write the following sample lyrics on the board for the students to reference:verse image
  5. Collect all the index cards that contain the verses and tape them to the board in order. Work with the class to rewrite the remaining lyrics of the song, based on a scary place they might find Dash and the obstacles students have provided in their verses. The lyrics should be similar to the following:ending image
  6. Say, “We already have our “Chorus” Function written. Every time the chorus repeats, we’re just going to write Chorus on the board.” The finished song should look something like the following:full song
  7. Ask, “After writing our own version of this song, are you glad you used functions? Why or why not?
    • Sample Response: “I am glad I used functions because using them made writing this chant much easier and faster.”
  8. Optional: Have the class perform the song, with each group acting out their verse and the whole class acting out the remaining lyrics.
    • Invite one student to play the role of Dash.

Complete and Continue