Help CHOMP to Choose Healthy Options for Max Potential!
This coding lesson introduces students to coding while connecting cause–effect thinking with prior knowledge about healthy food choices. Students will observe how code representing healthy foods causes CHOMP to grow bigger and faster, and they will ultimately create and test their own code that shows consequences for characters when they choose unhealthy foods.
Learning Objectives
- Students will make observations to draw conclusions about how a coding problem is solved.
- Students will create code to solve a problem.
What You’ll Need
Hands-on
- CHOMP (Presentation)
- CHOMP Interactive Scratch Program
- CHOMP Recording Sheet
- Scratch Account Information for Teachers
- Device access
Minds-on
- Growth mindset
- Self-efficacy
- Planning and organizational skills
- Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions
The student resources for this activity are available in print or digital versions. Students will need the use of computers or laptops to complete the digital student resources. Students will work independently or in groups to code a video game that teaches kids to make healthy food choices.
- Did your code work when you tested it?
- What changes did you make to your code to improve it?
- How did working with a partner help you during this activity?
For Students
- Design a new game that will help kids learn to make healthy food choices. How will it be different from the CHOMP activity?
- Make a list of the healthy foods used in the CHOMP game. What foods are missing? Research additional healthy foods that could be added to the code.
For Teachers
- Challenge students to extend their coding knowledge by designing a new sprite (character) within Scratch.
- Provide opportunities for students to explore more complex coding blocks and investigate how they change the program.