Applet

Celene Perez & Chelsea Fuller

*This applet gives students the opportunity to enter a sequence of commands based on different angle degree turns to help the turtle get to the pond. The turtle will then move along a path according to your instructions.

*By controlling the turtle’s movements, he is able to travel around obstacles and get to his destination, the pond. As the student works on creating a path, they can ask themselves questions such as:

*How many degrees do I need to turn the turtle?

*What direction does the turn need to go?

*How far does your turtle travel to get to the pond?

*Can you find a shorter path to the pond?

*Example:

*Set to move forward 3 units; 90° left turn, forward 3 units; 90° right turn, forward 6 units; right turn: 90°, forward 6 unit, and forward 1 unit. Using only these possible moves, guide the turtle to the pond.

Streghts Weaknesses

• Animated, colorful cartoon pictures to keep kids interested.

• Easy to follow instructions.• Varying difficulty levels• Feels more like a game, less

like math.• There are multiple ways to

get the right answer.• Great way to practice units

and lengths. • Different turtle speeds are

provided.• Different pond positions.• Provides students with grid if

wanted.

• When you enter a wrong command, it doesn’t help students figure out what is wrong.

• There is no way to track a student’s errors and/or progress.

*The applet is easy to use and would require minimal help from the teacher or peers.

*Instructions are straight forwards and easy to understand.

*Modification to the applet is easy for students to access,

*Applet is free and accessible online only.

*Students who are ELL would likely be able to understand and enjoy this activity.

*It may be confusing for students to list the commands for the turtle first, without moving it.

*It may be confusing to keep track of commands, if an error was made.

* TASK: Students will be placed in pairs. Without entering any commands, student 1 will estimate how many units the turtle has to move in order to get to the pond on a blank piece of paper. How many times does the turtle have to move if there is an obstacles in his path? (There are always 4 obstacles in the field)After estimating, student 2 will follow student 1 commands by using the applet. Once the task is completed, students will answer the following questions:* Was student 1 estimation correct?* How close where they?* How many times was your command wrong? * How successful was student 2 at following the instructions?

CONNECTION TO STANDARDS/EXPECTATIONS:* Geometry Pre-K-2* Describe, name, and interpret direction and distance in navigating space

and apply ideas about direction and distance.* Find and name locations with simple relationships such as "near to" and in

coordinate systems such as maps.* Relate ideas in geometry to ideas in number and measurement.* Measurement Pre-K-2* Develop common referents for measures to make comparisons and

estimates.* Understand how to measure using nonstandard and standard units.

*Launch

Students will need to access the Turtle Pond applet online. Student will be placed in pairs. After providing exploration time on the applet, Student 1 will start the task.

*Explore

*How many units did it take the turtle to get to the pond?

*How many times did he have to turn? What were the angle degrees for those turns?

*Can you get the turtle to the pond using a different paths?

*Which path was the shortest? Longest?

*Summarize

Students will have experience following and giving a classmate commands and thinking about angle of turns based on directional orientation.