Matatalab Fruit Match-up Game

Activity/Lesson Key Information

Play the match-up game with Matatalab Lite !

Matatalab tangible coding language, match-up game.

Turn on the Coding Mode of Matatalab Lite, and code MatataBot to move from one fruit to another of the same kind. Make sure the starting fruit and destination fruit are the same. In this game, students have to keep looking for the same fruits, and develop their abstraction ability in the repeated process.

• Code to move MatataBot from one fruit to another of the same kind.
• Calculate and run the shortest path between two identical fruits.

• Code: Set of specific directions or instructions sent to and used by a computer.
• Sequence: An arrangement of instructions to be followed in a particular order.
• Robot: A machine capable of carrying out a complex set of instructions as programmed by a 
• computer. 
• Debugging: Finding and removing errors from computer hardware or software.
• Algorithm: A set of rules or directions to be followed by a computer.
• Command: instructions given to a computer or robot
• Match-up Game: An intellective game. In this activity, it indicates a game to find two same fruits on grid map. Code to move MatataBot, starts with one fruit, ends up with a same fruit. 

Students are able to use the coding model of Matatalab Lite to move MatataBot from point A to point B

Detailed Lesson Plan

5mins

1. Mission Releasing – Use the coding mode to plan a path that starts with one fruit, and ends with another identical fruit. Make sure the fruit on the starting line is exactly the same as the one on the destination.

2. Teacher Demonstration: the teacher shows how to play the game.

30mins

1. Practice：Each group of students try to code in turn. Student firstly locate two identical fruits in different positions, and place MatataBot on one of them as the starting line. Next, code MatataBot to move the other identical fruit (make sure that the fruits at the starting point and the destination are the same).

2. Time trial competition： Each group finishes such a match-up game in turn, and the group with the shortest time wins.

10mins

The teacher asks questions, reviews and concludes.

Extensions: 

1. Adjust the color or number of fruits on each card and have students  pair two sets of the same fruit in this varied setting. 
2. Replace one of the fruit cards with a word for that  fruit and ask students to pair the fruit with the corresponding word.

Potential questions：

• Did you finish the match-up game?
• Which part of the game did you find the hardest? Which part is the most interesting?
• Did some of the students finish quickly? How did he/she make it?
• Did you face any problem when coding? How did you solve it?

• Matatalab Lite – enough for each group of four students.
• 4*4 grid map or Matatalab Magnetic map, which contains 16 fruits (one for each cell, 8 pairs of 2 same fruits).
• Pen