Lesson 2.6: Pong Project¶

Learning Objectives¶

Students will be able to…

Duration	Description
Day 1
5 minutes	Welcome, attendance, bell work, announcements
30 minutes	Review unit concepts
20 minutes	Introduce project
Days 2-9
5 minutes	Welcome, attendance, bell work, announcements
10-15 minutes	Review
30-35 minutes	Lab time
5 minutes	Exit ticket

Play a review game (such as GrudgeBall) to remind students of the skills and concepts have been learned in this unit.
- Variables
- Operators
Remind students that their solutions to previous assignments are an excellent resource when trying to accomplish similar tasks.

Walk students through the project specification, pointing out important details, potential pitfalls, and requirements.
If students are unfamiliar with the concept of the pong game, spend a couple minutes demonstrating one for the class. If you have a Snap! or Scratch version, that works best, but an online game will work as well.

This project is a summative assessment for the unit. Students should be demonstrating mastery of all the skills covered.
Most students will require roughly 6-10 hours of total work time to complete the project
Assess the progress of your students regularly using such techniques as asking them to demonstate their incomplete programs, tracking questions asked during lab time, and/or utilizing peer reviews.
Adjust the amount of time allowed for the project to fit the needs of your students
It is vital that nearly all students complete the project before moving on
If most students have the ability to work on Snap! assignments at home, the amount of in-class time provided can be reduced if necessary.
If this approach is taken, be sure to make accommodations for students who are not able to work at home, such as after school lab hours
Ensure that students are able to ask questions in class throughout the project
See the standard Lab Day Lesson for detailed plans for lab days.

If any students do not have the ability to work at home, ensure enough in-class time is provided to complete the assignment, offering extensions if necessary.
Advanced students can be encouraged to add a single-player mode with a computer-controlled opponent, recreate the original mechanic in which the ball’s angle depends on where it hit the paddle, add different “levels” with obstacles or differently shaped fields, or any other extension.
Struggling students can be exempted from certain features (such as ball speed or scoring) or given starter code
If students need significant assistance, focus them on the ball’s movement, as it is both the most computationally interesting part of the assignment.

Lesson 2.2 Pong Project (TEALS Discourse account required).