Educator Guide

Unit 7 – 4 Lessons
60 minutes per lesson
Single Student

Coding with Minecraft:

7- Iteration

EDUCATION.MINECRAFT.NET
1
THEME OVERVIEW
In this unit, students will explore the coding concept of iteration, or ways to make
things repeat. Programmers might repeat actions in a program to have a certain
effect, or might use repetition to accomplish the same task in a smaller number of
steps. Students will have the opportunity to learn, practice, and apply the coding
concepts through unplugged activities and guided coding activities. Then, students
will have the opportunity to demonstrate their new knowledge and skills in the
independent project.

LESSON OVERVIEW
All of the following lessons are approximately 45-60 minutes, depending on how
much time students are given to explore the coding activities:
• Lesson A: Introduction to Iteration
• Lesson B: Coding with Iteration
• Lesson C: Debugging with Iteration
• Lesson D: Get Creative with Iterations

LESSON OBJECTIVES
• Learn and apply the coding concept of iteration
• Explain the use of iteration in coding and synonymous terms (i.e., loops)
• Describe the different kinds of loops in MakeCode
• Use different types of loops to code and debug more efficiently
• Design an original project to apply the use of loops to create an automated
solution

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• You will need to gather the additional materials for the unplugged activities:
• Remind students that there may be more than one solution for each of the
activities.
• Students should keep a coding mindset. As with any other sport or activity,
you must practice in order to get better. Coding is no different.

MINECRAFT MECHANICS
C C
Summons the Agent and opens the MakeCode
interface
T T

2
 Opens chat panel in Minecraft for commands to
be typed
ESC ESC
When a student wants to leave the game, leave
chat, or pause the game

CODING BLOCKS
Repeat
Run part of the program the number of
times you say.

For
Run part of the program the number of
times you say using an index variable.

While
Repeat code while a Boolean condition is
true/false.

Forever
Run a part of the program in the
background and keep running it over
again.

KEY VOCABULARY
Iteration – process wherein a set of instructions or structures are repeated in a
sequence a specified number of times or until a condition is met
Loop – structure to repeat code for a specified number of times

LESSON ACTIVITIES
Lesson A: Introduction to Iteration (Slides 1-32)
Direct Instruction (Teacher-Led; “I Do”)

3
Welcome to back to Coding with Minecraft, a place to learn all about the basic
concepts of computer science. Over the next couple of sessions, we are going to
learn about iteration. (slide 1)

Today, we are going to learn about what is iteration and how iteration is applicable
in real-life, but how they are used in Minecraft. (slide 2)

Review the lesson objectives. (slide 3)

So exactly what is a loop? (slide 4)

In programming, there are some situations in which you want to do the same
thing many times.

For instance, in Minecraft you might want to place 10 grass blocks. A loop is a block
structure that allows you to easily repeat placing a grass block. In the Block editor,
loops are green. There are different types of loops for different situations.

You use loops to repeat code as many times as you want. When programmers talk
about repeating code, they use many other words as well. All these words basically
mean “repeat.” You will find them used, at times interchangeably, when you are
learning about code. (slide 5)
• iterate
• iteration
• iterative
• repeat
• repetition
• repetitive
• loop
Programmers use sentences like this: “Let’s iterate through the loop.” This means,
“Run the same code many times, repeating something.”

Walking is iteration… walking is repeating… walking is an action we do in a loop…

We don’t think much about it, but our bodies repeat many actions. Breathing,
sleeping, eating, drinking, and walking are all actions that are repeated daily.
Walking breaks down to repeating these steps:

4
Other examples
What are some other examples of iteration or repeating in your daily life? What
tasks and actions are composed of repeated steps? What are those steps? (slide 6)
• Search the web for Ancient Roman aqueducts - Architects use repetition in
their building designs.
• Search the web for dog fetching ball on beach - Dogs love to play fetch as a
repetitive activity.
• Search the web for honeycomb - There are many repeated patterns found in
nature.

Guided Instruction (Teacher Modeling; “We Do”)

Unplugged Activity: Walk Around the House (slide 7)
Materials Needed: Chairs (or other objects)—number will depend on the number
of pairs

This activity works best with a partner. You will write instructions for your partner
to walk completely around the outside of a Minecraft house and return to the start.
You will need a chair and some way to write things down. Place the chair in the
center of the room. The chair represents a Minecraft house. Your partner should
stand next to one of the corners of the house.
Your goal is to write the instructions for your partner to walk all the way around
the house, using these two commands: (slide 8)

forward()
turn left/right()

Your pseudocode will probably end up looking something like this:

forward()
turn left()

5
forward()
turn left()
forward()
turn left()
forward()
turn left()

Have your partner follow your algorithm to prove that it works.

Now notice that this is eight lines of code, and many of the lines repeat. In
particular, the following two lines of code repeat four times:
forward()
turn left()

Programmers like to take shortcuts. A program that has fewer lines of code takes
up less room in memory, and ultimately the shorter your program is, the easier it
is to find mistakes. Whenever you have code that repeats, you have an opportunity
to use a loop to simplify your code.

How could this be shortened? How about:

Repeat 4 times:
forward()
turn left()

Go ahead and follow this revised code to prove that it works.

You have just rewritten eight lines of code as three lines of code by using a loop.
The “repeat” command creates a loop. The code within the loop gets repeated a
certain number of times, and then the program exits the loop.

Types of loops in MakeCode (slide 9)

Computers use loops to repeat sets of instructions under different conditions.
Here are some examples of loops you will find in MakeCode. See if you can think of
some different types of activities that would be appropriate for each type of loop.

Counted Loops
Repeat N times For Index 0 to N

6
 Both repeat and for loops repeat _n_ number of times. If you have 32 stairs in
your house, going upstairs or downstairs would probably involve taking one step
32 times. Other examples of activities that repeat a set number of times include
entering a building with double front doors, lacing your shoes, and turning the
pages in a picture book.

Similar to a repeat block, a for block also performs its actions the number of
times indicated, but it uses a variable called index that you can use inside the
loop to check (although index is used by default, you can change this variable). If
you need to do something on the fifth time through a loop, this might be a good
loop for you!

While (true) loops

A while loop runs as long as the condition inside of it is true. By default, true is
always true, so in effect, a while <true> loop runs forever. Usually, though, you
replace the <true> with a condition that evaluates to true or false. For
example, while <hair is messy> brush hair would continue to repeat brushing hair
until <hair is messy> is false. Some examples of activities that might use a while
loop include while <soup remains> eat with spoon; while <energy greater than 0>
do jumping jacks; and while <she hasn’t seen me> wave furiously.

A while loop is a good loop to use with an if (conditional) statement inside.

7
In Minecraft, you might have a while block that repeats as long as the Agent
detects redstone beneath it. You can think of a while block as a repeat block
combined with an if conditional statement – if there’s redstone beneath me, do
these things.

Forever loops

A forever loop starts running when the program starts and keeps going until the
program ends. Some real-life examples are breathing or the beating of your heart.

Before moving on with the lesson, briefly check for understanding with the
following questions: (slide 10)
• What’s another word for iteration?
• What are two ways that loops are beneficial when coding?

Coding Activity: Introduction to the Agent (slide 11)

Before you begin this coding activity, make sure you are set-up to demonstrate
and lead the students through this coding experience. It is best if you complete
this activity on a device connected to a projector or presentation screen. Split the
screen and display the classroom presentation alongside of the Minecraft world.

Have all students log into Minecraft: Education Edition. After students have logged
into the platform, navigate to the Coding with Minecraft subject kit. (slide 12) Once
in the Coding with Minecraft subject kit, select Unit 7: Iteration to begin the lesson.
(slide 13)

For this coding activity about loops, you will be using the Agent in Minecraft. The
Minecraft Agent is a little robot who can carry out the commands you write in
MakeCode. This activity will walk you through getting started with the agent.
(slide 14)

8
Once inside of the world, press “C” to open Code Builder. Start a new project and
name it “Agent Moves”. (slide 15)

Steps for the Coding Activity: Agent Moves (slides 16-18)

• Step 1:
• Step 2:

• Create some additional basic commands to move the Agent around:

forward, back, right, left.
Students should have the time to play around with the Agent to see what else it
can do! (slide 19)

Coding Solution:

Challenge 1: Make the Agent Fly

The Agent can move up and down as well as forward and backward.

Create some additional on chat command commands that will move the agent up
and down.

Challenge 2: Move Your Agent a Set Distance

Let’s give the agent very specific directions for movement. How would you make
your agent move forward four spaces, turn right, and then move backward six
spaces?

You could do this in many ways. Regardless of how you solve this challenge, it
might be easiest to create a new on chat command block and put your solution
there.

Extensions

9
There are no rules for these extensions. See what you can come up with!

Extension 1- Fire Walk

This code will create a fire course for your agent to walk through. Then you can use
the on chat commands to make the agent move through the course. The
movement commands from before have been modified a little so that you can now
put numbers into your commands.

Using the code

1. To get started, enter course in the chat window. This creates your fire
course.
2. Next, enter fd 5, for example, to move your agent forward five blocks.
The around command spins the agent 180°.
How might you modify this code? Could you change what the course is made out
of? Could you add a run-and-jump command for your agent? Could you make a
course that requires the agent to move up and down?

Notice that here a block type is stored in a variable!

Extension 2 – You Can’t Contain the Agent!

This code builds a cage for the agent. Enter contain to build a cage, teleport your
character into the cage, and teleport the agent into the cage with you. When you
teleport out, you have trapped the agent! Or have you? Everybody knows you
can’t really trap an agent.

The break command frees the agent!

10
How could you modify this? It would be more impressive if the agent destroyed
the whole cage. You could teleport the agent underground and have it dig back
out. There are tons of possibilities.

Independent Work (Teacher Support; “You Do”)

Coding Activity: Dance Dance Agent
In this activity, you’ll create a unique dance for the agent to do, using repeat loops
and for loops. First, you will make one full sequence of moves, and then use the
loops to repeat your dance as many times as you want.

Dancing is a perfect example for loops because when you dance, you often repeat
the same moves.

In the AGENT Toolbox, you will see the following commands:

You can select a different direction for each of these commands by choosing from
the drop-down menu. The agent move command moves the agent in the direction
the agent is facing.

agent turn turns the agent. This can be used multiple times to spin the agent
around 360 degrees.

11
There are also additional actions for the agent. At the end or start of these actions,
the agent does an animation. These might be interesting to add to your dance.

You have the moves; now you just need to mix them together! Feel free to mix
some of those commands in to make your dance more interesting.

Steps for the Coding Activity:

1. Name this command "dance".
2. Create a sequence of moves for your agent to follow.
3. From the LOOPS Toolbox drawer, drag a repeat block into the on chat
command "dance" block and surround the agent blocks.
4. Use the repeat block to repeat your sequence of dance moves as many
times as you want.
5. From PLAYER, drag a new on chat command block to the coding Workspace.
6. Name this command "tp".
7. From AGENT, put agent teleport to player inside on chat command "tp".

Sample Code:

12
Challenges
Challenge 1 - A Second Repeat Loop
Recall that LOOPS are great for things that repeat. In the dance above, you use
one repeat loop, but actually there is a place in the code where you could use a
second repeat loop.

You would repeat this new loop three times.

Challenge 2 - Adding a 3, 2, 1 Start

This challenge will test your learning of variables and loops.
Your challenge is to create a loop that will display a 3, 2, 1 message before the
robot starts dancing.
To do this, you would need to:

1. Create a variable that you will change from 3 to 2 to 1.

2. Use a loop.
3. Use say.
The say block will accept only strings, but your variable will be a number. You need
to cast (change) your number into a string. If you don’t, you will get an error.

Therefore, use join like this:

Extensions
Here there are no rules… Copy the code for the experiments and change things
around to see what kind of results you can create. Suggestions are given, but do as
you like!
Extension 1 - You Dance When I Say
In this code, you use different kinds of loops to stop and start the robot dancing
whenever you want. You might use the same structure to start the robot digging,
collecting, or doing anything you want. Give it a try!
Extension 2 - Instant Dance Floor
This code uses two functions to make a random dance floor. You will also use a bit
of teleporting trickery. First, you teleport your character, and then you teleport the
agent. Finally, you teleport your character back to its original spot.
How could you change this code? How could you use the two functions that make
random blocks in a different way? Could you add even more to set the mood for a
dance contest? Night time? Lights?

13
Could you find a way to keep the robot on the dance floor no matter what dance
moves he does?

LESSON CONCLUSION
Upon completion of this lesson, students should be able to answer the following
questions: (slide 22)

1. Are agent commands based on coordinates or the direction the agent faces?
Answer: Agent direction

14
 2. What another word for iteration?
Answer: Any one of the following: repeat, repetition, repetitive, loop,
iterative, iterate

The following exit-ticket question can also be used as a formative assessment. A

printable version of these questions can be found in the Assessment Guide.

1. Which of these words cannot be used interchangeably with iteration: repeat,

rendition, repetitive, loop, iterative, iterate?
Answer: Rendition
2. What’s a task you could teach your Agent to do?
Answer: Responses will vary

Conclude the lesson by reviewing the concepts covered in Lesson A. (slide 23)

Provide a preview of the upcoming lesson. (slide 24)

Lesson B: Coding with Iteration (Slides 25-45)

Direct Instruction (Teacher-Led; “I Do”)
Welcome back to Coding with Minecraft. We are going to continue to learn about
and practice using iteration in our coding. (slide 25)

Review the lesson objectives. (slide 26)

Unplugged Activity: Everyday Tasks (slide 27)

Have students think of a task and then, on a sheet of paper, have them describe
the repeated steps that comprise this task.
(Display Slide 28).
1. Pull your __ from your pocket.
2. Press the power button on your __.
3. Unlock it.
4. Get onto the internet.

After everyone has their steps written out, have the students exchange steps. After
students have exchanged their steps, someone might correctly guess that the
repeated action just described is someone using their cell phone.

15
Is this a repeated action? If so, it would be good to use a loop for this if it were in
code. You might even draw a picture of a loop block and write the name of an
example task in the middle to get students to bridge the connection to coding.
If you put these steps in the loop in the picture, how many times would you repeat
the steps?

Guided Instruction (Teacher Modeling; “We Do”)

Coding Activity: One Block at a Time
Import project from here:
https://minecraft.makecode.com/?ipc=1#tutorial:github:mojang/educationconten
t/CodingWithMinecraft/unit_7/lesson_C

Make sure you are set-up to demonstrate and lead the students through this
coding experience. It is best if you complete this activity on a device connected to a
projector or presentation screen. Split the screen and display the classroom
presentation alongside of the Minecraft world.

Have all students log into Minecraft: Education Edition. Students should continue
working in the same world from Lesson A. Directions for navigating to the previous
world can be found on slide 30.

Use this starter code from the Introduction to the Agent activity. This will allow you
to easily position your agent, and then you can adapt some of it to do something
new. (slide 30)

Steps for One Block at a Time: (slides 32-37)

• Use the starter code from the Agent Moves activity. This will allow you to
easily position your agent, and then you can adapt some of it to do
something new.
• Rename the command to givegold. Go to the Search and find give.
• Give yourself blocks, and then equip your agent manually. Change the ‘Give’
so you are giving your character blocks of gold. The maximum you can hold
in one inventory slot is 64, so give your character 64 blocks of gold.
• Now that you have blocks of gold equipped, you need to equip your Agent.
Use the on chat command 'tp' to teleport your agent near you or walk over
to your Agent.
• Right-click your agent to see the Agent’s inventory and your character’s
inventory. Transfer the blocks of gold to your Agent.

16
 • From AGENT, put agent destroy down inside on chat command "square".
• Put agent place down inside on chat command "square".
• From LOOPS, grab a repeat loop to surround the existing code in on chat
command “square".
• Adjust the repeat loop to repeat six times.
• Adding agent move forward by 1 at the end of this loop will get your agent
moving while he destroys and places blocks.

Coding Solution:

Then, you will need to publish and import the program into Code Builder.

Step 1: Share your program. Step 2: Name the project, provide a

brief description, and select the
“Publish to share” button.

17
 Step 3: Select the green “Copy link” Step 4: Inside Code Builder, select the
button. “Import” button.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty with the copy link,

try using the short cut: press Ctrl + C (or Command +
C) on your device.
Step 5: Select the “Import URL” button. Step 6: Paste the Project URL. Then,
select the “Go ahead!” button.

NOTE: If you used the Ctrl + C (or Command + C for

a Mac) to copy the link, you would then paste by
pressing Ctrl + V (or Command + V) to paste.

Now, we are going to return to our Minecraft world to try out our code. (slide 38)

Independent Work (Teacher Support; “You Do”)

Now we need to repeat this line four times. Can you figure out how to accomplish
what’s shown in the following picture?

18
Challenge 1 - Turn One Line into a Square
What is a square? In this case, let’s say four lines. How do you make a square by
using the code you have up to this point as a starting place?
The lesson is about loops, so you might need another, but you will also need one
other block.

Challenge 2 - Make a Tower

A tower is just several squares laid on top of each other. Can you add yet a third
loop to accomplish this?

What happens when you try to build a gigantic tower?

19
Extensions
Here, there are no rules… Copy the code for the experiments and change things
around to see what kind of results you can create. Suggestions are given, but do as
you like!
Experiment 1 - Starter Castle
How far can you go with a loop inside a loop inside a… you get the idea. These are
called nested loops, and if you add another with some code, can you make a
castle?
Most castles have four towers. With this code you get two. Go get a sandwich while
your Agent does all the work. After this, you can write code to make it build the
other two towers and walls!

20
What other weird tower designs could you think up? Tinker with the code and
make it happen!

LESSON CONCLUSION
Upon completion of this lesson, students should be able to answer the following
questions: (slide 39)

1. When an agent places blocks, which corner of his inventory is used?

Answer: Whatever is in the upper-left corner
2. How do you see your agent’s inventory?
Answer: Point at the Agent and right-click or tap and hold

The following questions can also be used as an exit ticket (formative assessment).
A printable version of these questions can be found in the Assessment Guide.

1. What type of loop does this describe: while <soup remains> eat with a
spoon?
Answer: A while loop
2. What kind of loop starts when a program starts and keeps going until the
program ends?
Answer: A forever loop

Conclude the lesson by reviewing the concepts covered in Lesson B. (slide 40)

Provide a preview of the upcoming lesson. (slide 41)

21
Lesson C: Debugging with Iteration (Slides 42-66)
Direct Instruction (Teacher-Led; “I Do”)
Welcome back to Coding with Minecraft. We are going to continue to learn about
and practice using iteration. (slide 42)

Review the lesson objective. (slide 43)

Guided Instruction (Teacher Modeling; “We Do”)

Before you begin this coding activity, make sure you are set-up to demonstrate
and lead the students through this coding experience. It is best if you complete
this activity on a device connected to a projector or presentation screen. Split the
screen and display the classroom presentation alongside of the Minecraft world.

Have all students log into Minecraft: Education Edition. Students should continue
working in the same world from Lesson B. Directions for navigating to the previous
world can be found on slide 44.

Coding Activity: Help Agent Farmer (slide 45)

Tutorial can be found here:
https://minecraft.makecode.com/?ipc=1#tutorial:github:mojang/educationconten
t/CodingWithMinecraft/unit_6/lesson_C

Steps for Coding Activity (slides 46-50)

1. By default, new projects start with a on chat command, but you will need
two. Duplicate this on chat command by right-clicking and selecting
duplicate.
2. Name one "tp" to teleport the agent to your location, and name the other
one "farm".
3. From AGENT, put agent teleport to player inside on chat command "tp".
5. From LOOPS, drag a repeat block into on chat command "farm".
6. This will determine the length of our row, so in repeat change 4 to 6.
7. From AGENT, put an agent till and agent move block into repeat.

22
So far, using the current code, the agent will till the soil directly in front of it (with
its own diamond hoe) and move forward into that space. It does this six times
because of the repeat loop. Try running the code in Minecraft to see what
happens.

Notice where the agent ends up after the repeat block finishes. This is great, but
you need two rows! You need to get the agent to turn around and till the next row
over so it ends up like the following picture.

23
Independent Work (Teacher Support; “You Do”)
Students should work on debugging the problematic code. (slide 51)

Coding Solution:

Challenges
Challenge - Get Agent to Till a 5x6 Plot of Aligned Soil
Can you change the dimensions of the garden? We need more carrots! Try to
make a 5x6 garden instead of 2x6.

24
There are many ways to do this. Can you figure out a way to do it by adding a third
loop? If not, then try another approach. Positioning your agent before each loop
starts is the most important thing to consider.

Extensions
Here, there are no rules… Copy the code for the experiments and change things
around to see what kind of results you can create. Suggestions are given but do as
you like!
Experiment 1 - Creating a Help Menu for Users
Controlling the agent is not easy, and sometimes it is easy to forget all the
commands. This code has a built-in Help menu. It takes in commands as integers
from 1-6. Entering a ‘?’ gets you help or you can just enter do without an integer to
get the Help menu.
How can you change this code so it moves the agent forward based on a number
the user enters for the on chat command "do"? What if you wanted to enter
something like ‘do 1 4’, for example, to move your agent forward four? Is this
possible? What other code could you build a Help menu for?

25
Experiment 2 - Creating a Raised Farming Bed with Planted Crops
You can use this code to create a raised farming bed with crops. This is a huge
amount of code, but if you look at it block by block, you can probably figure out
how it works. You use functions to organize your code a bit.
Also, you use the builder blocks to construct your raised farming bed. Feel free to
play around with these.
Here is how you use this code:

1. Choose a nice spot for a raised farming bed.

26
2. Teleport your agent to your character’s location (chat command ‘do 6’).
3. Give your character some seeds (chat command ‘do 7’).
4. You will need to transfer seeds to the agent’s inventory so the robot can
access them when it plants. To do this, right-click on your agent. Move your
character’s seeds to your agent’s inventory as shown in the following
picture. The seeds must be put in that upper-left box, or the code will not
work.

5. Build the raised farming bed (chat command ‘do 8’).

6. Now you will need to turn your agent so that it is facing you. If you don’t
turn it correctly, the agent will not plant where you want. Turn the agent to
face you as shown in the picture. Chat commands 3-5 allow you to turn the
agent easily.

27
 7. Plant (chat command ‘do 9’)!

How would you modify this to make your farming bed bigger? Could you get your
agent to plant different crops? What about putting plants in some rows, water in
others, and decorative blocks as a third style for rows? What about getting the
agent to plant seeds in all the soil in the raised farming bed?

LESSON CONCLUSION

28
Upon completion of this lesson, review the concepts covered in this lesson. (slide
52)

Then, students should take the quiz (found in the assessment guide). This is
intended as a low-stakes formative assessment tool to establish whether students
are prepared to take on the unit independent project.

Questions Answers
1. What’s a benefit of iteration inAny of the following:
coding? • Fewer lines of code
• Simplified code
• Takes up less room in memory
• Shorter programs
• Makes it easier to find mistakes
2. Match the following types of loops with their definition:

Repeat Runs a command as long as a condition is true

For Runs a command n times
While Runs a command until the program ends
Forever Runs a command n times with a variable
3. Is the following statement False
TRUE or FALSE:
The Agent will place whatever
is in the lower-right corner of
his inventory.
4. Both functions and loops can Loops repeat code over and over in one
be used to repeat code. specific place.
What’s the difference in how Functions spread repeating code throughout
they do this? applications.
5. Describe what the following Something like:
coding blocks do with words: • When you type “square” in the chat
command field
• The Agent will destroy the block below
it
• Place a block in that space
• And move forward by one block
• To create a line of six blocks, like a trail
or road

29
Then provide students with a preview of the next lesson. (slide 53)

Lesson D: Get Creative with Iteration (Slides 54-67)

Direct Instruction (Teacher-Led; “I Do”)
Welcome back to Coding with Minecraft. Today, we are going to have the
opportunity to demonstrate our new knowledge and skills about iteration. (slide
54)

Review the lesson objective. (slide 55)

In this unit, you learned how organizing blocks of code into separate functions
makes your code more readable and saves space. Functions generally contain
sections of code that go together logically and accomplish one thing. The
function’s name usually tells you what it does.

Functions can call other functions. Although functions in MakeCode do not accept
parameters, you can use an on chat command block to pass in a parameter. You
might pass in a number to affect what the function does. Also, you could update
the value of an existing variable and then any function can access that.

Guided Instruction (Teacher Modeling; “We Do”)

The project for iteration is a bit different from previous projects. This independent
project is an opportunity for you to show what you know. In this lesson, you
learned about how LOOPS can reduce the size of your code by repeating certain
tasks for you. Now, your challenge is to come up with a MakeCode project that
uses iteration in some way to create a stairway to diamonds.

One of the most valuable resources in Minecraft are diamonds. You can find
diamonds deep underground in Survival mode. Getting from the surface down to
where diamonds are found is challenging. Luckily, you can program your agent to
do this for you! For this project, come up with a way to teach your agent to dig a
tunnel down to around layer 10-13 underground, where diamonds are usually
found. After you are at that level, you can dig parallel tunnels in search of
diamonds, or even program the agent to do it for you. (slide 56)

For this independent project, choose one of the following options. You can build
any of these styles of staircases, but remember to use loops in your code to help
do it. (slide 57)

30
Option 1 - Straight Staircase (slide 58)
A straight staircase is most common, and it has the added benefit of allowing you
to run up and down quickly if you line the rock with stairs.

This challenge is a little easier if you aren’t placing stairs, but there are a few
things you should keep in mind.
1. You will need to jump up each level, and that increases the rate at which you
need to eat.
2. Also, it’s impractical to bring a horse down into the mine if you don’t have a
wide, tall staircase lined with stairs.

If you do decide to put down stairs…

1. By default, the agent places stairs facing backwards. This works well if you
are building a staircase up, but if you are building a staircase down, think
about how you could modify your code to make sure the stairs come out
right.
2. If you try using the agent place on move block, the agent will place a block
every time it moves when this is set to true. You may need to toggle agent
place on move from true to false at certain points. Set it to true when you
want to place stairs but false when you are just moving the agent and don’t
need to place anything.

Remember to use LOOPS to reduce repetition of code!

After you have the agent building a straight set of stairs, consider how you might
modify your code to create a staircase three blocks wide and with enough
headroom to allow you to ride a horse down the stairs!

31
Option 2 - Spiral Staircase (slide 59)
Another type of staircase is a spiral staircase. See if you can program the agent to
dig this type of staircase for you.

Start by digging After that, at each

one block, then turn, remove a
blocks, and then column of 3
three blocks deep. blocks.

Spiral Staircase
EXAMPLE

You remove the You remove the

block directly in blocks directly
front of the Agent. above and below
(Block 2 in this that (Blocks 1 and
picture). 3 in the pictures).

A spiral staircase involves much of the same code that you would use to create a
straight one-block-wide staircase. Think about where you might have to turn. And,
as in all the staircases, you will probably need to follow the agent to place torches
and clean up falling granite.

Option 3 - Diagonal Tunnel (slide 60)

One effective type of tunnel goes down at a diagonal angle. Can you create code
that will get the agent to dig this type of tunnel? Digging a diagonal tunnel
involves removing layers of blocks as shown.

Step 1: Remove the blocks indicated by granite.

32
Step 2: Remove the blocks indicated by diorite.

Step 3: Remove the center block.

33
Step 4: Continue in the same way, digging a diagonal tunnel.

Step 5: Tunnel is dug.

34
Note that the agent can’t face diagonally like you can, so you will need to figure
out how to move the agent so that it can dig in the right direction. Is this even
possible?

Independent Work (Teacher Support; “You Do”)

Coding activity: Independent project
Have all students log into Minecraft: Education Edition. Students are able to use
any template/world they wish for this project. After students complete the
independent project, they will be responsible for completing a Minecraft diary
entry.

Minecraft Diary Expectations (slide 61)

Compose a diary entry addressing the following:
• What type of staircase did you choose to build: Straight, Spiral, or Diagonal?
Why?
• What problems did you encounter? How did you solve them?
• How did you use loops in your staircase?
• Describe one point where you got stuck. Then discuss how you figured it
out.
• Include at least one screenshot of your staircase.

35
 • Share your project to the web and include the URL.

Grading Criteria
LOOPS
4 = Uses loops effectively in a way that is integral to the program
3 = Uses loops in a way that is integral to the program, but there are some
problems with the loop output.
2 = Uses loops effectively but in a superficial way
1 = Doesn’t use loops at all or uses loops in a superficial way and has problems
with loop output

PROJECT
4 = Staircase is complete and navigable in both directions. Ends somewhere
around layers 10-13.
3 = Staircase lacks one of the required elements.
2 = Staircase lacks two of the required elements.
1 = Staircase lacks all of the required elements.

LESSON CONCLUSION
Upon completion of this lesson, review the concepts covered in this lesson. (slide
62).

Preview the upcoming unit—Arrays. (slide 63)

36
EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
CSTA Standards
• 2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.
• 2-AP-14 Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier to
reuse.
• 2-AP-11 Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform
operations on their values.
• 2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as
algorithms.
• 2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures,
including nested loops and compound conditionals.
• 2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,
implementation, and review of programs.
• 2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.
ISTE Standards
• 1.4.c Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
• 1.5.a Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods
such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and
finding solutions.
• 1.5.c Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and
develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-
solving.
• 1.6.b Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital
resources into new creations.

UK NATIONAL CURRICULUM: COMPUTING - KEY STAGE 3

• Understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking [for example,
ones for sorting and searching]; use logical reasoning to compare the utility of
alternative algorithms for the same problem
• Use two or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a
variety of computational problems; make appropriate use of data structures [for
example, lists, tables or arrays]; design and develop modular programs that use
procedures or functions
• Understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system;
understand how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be
represented and manipulated digitally, in the form of binary digits

AUSTRALIAN F-10 CURRICULUM: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES – YEAR 7 AND 8

• (ACTDIP027) Define and decompose real-world problems taking into account functional
requirements and economic, environmental, social, technical and usability constraints
• (ACTDIP030) Implement and modify programs with user interfaces involving branching,
iteration and functions in a general-purpose programming language
• (ACTDIP029) Design algorithms represented diagrammatically and in English, and trace
algorithms to predict output for a given input and to identify errors

37