Activity: Addition Game |
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| Code | Materials |
| AdditionGame.calypso |
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Description
This activity constructs a game where the goal is to reach a randomly-generated target score by a combination of additions and subtractions. But you can only add 5 and you can only subtract 2. To reach the target score you must come up with the right combination of additions and subtractions.
Learning Goals
This activity teaches students about the use of scores, and the use of a custom map layout to initialize cube colors and set up the game to be easily playable in simulator mode. The game provides a way to practice arithmetic skills.
Instructions
1. Setting up the World Map
To use the map layout editor you must not be in Novice Mode, so if you see a green "Novice Mode" indicator in the bottom right corner of the Calypso screen, click on it and switch to Normal Mode. Click on the map layout icon to enter the map layout editor. Click and drag on cube 1 and place it in front of the robot so that it will lie within its field of view.. Click and drag on cube 2 and place it to the right of cube 1; it should also lie within the robot's field of view. Right click on cube 1 and choose "Change color". Set the color to red. Then set cube 2's color to blue. Click on the rules icon to return to the rule editor.2. Programming the Game
The rules of the game are simple. First we generate a random target value between 1 and 25 and store this in the blue score:
After entering this rule, put then pencil on the "blue score" tile and right click on it. This will allow you to enter the name "Target Value" to name the score. The name will be displayed along with the score when in execution mode. Next we need rules to respond to cube taps. Tapping on a red cube adds 5 to the current score, while tapping on a blue cube subtracts 2:
Right click on a "red score" tile and set the name to "Current Value". Finally we need a rule to detect when the current value matches the target value, and declare a winner:
3. Playing the Game
This is what it looks like when the game is running in simulator mode:
Clicking on the red cube adds 5 points; clicking on the blue cube subtracts 2 points. Notice the scores are shown with their names attached. Students may want to use scratch paper to work out solutions before deciding which cubes to click on. After sufficient practice they should be able to solve these problems in their heads.
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