This page provides you with brief descriptions of our outreach modules. The goal
of our outreach events is to introduce computer science concepts and increase
interest in computer science among K-12 students.
We base the programming
activities across our lesson plans on Alice 2.5
from Carnegie Mellon University.
Please email us at storytelling@montana.edu
to request modules and Alice starter
worlds.
In this outreach module, students use Alice to animate a page from a picture
book or story. This module introduces the students to computer science, and in
particular, to the concept of an algorithm. The module is designed to be
open-ended to allow for creativity of the students. In the past, we have used a
variety of pages for this activity, ranging from Garfield and Alice and
Wonderland cartoons to stories from the
Indian Reading Series.
In this outreach module, students use Alice to play Hoop and Dart, a game from
the Salish tribe that traditionally helped boys to develop the skills necessary
for hunting small game. A hoop is tossed to roll quickly across the ground, and
the boys try to throw their darts through the hoop's netting. Other tribes, such
as the Pend d'Oreille had a similar game. This module introduces students to
computer science and, in particular, to the concept of an event. An event in
this game is a key press that either starts the hoop rolling or throws the dart.
This outreach module begins by reading the story of
How Daylight Came to Be, a
story from the Skokomish tribe.In the story, Bear and Ant have a dance
competition. Students will develop code to animate this dance while also
learning about event-driven programming.
In this outreach module, students guide the activity's leader through the
process of animating a world that tells the Story of the Seasons, a story from
the Warm Springs tribe. This activity provides students a gentle introduction
into some basic computer science concepts while also providing a lesson on
storytelling as a part of American Indian heritage in Montana and around the
country.