Basic Coding Concepts in

LEGO ® Education SPIKE™ Essential Lessons

Sequences, Loops, and Events
Coding is a way of expressing ourselves with • Sequence: A set of steps carried out in The tables on the following pages shows
technology, similar to how we organize ideas a particular order. Think about the steps how your students will practice and develop
and communicate with words when writing. involved in making a sandwich. You their understanding of these basic coding
Both coding and writing help us think complete the steps in a particular order to concepts throughout the SPIKE Essential
systematically, solve problems, and use tools create your sandwich – find the bread, add lessons. Use this guidance to help you
to design and express our ideas. mayo, slice a tomato, etc. If not, you might prepare to teach these lessons with a focus
end up having the tomato on the counter on driving and scaffolding your students’
Using basic coding concepts such as
instead of the bread! Coding is also like coding skills. As you prepare to teach each
sequences, loops, and events will help
that. The LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Hub will lesson, you can:
your students understand cause and effect
do exactly what you tell it to, in the order
relationships, in school and beyond.
you specify. • Use the information in the ‘FIRST, student will…’ and in the ‘THEN,
student will…’ column to identify places in the lesson where your
• Loop: Loops repeat a piece of code a
students will practice and learn the coding concepts.
specified number of times or forever. Think
about how a traffic light works. It cycles • Use the information in the ‘First, student will…’ and in the ‘Then,
through the three colors to organize traffic student will…’ column to assess your students’ progress. Give formative
and prevent accidents. In coding, loops feedback about their progress with creating sequences and using
save time and minimize errors. They enable loops and events. Ask questions like these: How does your program
us to repeat sections of code to shorten sequence work? Why did you use those programming blocks? What
the written program and make it more do they do for your program? What can you do to improve the
manageable. program?
• Event: occurrences that determine when a • Expand your coding knowledge and start talking with your students
set of coding blocks runs. This can be when and colleagues about coding concepts in an everyday language. What
a button is clicked, when the built-in Gyro are they, what do they look like, and how do we use them to organize
Sensor detects a tilt, when the Color Sensor ideas, think systematically, problem-solve, and express ourselves with
detects the specified color, or immediately technology?
when the program is started. Think about
when you enter a grocery store. A motion
sensor detects movement when a person
walks in front of it, which opens the
automatic doors. In coding, Event Blocks
allow us to trigger different actions (e.g.,
start the motor when the Color Sensor
detects a green LEGO® brick).

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 Coding Concepts
FIRST, students will… THEN, students will…
Create a sequence by placing the programming blocks in Change and expand the sequence by applying more
Lesson the right order. This will… programming blocks that will...
1: Boat Trip Push the boat into the water. Add sounds, displays, and more Motor Blocks to improve the
program.
Unit : Great Adventures

2: Arctic Ride Make Leo’s snowmobile go. Create a round-trip journey for Leo’s next trip.
3: Cave Car Turn on the cave car’s light. Add displays, loops, and different lights to improve the cave car.
4: Animal Alarm Make the alarm turn on in the event that a blue creature walks Add a new event to make the alarm react when a red creature walks
by. by.
5: Underwater Quest Make the submarine move by using a loop to control repeated Change the program based on modifications to the model.
motion.
6: Treehouse Camp Open the treehouse roof so Sofie can see the moon. Fix the program so it can also close the roof again and change the
program based on modifications to the model.
7: Great Desert Adventure Students will build their own models to solve the team’s challenge of getting to the pyramids. They’ll create, test, and modify a program
sequence; and independently apply what they’ve learned in previous lessons to solve the team’s challenge.

Coding Concepts
FIRST, students will… THEN, students will…
Create a sequence by placing the programming blocks in Change and expand the sequence by applying more
Lesson the right order. This will… programming blocks that will...
1: The Fast Lane Make the Fast Lane’s light turn on in the event that a yellow Add sounds and bar graphs, and use loops to automate the Fast Lane.
ticket is shown to the Color Sensor.
Unit: Amazing Amusement Park

2: Classic Carousel Make the carousel spin. Add more Motor Blocks to control the speed and direction of the
carousel, and add Sound and Display Blocks.
3: The Perfect Swing Make the swing move. Add more Motor Blocks to control the speed of the swing, add
sounds, and use loops to automate the swing.
4: Snack Stand Serve a snack in the event that a blue snack ticket is shown to Add more Motor Blocks, sounds, and displays to improve the snack
the Color Sensor. stand.
5: Twirling Teacups Start the teacup ride and play a sound in the event that a blue Add more Motor Blocks and use loops to automate the ride.
message is sent to start the Sound Block.
6: The Spinning Ferris Wheel Make the Ferris Wheel move by using a loop to repeat the Add more Motor Blocks to improve control of the Ferris Wheel’s spins,
movement. and add light.
7: The Most Amazing Students will build their own models to solve the team’s challenge of creating a new ride for the amusement park. They’ll create, test, and
Amusement Park modify a program sequence; and independently apply what they’ve learned in previous lessons to solve the team’s challenge.
 Coding Concepts
FIRST, students will… THEN, students will…
Create a sequence by placing the programming blocks in Change and expand the sequence by applying more
Lesson the right order. This will… programming blocks that will...
1: River Ferry Make the river ferry go to Spike Tower. Add more Motor Blocks to send the ferry back again, and add sounds
and displays.
2: Taxi! Taxi! Make the taxi drive forward and turn. Create a round-trip journey to the Spike Art Museum.
Unit: Happy Traveler

3: Hovering Helicopter Turn on the helicopter’s rotor blades. Trigger sounds, displays, and more Motor Blocks in the event that the
built-in Gyro Sensor is tilted.
4: Swamp Boat Make the swamp boat’s light turn on in the event that a Add sounds and more lights, and use bar graphs to count the
crocodile is near the boat. crocodiles.
5: Cable Car Make the cable car move across the lake by using a Loop Block. Add sounds and insert time delays to improve the cable car’s
performance.
6: Big Bus Make the bus stop for Daniel in the event that it’s at the green Add sounds, displays, and more Motor Blocks to improve the program
bus stop. for the bus.
7: Get Around Town Students will build their own models to solve the team’s challenge of creating a way to get to Spike Castle. They’ll create, test, and
modify a program sequence; and independently apply what they’ve learned in previous lessons to solve the team’s challenge.

Coding Concepts
FIRST, students will… THEN, students will…
Create a sequence by placing the programming blocks in Change and expand the sequence by applying more
Lesson the right order. This will… programming blocks that will...
1: Mini Mini-Golf Hit a hole-in-one. Add sounds, light, and more Motor Blocks to improve the program.
2: Bowling Fun Bowl a strike. Add a display, sounds, or use their own ideas to improve the bowling
Unit: Crazy Carnival Games

game.
3: High Stick Hockey Score as many goals as possible. Add sound and random blocks to improve the program, and use a
loop to automate the game.
4: A-Maze-Ing Complete the maze in the event of four tilts of the built-in Gyro Add light and a Sound Block to improve the game.
Sensor.
5: Avoid the Edge Play a sound in the event that the ball stops at the target. Add Display or Sound Blocks or use their own ideas to improve the
program.
6: Junior Pinball Start the pinball game. Add a Random Block to set the motor speed and use a loop to
automate the program.
7: Creative Carnival Games Students will build their own models to solve the team’s challenge of creating a new carnival game. They’ll create, test, and modify a
program sequence; and independently apply what they’ve learned in previous lessons to solve the team’s challenge.
 Coding Concepts
FIRST, students will… THEN, students will…
Create a sequence by placing the programming blocks in Change and expand the sequence by applying more
Lesson the right order. This will… programming blocks that will...
1: Good Morning Machine Make the waving machine wave. Add Sound Blocks to improve the program and use a loop to
automate the waving machine.
2: Big Little Helper Make the robot helper move forward and turn. Create a journey to enable the robot helper to follow Daniel home.
Unit: Quirky Creations

3: High-Tech Playground Make the seesaw rock to the left and right in the event that the Add sounds, light, and their own ideas to improve the program for the
built-in Gyro Sensor is tilted left or right. seesaw.
4: Trash Monster Machine Make the trash monster react in the event that blue trash is Add more events to the program to make the trash monster react to
shown to the color sensor. different-colored trash.
5: Winning Goal Make the goal move, so it’s difficult for Sofie to score a goal. Add Display Blocks, use a Random Block to improve the program, and
use loops to automate the goal’s movement.
6: Literary Randomizer Help Daniel pick a book genre by creating a program that uses Add Sound Blocks and Display Blocks or use their own ideas to
a loop. improve the program.
7: Your School Creation Students will build their own models to solve the team’s challenge of designing a new creation for their classroom. They’ll create, test,
and modify a program sequence; and independently apply what they’ve learned in previous lessons to solve the team’s challenge.