Activity 01
Inquiry Circle: Bug Hunt
The teacher sets up a 'broken' path for a robot that doesn't reach the goal. Groups must 'step through' the arrows to find the one 'bug' (wrong arrow) and fix it.
Analyze why making a mistake is a good thing when we are coding.
Facilitation TipDuring Bug Hunt, circulate with a clipboard and mark which teams are stuck on syntax versus logic errors to guide your next mini-lesson.
What to look forProvide students with a simple, pre-written robot command sequence containing one clear error. Ask them to write down the command number where the error is and what the robot should have done instead.
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateSelf-ManagementSelf-Awareness
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Activity 02
Think-Pair-Share: My Favourite Mistake
After a coding activity, students think of one 'bug' they found, share it with a partner, and explain how they fixed it. This celebrates the process of debugging.
Explain how we find the exact step where the robot went the wrong way.
Facilitation TipFor My Favourite Mistake, hand each student a sticky note before pairing so they have a concrete artifact to share with their partner.
What to look forPose the question: 'Imagine your friend's robot is not following its path correctly. What are the first three things you would do or ask to help them find the mistake?' Record student responses to gauge their understanding of debugging steps.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
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Activity 03
Simulation Game: The Human Debugger
One student acts out a sequence of instructions given by the class. When they make a 'mistake' (planned or accidental), the class must shout 'Bug!' and work together to fix the instruction.
Design how you would help a friend fix their broken code.
Facilitation TipIn The Human Debugger, stand back and watch how students give directions—note whether they use precise vocabulary like ‘turn’ versus ‘move’ to adjust future prompts.
What to look forStudents work in pairs to test each other's robot command sequences. After testing, one student explains to their partner where they think the bug is and why. The partner then confirms or clarifies the bug's location.
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateCreateSocial AwarenessDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teach debugging by modeling your own thought process aloud. Narrate how you pause, reread instructions, and test one change at a time. Avoid rushing to fix students’ errors; instead, prompt them to explain the intended outcome. Research shows that students who verbalize their reasoning catch bugs faster and retain the strategy longer.
Students will approach errors with curiosity instead of frustration. They will describe the purpose of each step in a sequence and use clear language to identify where things go wrong. By the end, they will see debugging as a shared, structured process rather than a personal failure.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Bug Hunt, watch for students who erase entire sequences when one command is wrong.
Pause the activity and remind students to use their highlighters to mark the suspicious line, then test the robot step-by-step to see which single instruction causes the problem.
During My Favourite Mistake, listen for students who say they were ‘just messing up’ without analyzing what went wrong.
Prompt them to point to the exact step in their command list where things diverged from the plan and describe what the robot should have done instead.
Methods used in this brief