Grade 2 · STEM Skills and Connections · Design and Code in Steps
Guide a Rover
Scientists, engineers, and programmers make complicated problems easier by separating them into small, ordered steps.
Visual model
See how the ideas connect
Break a problem into smaller parts
Design and test a solution
Communicate findings clearly
Design and Code in Steps
For students
Notice, predict, explain
Choose one part of the model. Predict how it connects to another part, then use the lesson evidence to explain your thinking.
For teachers
Pause for science talk
Show the model before the explanation. Ask “What do you notice?” and “What might change?” Then revisit student ideas after the worked example.
The big idea
A precise sequence can be tested and improved
An algorithm is a set of instructions in order. Testing shows where an instruction is missing, unclear, or in the wrong place.
Work it through
Move from the lab to the sample
- Step 1 Draw a small square grid with a rover, a rock obstacle, and a sample to collect.
- Step 2 Write one instruction at a time: move forward, turn left, or turn right.
- Step 3 Trace the instructions exactly and mark where the rover actually finishes.
- Step 4 Change only the steps that caused the problem, then test the full sequence again.