This is a simple application for printing on an A3 sheet. The microworld is a golf hole. There is a place for PIPPIN to start (the tee), a target (the hole) and, perhaps, one or more obstacles (trees). The student has to program PIPPIN to go from the tee to the hole avoiding the obstacles. The score is the number of white keys pressed plus the number of times Go is pressed.
The hole shown is a par 4. The moves are forwards enough to clear the tree, turn to face the hole and forwards to the hole. Plus one for Go and thats par 4. One of the programs that solves the hole above is:
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Par 3 holes can be done with a turn and a move, Par 5 holes force 2 turns. If the initial estimate is wrong, the student has to play from where PIPPIN ends up. So, this hole may take several attempts and end up scoring 10 or more. Timid students may choose to solve the problem with individual moves and evaluation of the position after each move. The Go count ensures that this cannot score a par.
You need a method of making A3 documents. If you don't have an A3 printer, you could print A4 and photocopy up from that, but colour printing is prettier. A DTP package should allow you to put pictures anywhere you want. The pictures you need are tee, hole and tree. There is nothing to stop you using other pictures that might come to mind, for example, a bunker. It is probably a good idea to get the students to make the holes for each other.
It is probably a good idea to have rulers and protractors to hand for the children to measure the holes after they have tried free estimation.
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