Christmas Images Game

Making PIXIE work

By pressing buttons you can make PIXIE pause or move forward, backward, left and right.

Press Go to tell it to start a program.

Press CM to make it forget its program.

You can stop PIXIE urgently by pressing any button.

Playing the game

This is a game for children who have previously programmed PIXIE to move around an ordered two-dimensional grid or microworld.

Players take turns to select a card from the top of the pile and describe it to the other players. Pupils should be encouraged to talk about their programming in the usual way and then send PIXIE to the matching grid reference.

Support and Differentiation

Check that pupils are remembering to press CM each time a new program is entered.

As pupils gain greater confidence, practitioners may begin to scribe, recording the planned program onto a laminated record card. If this is read back together, there will be an opportunity to check if the new program is likely to be successful. Allow time for reprogramming if necessary and encourage the children to work together.

Practitioners may suggest a program to each new player, asking them to predict where PIXIE will end its journey.

These ideas were supplied by Mrs. Anne Taylor, Sidemoor First School and Nursery, Worcestershire. Many thanks for permission to reproduce them here.

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Date Last Modified: 29/12/01