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Reading Code

Three short lessons for grown-ups on reading a short program the way your child learns to: predict what it prints, keep a table of the variables, and follow a loop one turn at a time.

For grown-ups, from what TraceForge teaches children at Spark & Anvil.

  1. Lesson 1Predict, then run
  2. Lesson 2Keep a table
  3. Lesson 3One turn at a time
At the table · two people, 9 or older

Be the computer

You'll need: paper, a pencil and a short program written out (from TraceForge, or one you make up).

  1. One person writes a five-line program using two variables.
  2. The other predicts what it will print, out loud, before tracing.
  3. Trace it together with a table, one row per line.
  4. Compare the trace with the prediction, then swap roles.

Print the guidebook (all lessons + the table activity) →