Museum School Digital Spirograph Workshop Plan

Big Idea
Introduce a group of students to the Spirograph toy, then show them how to create Spirograph images with MicroWorlds by programming in Logo

Time
Saturday, March 4th. March 11th. 10:00am - 12:00am
Groups Participating

Museum school students, Saafir, David (ALA), and Eddie (ALA)

Plan
Introduction (Fifteen minutes)
Have the students "interview" each other and report out to the group. Make sure I learn the students' names before they come. Talk about how simple rules repeated many times can lead to complexity. Show the example of "Life."
Materials: Nametags, a few examples of "Life" games, projector, website handouts

Real Spirographs (Twenty minutes )

• Give the students a chance to create Spirograph drawings on paper
  
• Show them how to mount their drawings on a construction paper backing
  

Materials: Spirograph toy sets, a variety of colorful ball point pens,

Introduction to Programming (Ten minutes)
Do the "Saafir-o-bot" demonstration, in which I turn into a programmable robot that understands only basic commands and the students' job is to get me to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A gigantic (and hilarious) mess ensues as I take their instructions in the most obviously literally way and "put the peanut butter on the bread" or "move your hand forward".
Materials: Peanut-butter, bread, jelly, a plastic knife, goggles, gloves, a lab coat, something to protect the tabletop,

Microworlds Intro (Thirty minutes)
Introduce Microworlds, turtles, and basic Logo commands. Give them the challenge of writing a procedure that draws a square and a circle. Show them basic spirograph programs.
Materials: Laptops with Microworlds already open and several sample spirograph programs saved, spirograph handout

Digital Spirographs (Thirty minutes)
Show them some additional commands (setc, random, sliders, etc.) Begin creating interesting Spirograph patterns. Print out the students' patterns to take home. Wrap up with a discussion of the morning and a share out of interesting things the student's discovered while exploring Spirograph patterns