Hour of Code 2020 (Inclusion)

Understand the importance and benefits of diversity, including the role of diversity and inclusion in a community
Understand bias and recognize how it may cause harm
Create coding solutions that include sequences, iteration, and loops
Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions
Iterate on coding solutions to complete a task

Guiding Ideas

**For full lesson details, download the Educator Guide**

LESSON CONCEPTS & LEAD-IN: 10 minutes

What is bias and what are the factors that contribute to it?
- Bias is a cognitive (thinking) process in which we form thoughts and opinions based upon our own experiences and ideas.
- Unconscious bias is preference for or against a person or group that one is not aware of having, but nevertheless communicates through statements, actions or assumptions. This means the person holds the bias without realizing it. Unconscious bias results in stereotypes, prejudices, or preferences that cause us to favor a person, thing, or group in a way that is deemed unfair.
- Conscious bias is an explicit, or intentional bias. This means the person who holds the bias is aware that they are biased.
- Some of the most common types of bias include prejudice based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, physical ability, religion, and body weight.
How can biases cause harm?
- Biases can cause us to behave negatively or discriminate against people.
- When we stereotype people based on their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or some other characteristic, it can be detrimental to us and our community. On a larger and extreme scale, bias can lead to oppression, genocide, and even slavery.
How can we be aware of bias around us?
- Pay more attention to your interactions with others, especially those who may be different.
- Reflect upon and try to understand your own reactions to people who are different from you.
What is diversity?
- Diversity is all the ways in which people are different, including characteristics that make individuals and groups different from one another. Diversity may include different ideas, perspectives, and values.
What is inclusion?
- Inclusion is bringing into processes, activities, and decisions individuals or groups who have been traditionally excluded.
What is the advantage of diversity in a community?
- When communities ensure inclusion and have diversity of ideas, perspectives, values, and people they can provide a wide-ranging understanding of things.
What are some ways in which your thoughts and/or actions show that you are acceptant of someone who is different?
- Are you considering and thinking about what is being said or shown?
- Have you accepted any differences of belief, opinion, or ideas?
- Do your thoughts and actions demonstrate tolerance? The way we perceive differences can have positive or negative impacts on individuals, groups, or communities.

Consider the CALM method:

Challenge your assumptions – focus on seeing people as individuals and not as stereotypes
Adjust your perspectives – try seeing things from another person’s point of view.
Learn to become aware - of your biases and work on understanding when they are positive or negative.
Mix it up – increase your opportunities to spend more time with and learn from people who are different from you. This includes books and media you consume.

Student Activities

**For full lesson details, download the Educator Guide**

LESSON INTRODUCTION: (2 minutes)

Students read through the introduction in game before they begin the coding activities

CODING ACTIVITIES: (30-40 minutes)

Students start their coding journey at the castle. These challenges will allow them to decide if they want to code in MakeCode Blocks or in Python. We recommend beginners start with Blocks.

ONBOARDING

Agent Move: Move your Agent forward so that it stands on the gold block.
Plant a Sapling: Receive a gift from the Agent and plant it in the center of the castle.

After completing the onboarding, students proceed into either the Illagers’ side or the Villagers’ side. There are 6 coding challenges to be completed in any order.

VILLAGER CODING CHALLENGES

Challenge 1: Build a dock. Fishing is something Villagers have never been good at. The Illagers from the next town over offered to help them learn, but they recommended building a dock first. Use your Agent to build a dock at the edge of the shore. It should be 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long.

Challenge 2: Introduce the ravager to the Villagers. Ravagers are misunderstood creatures. Everyone in town is afraid of them, but one Villager has learned that they're friendly! Use your Agent to introduce the ravager to the three Villagers standing near their houses so they can see how gentle these creatures really are.

Challenge 3: Protect the beet farm. Something keeps tearing up Villagers’ beet farm and they think it's due to the ravagers that the Illagers keep as pets. The Illagers say it wasn’t the ravagers, but who else could it be? Use your Agent to build a protective fence around the farm to keep out whatever is stealing the beets.

ILLAGER CODING CHALLENGES

Challenge 4: Prepare the field for farming. Illagers don't have much farmland and don't know how to farm. The Villagers offered to help teach them, but first the Illagers need help tilling the soil. Use your Agent to teach them how to till this block of land.

Challenge 5: Help the kids get their ball. A group of Illager children have lost their ball on the roof of a Villager’s home and are afraid to go get it. The children don’t know much about the Villager, but they’ve have heard that it might be a witch. Use your Agent to move up wall and press the buttons along the way to get the Villager’s elevator working so it can bring down the ball.

Challenge 6: Build a motorized railway. The Illagers host a fair for the two towns to gather and trade, but the Villagers have stopped coming. The Illagers think that the Villagers don’t like them, but the Villagers say it’s too hard to get their goods up the hill. Use your Agent to build a motorized railway so that Villagers can go up the hill to participate in the fair.

CONCLUSION:

**For lesson conclusion, enhancement activities, Minecraft control guide, educational standards guide, glossary, and additional educator details, please download the Educator Guide**

Performance Expectations

CODING CONCEPTS

The lesson explores the following computer programming concepts including:

Sequencing: The Agent will move in order that you sequenced. A sequence is one of the basic logic structures in computer programming. In a sequence structure, an action, or event, leads to the next ordered action in a predetermined order.
Iteration: In Computer Science, “iteration” is just a fancy term to make things repeat over and over again. To learn more: https://minecraft.makecode.com/courses/csintro/iteration
Loops: The loop command only repeats when a condition is met (‘true’). The condition can only be ‘true’ or ‘false’. If it is ‘true’, the while coding block will repeat the code and if it is ‘false’ it will stop.