TEACHER ONLY · LESSON GUIDE
AIR Unit 0 Day 3 — Write, Trace, Revise
Use this page to run the lesson. The student item directly below remains the independent and absence route.
Daily Learning Contract
Topic: Testable algorithms
Objective: Students will analyze the results of a partner trace and improve an ordered algorithm by revising an unclear step, decision, or stopping condition.
- §126.19(c)(1)(E) — develop, compare, and improve algorithms for a specific task to solve a problem; and
Demonstration of learning: Mission Log page 2 with 6–10 ordered steps, one IF/THEN decision, one stop or repeat rule, partner trace evidence, and a revision note.
Before class
Time: One class period
Student route:
Day 3 · Write, Trace + Revise an Algorithm
Use what already exists: AIR Unit 0 teacher deck; Mission Log DOCX/PDF; current Day 3 page.
Lesson flow
- Launch: Use an intentionally ambiguous direction as a quick bellringer.
- Model: Think aloud while tracing a short algorithm and adding an IF/THEN decision.
- Do: Students write, partner-trace, and revise Mission Log page 2.
- Check + support: Check ordering, decisions, and stopping/repeating; use numbered strips and an IF/THEN frame.
- Close + handoff: Collect one revision note and bridge to models learning from examples.
Check before students leave
Ask each student or team to point to the specific evidence named above and explain one choice, test, or revision. Completion alone is not evidence of understanding.
Support + troubleshooting
Scaffold: Keep the visual task sequence visible, assign purposeful partner roles, and use the sentence stems on the student page before simplifying the task.
When stuck: Ask students to show the exact step where the system stopped, then check setup, inputs, and saved work before replacing the task.