TEACHER ONLY · LESSON GUIDE
Leaving Land Lesson 5 — AI Enemies
Run the lesson here; the student item below remains the independent and absence route.
Daily Learning Contract
Topic: Rule-based game AI
Objective: Students will explain how repeated decision rules create rule-based game AI and apply those rules to tune an enemy that is challenging but beatable.
- §126.19(c)(1)(E) — develop, compare, and improve algorithms for a specific task to solve a problem; and
- §126.19(c)(2)(C) — modify and implement previously written code to develop improved programs.
Demonstration of learning: Ocean game with a reactive enemy, playtest evidence showing difficulty tuning, and an explanation of the enemy's repeated rules.
Before class
Time: One class period
Student route: Lesson 5: AI Enemies in MakeCode Arcade
Use what already exists: AIR Unit 1 overview; current Lesson 5 page; MakeCode Arcade.
Lesson flow
- Launch: Launch with a concrete question or failure that makes rule-based ai behavior matter.
- Model: Model one current example or tool move before students begin.
- Do: Guide the first decision together, then release students to the existing Canvas task.
- Check + support: Check for the named evidence, not completion alone; keep a visual sequence, sentence stems, and purposeful partner roles available.
- Close + handoff: Collect or verify the evidence and name the next lesson's connection.
Check before students leave
Ask students to point to the specific evidence 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 students get stuck: Ask for the exact step where the tool, code, or task stopped. Check setup, inputs, and saved work before replacing the task or lowering the thinking.