Computing At School

Classroom Activity

Activity 1 – Stompy Zombie Robots

What you will learn:

When we solve problems, it is a good idea to think through the steps before
we start. We can write down the steps in order and run through them in our
mind to make sure that they will work. An ALGORITHM is a set of specific
instructions to solve a problem. This is a very important word in Computing!

What you need: Image from:

Openclipart.org
 Lots of space
 A scrunched up ball of soft paper

The Activity:

Have you ever wondered what would be like to be a robot? In this activity, you are going to find out.
Robots can only follow instructions that they have been given.

Your robot can only understand these instructions:

FORWARD (number of steps)

TURN (left or right) (how far to turn in degrees)

FIRE!

Your teacher will divide you into teams. Decide who will be the robot. The team will give the robot one
instruction at a time to carry out.

Your robot will be battling another team’s robot but nobody will get hurt!

1. Start on the opposite side of the room or playground from the other robot.
2. Your team must give you one instruction such as: “FORWARD 10 steps”.
3. Your team need to write down the instruction on a piece of paper or mini-whiteboard.
4. It is now the other team’s turn to move.
5. Your team now give you another instruction.
6. Keep taking turns and writing down the instructions until you are close to the other robot. You
only get one chance to fire your paper ball at the opposite robot. Your team must give you the
“FIRE!” instruction. You mustn’t throw it hard or at the robot’s face.

©C.Swan 2013
 Computing At School
Classroom Activity
7. If you miss, you carry on playing until the other team’s robot has fired their paper ball. Try to
avoid being hit!
8. If neither robot hits the target, it is a draw.
9. If one robot hits the target, they score one point. Swap who is the robot in your team and go
back to the start.
10. Look through your instructions. Can you win using fewer? Talk through your tactics!
Make sure that the opposite robot starts to the team that started first last time to make it
fair.
11. Whichever team scores 3 points first is the winner!
Bonus Activity:
Think of another useful instruction to add that will give your robot the advantage!

What you have learned:

 An ALGORITHM is a set of precise instructions to solve a problem.

Follow up Activities:

12. What is a robot? What are they used for? Can you find out about some famous robots?
13. Think of a name for your robot? Draw what it would look like or make a model.
14. Draw a FLOWCHART of instructions for your robot.
15. The instructions that we gave the robot are very similar to those of the language
called LOGO. Find out about more about it.
16. You can use SCRATCH to make some programs to draw shapes on the screen. Look at
the program called: Logo.Example.sb Can you change the program to draw different shapes?

©C.Swan 2013