Objectives

Learning Objectives

New York State’s Common Core Curriculum for the 4th grade outlines various learning goals for mathematics and we focused on 4.OA (Operations & Algebraic Thinking) unit 5, Generate and Analyze Patterns. This section calls on 4th grade students to “generate a number or pattern that follows a given rule. Identify apparent features of the pattern that were not explicit in the rule itself.”

This involves extrapolating data points from a limited pool of existing information. PyCut strives to help develop and solidify these skills through pattern recognition in the context of a game.

PyCut is designed for 4th grade students using an XO laptop. The visuals are clear and simple, to avoid providing too many distractions or unclear visual signals. In addition to this, the logic and “rules” of the game are easy to understand and can be quickly picked up on.

Influence on PyCut

PyCut takes inspiration and logical puzzle development guidance from Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996) which features a puzzle entitled Pizza Pass. In this level, the player must create a pizza for a hungry (and very picky) troll. PyCut follows a similar pattern for logical puzzle development to Pizza Pass and uses it as the primary target for guiding our game.