Follow a Drawing Algorithm
Follow clear instructions in order.
Supplied materials
- Paper and a pencil, or say your answers aloud.
Learn the idea
An algorithm is a list of steps for doing a task. The steps need to say what to do, and their order can matter. A computer follows instructions; it does not know what you meant if an important step is missing.
We can practice with a drawing instead of a device. Try these steps: draw a large circle; draw two small dots inside it; draw a curved smile inside it. The finished drawing is a simple smiling face.
- Ask an adult to read the three drawing steps, one at a time.
- Draw the circle before adding the dots and smile inside it.
- Point to the first step, the next step, and the last step.
See the method in action
To draw a house outline, first draw a square, then add a triangle above the square. The instruction above tells where the roof goes.
Check your reasoning
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See the answer and explanation
Draw a large circle.
The large circle comes first. It gives a place for the two dots and the smile. The house instruction belongs to a different algorithm.
Take it further
Change the last instruction to draw a straight mouth inside the circle. Follow all three steps again and compare the two drawings.
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Check the subject sources
These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.