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TURTLES, Forward 20! Running in the Curriculum MicroWorlds  Carol Goodrow Surrounded by MicroWorlds Turtles Waiting to Come Alive Story by Carol Goodrow, Photo by Heidi Bosco November 18, 2000
Forward 50
Learning to construct this program teaches a bit about number and geometry.
"So what?" many people ask. "We have paint programs that will easily draw a square. Technology has grown so fast, kids don't need to learn this anymore."
But in my class they do. I have never seen any teaching method that has the power of Logo for stimulating kids' mathematical minds. Logo is a tool to teach them the basics of numeration and geometry, on one level, while it also has the dynamics to let them think mathematically and explore with number. Kids of all degrees of math aptitude can work on similar projects at the same time, with varying results. However, MicroWorlds is not all numbers and angles. It is art, language arts, music, multi-media, creativity, programming, and construction. With MicroWorlds, you can express yourself. My kids have had only 2 lessons so far with this piece of software, but there will be many more to come and of course before you can be too creative, you have to learn the basics.
We had a brainstorm. I love MicroWorlds. My kids love MicroWorlds. My kids love to run. I love to run.
On Friday, we decided to go outside to practice the basics by having a Turtle Run instead of running our favorite trail.
We had plenty of fun and got in some great running, lots of sprints, and a lap.
We played our running game as a variation of "Simon Says". The kids could only move if the command started with 'TURTLES'.
The kids were all lined up an arm's length apart from each other in a big field. They faced me and I yelled, "TURTLES, forward 5!" All the kids ran forward 5 strides.
I yelled, "TURTLES, back 3!" and they carefully jogged backwards 3 steps. On the command of, "Forward 20!" no one moved. Just like in Simon Says I didn't say, "TURTLES".
Here were some other turtle commands.
Then towards the end of our game, I made up my own procedure and yelled, "TURTLES, run one lap," and they ran a lap around the field. As I watched my kid turtles play this game I learned something new. When kids run and count, they swing their arms more than when they just run. They were using their bodies to help keep their rhythm as well as to keep track of their count. I also reconfirmed my belief that kids will run farther and longer when playing a game. They did not tire, and they kept smiling throughout. Young kids naturally sprint for short periods, take a break, and then sprint again. This game complements their natural habits.
It was time to go in. On the way back to the classroom, we picked up fall things to draw in our Run the Seasons charts, for this little game also counted as one of our days towards our green ribbons. We went in a little healthier, from having a period of exercise, and a little more turtle savvy, from actually pretending that we were MicroWorlds Turtles.
Please send us a description of your running program. Help us share with the school and running communities.
Please email carolgoodrow@verizon.net with comments on this article.
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This turtle driven square is a variation of one of the first Logo programs that many schoolchildren learn in computer class.
Photo/Ryan's Mom