Karel the Robot is an educational programming language and simulator that teaches critical thinking skills by having students write programs to direct Karel to perform tasks in a simple grid-based world. Karel can move, turn, pick up and drop beepers, and use conditional statements, iteration, and user-defined commands. The document provides information on how to download and use the Karel simulator, the types of activities Karel can perform, and resources for teachers and students.

1. Welcome! Karel the Robot Teaches Critical Thinking

2. Karel the Robot Teaches Critical Thinking Compiled by: Debbie Clingingsmith Email: debbie@clingingsmith.org Last revised: 1/26/2008 Description: Using the Karel J Robot simulator to teach critical thinking skills Download Slides: slideshare.net/dlclingingsmith

3. What is a critical thinking? Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. Defining Critical Thinking: A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking Instruction , Critical Thinking Foundation, downloaded 1-23-2008 from http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm

4. What Karel J Robot? Karel is an educational programming language for absolute beginners, created by Richard E. Pattis in his book “Karel The Robot: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Programming.” Pattis used the language in his courses at Stanford University. The language is named after Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who introduced the word robot. Karel (programming language) , Wikipedia, downloaded 1-23-2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_(programming_language)‏

5. For teachers, Karel J Robot is: A simulator Karel lives in a simple world of streets and avenues Free to download PC/MAC available at http://pclc.pace.edu/~bergin/KarelJava2ed/karelexperimental.html or http://www.wiley.com/college/pattis/0471597252/instructor/instructor.html#pc Palm OS available at http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/Educational/Tutorial/Karel-the-Robot-6753.shtml Several versions, suggested version is Karel J Robot which uses Java Available for MAC, PC, or Palm OS Easy to learn and use Karel may perform five different activities May create new activities oneself Karel knows about conditions in the environment Fun to run Provides immediate feedback Middle and high school students enjoy Karel

6. Karel J Robot's World

7. Karel J Robot's World

8. Karel J Robot's World

9. Karel J Robot's World

10. Program tab (Pascal)

11. Program tab (Java)

12. Execute tab

13. What may Karel do move turnleft pickbeeper putbeeper turnoff

14. What Karel may know Whether a direction is blocked or clear frontIsBlocked leftIsBlocked RightIsBlocked Direction faced facingNorth facingSouth facingEast facingWest Whether beepers are nearby or in the bag anyBeepersInBeeperBag nextToABeeper frontIsClear leftIsClear rightIsClear noBeepersInBeeperBag notNextToABeeper notFacingNorth notFacingSouth notFacingEast notFacingWest

15. How may Karel decide Control statements if Example: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();} while Example: while (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();} iterate Example: iterate(3) {turnleft();} if with else Example: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();} else {move()}; Format: command ( condition to meet ) { what to do }

16. Creating new Karel activities define Use with braces above and below the instructions included in the newly defined command A defined command may be used in another defined command. However, it must be defined previous to its use (physically, it must be above where it is used in a new define). Example: creating a right turn define turnright() { turnleft(); turnleft(); turnleft(); } Example of use: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnright()};

17. How to Use Karel Make or open a Karel world * When Karel starts, it is in the world tab * Create walls by left clicking between two adjacent blocks * Place beepers if you wish * Save your world Create or open a program * Left click the Program tab * Choose Pacal or Java, then click the New button * Write your program, then click the Compile button * Save your program Run your program * Left click the Execute tab * Click the Initialize button * Click the Run button. Increase speed by increasing the Steps/Min number.

18. Karel Resources Otterbein college * Karel the Robot tutorial online in Pascal * URL: http://math.otterbein.edu/home/JKarelRobot/ParelTutorial/Karel.htm * Place beepers if you wish * Save your world David Wittry web site * URL: http://www.apcomputerscience.com/karel/index.htm * Movie demos of Karel running * First edition of Karel J Robt: An Introduction to the Gentle Art of Object Oriented Programming in Java available free and online .

19. Karel Exercises Atlantic City High School * “Karel the Robot I ntroductory Role Play Classroom Activity” paper by Joseph A. Tosh * URL: http://pclc.pace.edu/~bergin/KarelJava2ed/KarelRolePlay.html JR Masterman School * URL: http://geom.teachopensource.org/apcs/resources/resources_files/lecturek1-2007.pdf * Slide set and a paper exercise .