# PROBLEM DECOMPOSITION

Separating a task or problem into smaller parts that are easier to understand, manage and solve.

# 1.Hero's Web

To know that life goals can be broken into smaller parts.

1. Define a Super Hero - ( give atributes to a character )
2. Invent a story where the super-hero saves someone
3. Pass the ball-untangle chors. Each person tells a part of the story and remembers
4. We go backwards to the beginning

+ It can be a good beginning to start Memorizing the names of the different students.
- Some students won't like it because they hate to Memorize.
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 2.Triathlon ( 5-8 yo )

To know that life goals can be broken into smaller parts.

1. Mark a start line and end line approximately 10 metres apart. Form teams of 6-10.
2. Each team will create their own triathlon by creating 3 racing movements.
3. Ask: What are the different things you need to do to create your triathlon?
4. Invite a few volunteers to demonstrate their movements to the group.
5. When you say “Go”, the first player from each team will move to the end line and back and tag the next player’s hand. The second player must wait for the tag before starting.
6. When finishes “swimming”, they will tag the first player who will begin “biking”.
7. When finishes “biking”, they will tag the first player who will begin “running”.
8. The game ends when all players have completed the “running” movement.

+ It's good for early ages, Can be fun and easy to do
- For ages +10 can be a bit boring or too easy
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 3.Pentathlon ( 8-12 yo)

To know that life goals can be broken into smaller parts.

1. Set up: A racing area with a start line and end line approximately 10 metres apart  A Beanbag Toss area with beanbags and targets.
2. Form teams of 6-8.
3. Events:

• Relay: Players will move to the end line and back and tag the next runner.
• Beanbag Toss: Players will take turns trying to throw the beanbag into the target as many times as they can.
• Duo Tag: Players will play in pairs. Each player will wear an armband. Each player will face their partner and try to gently tag their partner’s armband while protecting themselves from being tagged.
• Slither Race: Players will move to the end line and back using only their hands.
• Wheelbarrow Race: In pairs, players will race to the end line. One player will be the Wheelbarrow by getting on their hands and knees. Their partner will push the Wheelbarrow by holding the Wheelbarrow’s legs. The Wheelbarrow moves forward using their hands. (If players cannot do this safely, they can stand with their backs to one another, link arms and walk, or they can do a 3-legged race.)

4. Invite a few volunteers to demonstrate their movements to the group.
5. When you say “Go”, the first player from each team will move to the end line and back and tag the next player’s hand. The second player must wait for the tag before starting.
6. When finishes “swimming”, they will tag the first player who will begin “biking”.
7. When finishes “biking”, they will tag the first player who will begin “running”.
8. The game ends when all players have completed the “running” movement.

+ It's a very complete game to do with time. They can learn to decompose one into 5.
+ Once they gave the cards they have to think in the order of a Method. 1/2 movement, 1/2 thinking
- Too complex for small kids?
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 4.Building a Computer

+ It's an interesting game for older kids. How far do we want to teach? Inside Activity
- I do not feel would be the game for an outside activity summer camp

# 5. Treasure Quest

To break a problem into smaller parts.

1. Set up a large play area:

• Place the hula hoops throughout the play area (one for every 4-6 players).
• Make sure there is space to move around each hula hoop.
• Optional: Place objects on all sides of the play area.
• Put away objects that you do not want players to not touch.

2. Divide players into teams of 4-6.
3. Explain and demonstrate that:

• This game is a treasure hunt.
• Each team will try to collect objects that begin with the letters “R”, “E” or “D” or are the colour red.
• The objects are Treasures.
• When a player finds a Treasure, they can put it in their team’s Treasure Chest
• One team will volunteer to be the Birds, who eat Treasures. They can take Treasures from the Treasure Chest one at a time and bring it to their Nest
• To prevent a Bird from eating the Treasure, a player can gently tag the Bird before the Bird puts the Treasure in their Nest (the Birds’ hula hoop).

4. Choose a Treasure Chest (hula hoop) and discuss the different tasks that they need to do and how to divide the tasks.
5. The game ends at your discretion.

+ It's good for all ages. Team efforts and task division are crucial.
+  We will have to design with imagination each of the spaces - 'Space creation' could be part of it.
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 6. Unseen Structure

To break a task into smaller parts.

1. Set up the game objects behind the sheet in an arrangement for teams to copy.
2. Form teams of 4-6.
3. Explain and demonstrate that:

• Each team will build the structure that is behind the sheet.
• Each team will choose one player to be the Scout.
• Only the Scout can look at the structure.
• The Scout can only look at the structure 3 times.

4. Invite Scouts to take one look at the structure and give information to their teams.
5. Invite teams to discuss what information the Scout should find in the next 2 times that they look at the structure.
6. Invite all the Scouts to take their second and third looks at the structure together.
7. When teams finish their structures, remove the sheet and invite teams to compare the structures.

+ It is a good exercice to practice subdivision and giving right and precise commands
+ Easy to accomodate fot different ages, think about how to do it for small kiddos

# 7. Game Plan

To break a large problem into smaller parts.

1. Form 2 teams. (Give armbands to one team.)
2. How to play football without a goalie. Before they play, each team will discuss a strategy.
3. Ask: What do you need to think about to create your strategy?
4. Give teams a few minutes to create a strategy with the different actions that they need to take to reach their goal.
5. Begin the game.
6. Invite all the Scouts to take their second and third looks at the structure together.
7. Pause the game after 5-10 minutes. Ask each team to meet and improve their strategy by thinking about these questions:

• What is working in your strategy?
• What is not working?
• What are the different actions that you need to take to reach your goal?

+ It is a good exercice to practice a goal game and learn about: attack / defense strategies
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 8. Capture the Flag

To break a large problem into smaller parts.

1. Mark the boundaries of the play area. Mark a centre line and 2 Home Bases at opposite ends of the play area.
2. Divide the players into 2 equal teams: Team A and Team B.
3. Give an armband to every player on Team A.
4. Give a flag to each team.
5. Explain and demonstrate that:

• Each team will hide its flag in its own zone.
• The goal of the game is to find the other team’s flag and bring it to your own zone.
• Each team will protect its flag and try to find the other team’s flag.
• When a player from Team A crosses into Team B’s Zone, the players from Team B can try to tag them.
• If tagged, the player from Team A goes to Team B’s Home Base. To be freed from Home Base, an untagged player from Team A must go to the Home Base and tag their teammate.
• Teams and players can decide which team members want to cross into the other team’s zone. Players do not have to cross. They can stay on their own side to guard their flag.
• If a player finds the flag of the other team, the player must take that flag across the centre line back to their side. However, if the player is tagged before crossing the line, they must give up the flag so that it can be returned to its original hiding place. The tagged player then must go to the other team’s Home Base.

6. Ask each team to take 3 minutes to hide its flag. Explain that teams cannot cover the flag completely. Part of the flag must be showing at all times.
7. Give each team 3 minutes to create a strategy to find the other team’s flag and protect their own.
8. Ask Team A to line up on one side of the centre line and Team B on the other side.
9. Begin the game.
10. After 5-8 minutes, pause the game. Ask each team to meet again to improve their strategy by thinking about these questions:

• What is working in your strategy?
• What is not working?
• What are the different actions that you need to take to reach your goal?

+ It is a good exercice to practice a goal game and learn about: attack / defense strategies
+ => Easy to introduce MicroBit : Counter

# 9. Brick by Brick

To break smaller parts into even smaller parts.

1. Divide players into teams of 3-6 (make sure each team has a strong writer who can write for the team).
2. Invite each team to choose a school or community project that they want to practice breaking into smaller parts.
3. Explain that after we break a large problem into smaller parts, we can also divide these smaller parts.

• We can break each of these parts into smaller parts. For example, what do we need to do to teach peers about keeping the play area clean?
• We can also break these into smaller parts. For example, what do we need to do to lead games?

4. Explain and demonstrate that:

• When you say “Go!” each team will break their project into as many smaller parts as they can.
• They should put all the smaller parts on paper
• If they cannot think of ideas, they can ask themselves, “What do we need to do to...?”

5. Give markers and flipchart paper to each team.
6. At the end of 3 minutes, invite teams to count their ideas.
7. Explain and demonstrate that:

• Each team will try to build a strong tower that can stand by itself.
• You will give building materials to each team based on the number of ideas they had. For example, if they had 10 ideas, they can have 10 pieces of paper.
• Each team will also have 1 metre of tape. They need to think of a way to use the materials to make a tower that can stand (for example, put two sheets of paper together to make it thicker, fold the paper, etc.).
• Before they begin building, they will have 5 minutes to add ideas to their mind map to earn more paper.
• At the end of the game, you will see which tower is the most creative.

8. Invite teams to present their towers to the group.

+ Is an advanced exercice for Project Decomposition. 
- Will have to figure out for kiddos. Like divide a Car into different parts and build it
+ => MicroBit : Gyroscope on the top of the building? Wins the flatest :)