Use the grid like digital graph paper... (or use actual graph paper if you prefer) to allow students to become comfortable creating artifacts with pixels.

Simply select the size of grid at the top, pick a color, and select the box you want colored.

You can save your designs and loaded them later.

Some ideas: Make a smily face, write your name, or create a random design.

Challenge: Create a pattern, zoom the grid out, and see if a partner can continue the pattern.

Give the grid more meaning, and test your understanding of specific block placement with Vitruvia's built in assessments.

[Think coordinate, xy, grid from math class...
Hint: turn on coordinates for beginners.]

For more information on Vitruvia, types of blocks available, and the order in which to work through Vitruvia read through the documentation.

Suggestions Before Moving to Bricklayer-Lite:

Mystique is an app that introduces the idea of reflection, rotation, and completion. The user is tested on their ability to work in space, and is given immediate feedback on the task.

Lynx is another great app that has additional exercises that work specifically with identifying patterns and expanding on them. Additionally users will work on ratios and scale.

Both of these apps have tests that can be created as well.

Continue to review with Vitruvia, and Bricklayer-Lite.

These are great warm up problems.

Give time to allow students to explore on their own, in order to gain a better understanding of how to place specific blocks where.

Suggestions for Coding Examples:

•Create your own Bricklayer-Lite, or use a student volunteers, artifact as a guide, and ask students to re-create it.

•Students can continue through the exercises here.

•Have students code a country's flag and have a nice segue into history, and cultural conversations.

Open a discussion on how students recreated the artifacts, with specific questions to explain their thought process. Ask questions like 'did anyone else do it different?', and 'what was the hardest part for you, and how did you overcome it?'

Challenge: Ask students how many different ways they can think of to create the same image. Give hints if needed, like, can anyone think of a way to create this with four function calls? What about with twelve function calls?

The following coding activities can be done on graph paper, if computers aren't available, in the grid, or in Bricklayer-Lite, as a coding challenge.

Use pentominoes to create tiling patterns.

Bricklayer has some phenomenal problems already created, that involve regular patterns, geometric patterns, and even some evolutionary patterns. The example problems with some solutions are provided here.