Grace Hopper Discussion Prompts and Pause Points

Before the Movie

What do you know about computer coding? (Tap Prior Knowledge)

What skills and traits does it take to be a computer programmer? (Predict)

During the Movie (Pause Points)

Stop at the following times in the movie and ask questions or prompt a discussion to keep students focused and to assess their understanding before moving on:

Timecode 1:32: How is today different than the early days of computing? (Compare/contrast)

Timecode 3:52: What was the Mark 1 and why was it important? (Identify main idea and detail)

Timecode 6:35: How did COBOL differ from earlier computer languages? (Compare/contrast)

After the Movie

Look at the four related movies at the bottom of the page. Explain how each is connected to the Grace Hopper topic. (Make connections)

Why was Grace Hopper a good choice for the job of programming the Mark 1? (Draw Conclusions)

BrainPOP recommends reading the movie description that appears on the Grace Hopper Topic Page to your class. Then show the movie once through without pausing. Watch it again, this time using the discussion prompts.

*BrainPOP’s Discussion Questions and Prompts align to CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards.