Run Marco! Game Tips and Tricks

These tips and tricks can help you use the Run Marco! computer programming game with students.

The game is divided into three sections, which comprise 36 levels. (You may unlock all levels with the shortcut “Ctrl + u” on both PCs and Macs. This can also be done by tapping the upper right corner of the level selection page.) Here are the skills students will practice at each level:

• Section 1 – Sequence of Commands
  • Levels 1-2: forward command
  • Levels 3-6: turn command
  • Levels 7-9: jump command
• Section 2 – Iteration
  • Levels 10-12: repeat n number of times (for-loop)
  • Levels 13-15: repeat a set of commands to follow patterns
  • Levels 16-19: use nested repeat structures
  • Levels 20-22: ‘while’ as an alternative iteration structure
• Section 3 – Conditions
  • Levels 23-26: introduction of the “if-then” conditional
  • Levels 27-30: use of multiple conditionals
  • Levels 31-33: introduction of the “else” clause
  • Levels 34-36: nested conditionals (“if” inside another “if)

You may want to pose discussion questions to students about their learning, such as:

• What are the fundamentals of computer programming?
• How do you create a program?
• How are algorithms used in coding?
• How can you use computer programming to complete a task?
• How is computer programming useful in real life?
• How might you use computer programming in your future career?