Making Decisions in Code

Learning Objectives Define the term 'conditional' as a choice in a program. Identify the 'if' (condition) and 'then' (action) parts of a simple conditional statement. Explain what happens in an 'if-then' statement when the condition is true. Explain what happens in an 'if-then' statement when the condition is false (nothing happens). Predict the outcome of a short program that uses one 'if-then' conditional. Create a simple 'if-then' conditional using block-based code. Provide a real-life example of an 'if-then' decision. What if it's raining when you want to play outside? 🌧️ What choice do you make? Just like we make choices every day, we can teach computers to make choices too! We will...

TermDefinitionExample ConditionalA special instruction that lets a computer make a choice. It's like asking a 'what if' question.Asking a robot 'IF the light is red, THEN stop moving.' If-Then StatementA type of conditional. It tells the computer: 'IF something is true, THEN do this action.''IF the cat is hungry, THEN feed the cat.' ConditionThe 'if' part of the statement. It's a question that can be answered with 'yes' (true) or 'no' (false).In 'IF it is raining...', the condition is 'it is raining'. ActionThe 'then' part of the statement. It's the instruction the computer follows only if the condition is true.In '...THEN get an umbrella', the action is 'get a...

The 'If-Then' Pattern IF [condition], THEN [action] Use this when you want something to happen ONLY when the condition is true. If the condition is false, the computer just skips the action and moves on. The 'If-Then-Else' Pattern IF [condition], THEN [action 1], ELSE [action 2] Use this when you want to make a choice between two different actions. If the condition is true, do action 1. If the condition is false, do action 2.