Computer Science
Grade 3
20 min
Testing the Story: Finding the Bugs
Students test their stories by reading them aloud and identifying any logical errors or inconsistencies.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify a 'bug' or mistake in a branching story path.
Explain what a bug is using simple, grade-appropriate terms.
Follow a simple set of instructions (a test case) to check one path of a story.
Predict the 'expected outcome' of a choice in a story.
Describe a broken link or a 'dead end' in a story.
Use 'if... then' language to describe a story choice and its outcome.
Have you ever played a game where a door wouldn't open or a character said the wrong thing? 🐛 That's a bug, and we're going to become bug detectives!
Today, we will learn how to test our digital branching stories to make sure every choice leads to the right place. Finding and fixing these 'bugs' makes our stories work correc...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
BugA mistake or problem in a story or computer program that makes it not work the way it should.You click the button 'Go into the dark cave', but the story takes you to a sunny beach. That's a bug!
TestingThe action of checking a story or program to find any bugs.Playing through your story and clicking on every single choice to make sure they all work is called testing.
PathOne possible way a reader can go through your story, from a beginning choice to an ending.One path is: Start -> Go left -> Find treasure -> The End. A different path is: Start -> Go right -> Meet a dragon -> The End.
Dead EndA choice in a story that doesn't lead to any next page or ending. It just stops.You click the 'Open the box' button, but nothin...
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Core Syntax & Patterns
The 'Every Button' Rule
Test every single choice.
To make sure no path is broken, you have to try them all. Don't skip any choices, even if you think they already work.
The 'Does It Make Sense?' Rule
If [Choice is made], then [Correct Outcome should happen].
After you click a choice, read the next page. Does the story on that page match the choice you made? If you choose 'Pet the cat', the next page shouldn't say 'You climb a tree'.
The 'All Roads Lead Somewhere' Rule
Every path must connect to a next page or an ending page.
Make sure none of your story paths just stop. Every choice should lead to another part of the story until you get to 'The End'.
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
You are making a story where you need 10 coins to win. You test the story by collecting exactly 10 coins, and it works. What is the MOST important other number of coins to test to make sure the 'IF coins are 10 or more' rule is working?
A.0 coins
B.9 coins
C.100 coins
D.5 coins
Challenging
A tester tells you, 'The dragon character looks wrong.' To fix this bug, what is the best question to ask to understand the problem in the story's data?
A.On which page did you see the dragon, and what did you expect it to look like?
B.Do you not like dragons?
C.Should I delete the dragon character?
D.Is the story too hard?
Challenging
You fixed a bug where the key wouldn't open the castle door. But now, the door is always unlocked, even if the player doesn't have the key! What does this new problem show?
A.That fixing one part of a story can sometimes cause a new bug in another part.
B.That the key was never important to the story.
C.That stories should not have doors or keys.
D.That you are a bad coder.
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