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Lesson 1: Building Flowcharts
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Flowchart symbols
Start / End
Step
Decision
Input / Output

1 Sequence: Making Toast

Every algorithm needs steps in the right order. Tap a shape below, then tap the slot where it belongs.

Shape selected — now tap a slot to place it.
Start
tap to place
tap to place
tap to place
tap to place
tap to place
End
Still stuck? Tap here

Think about what you’d actually do, in order: put the bread in first, and you can’t spread butter before the toast pops up!

2 Selection: Is It Raining?

Flowcharts can also make decisions. A decision shape always has two paths out of it: Yes and No.

Shape selected — now tap a slot to place it.
Start
tap to place
tap to place
YES
tap here
NO
tap here
tap to place
End
Still stuck? Tap here

There’s one extra shape in the bank that doesn’t belong anywhere — ignore it. Both YES and NO lead to the same last step before End.

3 Iteration: Password Check

Sometimes a NO answer doesn’t lead to the end — it leads back to an earlier question, so it can be asked again. This is called iteration, or a loop.

Shape selected — now tap a slot to place it.
Start
tap to place
tap to place
YES
tap here
NO
tap here
End
Still stuck? Tap here

Only YES should reach the End — getting the password wrong should send you back to try again, not finish the program.

Challenge

4 Design your own: Number Checker

Question: Design a flowchart that asks the user to enter a number. If the number is bigger than 10, show “Big number!” If it isn’t, show “Small number!”

Tap a blank shape below to add it to your flowchart, tap the text to type your own words, and use the arrows to reorder.

Tap a shape above to start building
Need ideas? Tap here

You’ll need: Start → an input step → a decision → two different outputs (one for YES, one for NO) → End.

Challenge

5 Design your own: Quiz Question

Question: Design a flowchart for a single quiz question. Ask the user to type an answer. If it’s correct, show “Correct!” and end. If it’s wrong, tell them and let them try again — keep asking until they get it right.

Build it the same way: tap a shape to add it, tap the text to edit it.

Tap a shape above to start building
Need ideas? Tap here

This one needs a loop, like Task 3. Add a note in a step saying which question it should go back to.

What you learned in this lesson

  • Sequence: steps that happen one after another in order
  • Selection: a decision shape with two paths, YES and NO
  • Iteration: a loop, where a NO path can lead back to an earlier question instead of the end
  • Every flowchart starts with Start and finishes with End