eurekami

Bugs in the Code

3rd grade reading

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Bugs in the Code

Theo had been looking forward to Coding Club all week. Ms Rivera had promised they would make their own animated story on the classroom tablets. Theo chose a cartoon cat and wrote the code: when the green flag is clicked, move ten steps, then turn and wave. He clicked the flag. The cat spun round and round like a washing machine and never stopped. "It's broken!" Theo groaned, and he pushed the tablet away. Ms Rivera sat down beside him. "It's not broken," she said. "It's got a bug. Every coder gets bugs. The trick is to be a detective." Together they read the code one block at a time. Theo had put the turn block inside a forever loop by mistake, so the cat kept turning for ever. Theo dragged the block out of the loop and clicked the flag again. The cat walked ten steps, turned and waved. Theo cheered so loudly that the whole club looked up. The next week, a younger girl called Ivy was close to tears because her rocket would not take off. Theo pulled up a chair. "It's not broken," he told her. "It's got a bug. Let's be detectives."

1
Question 1
Read "Bugs in the Code". What went wrong with Theo's cat at first?
- A. It spun round and round and never stopped.
- B. It turned into a rocket.
- C. It disappeared from the screen.
- D. It would not move at all.
2
Question 2
Read "Bugs in the Code". In this story, what is a "bug"?
- A. a mistake in the code
- B. an insect in the classroom
- C. a broken tablet
- D. a kind of cartoon
3
Question 3
Read "Bugs in the Code". How does Theo feel when the cat keeps spinning?
- A. proud
- B. calm
- C. sleepy
- D. frustrated
4
Question 4
Read "Bugs in the Code". What lesson does Theo learn?
- A. Computers never make mistakes.
- B. Mistakes can be found and fixed if you look carefully.
- C. Coding is only for older children.
- D. You should give up when something goes wrong.
5
Question 5
Read "Bugs in the Code". Why does Theo say the same words to Ivy that Ms Rivera said to him?
- A. He wants to help her the way he was helped.
- B. He has forgotten what to say.
- C. He wants to show off.
- D. He thinks Ivy's tablet is broken.
6
Question 6
Read "Bugs in the Code". What kind of text is this?
- A. a biography
- B. realistic fiction
- C. fantasy
- D. instructions

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Answer key: Bugs in the Code

1. A. It spun round and round and never stopped.
- The answer is stated directly in the text.
- Paragraph 2: 'The cat spun round and round like a washing machine and never stopped.'
- So the answer is: It spun round and round and never stopped.
2. A. a mistake in the code
- The words around an unfamiliar word help show its meaning.
- Ms Rivera says the code is not broken, it has a bug, and they find a mistake in the blocks.
- So the answer is: a mistake in the code
3. D. frustrated
- A character's words and actions reveal what they are like and what they want.
- He groans 'It's broken!' and pushes the tablet away.
- So the answer is: frustrated
4. B. Mistakes can be found and fixed if you look carefully.
- A theme is the message about life that the story explores.
- He fixes the bug by checking one block at a time, then passes the same advice to Ivy.
- So the answer is: Mistakes can be found and fixed if you look carefully.
5. A. He wants to help her the way he was helped.
- An inference combines clues in the text with what you know.
- Theo remembers how Ms Rivera's words helped him, so he uses them to help Ivy.
- So the answer is: He wants to help her the way he was helped.
6. B. realistic fiction
- Text structure is how a writer organises ideas.
- It is a made-up story that could really happen at a school today.
- So the answer is: realistic fiction