Taking Boolean operators to the next level this week: students began using AND, OR & NOT in conjunction with IF/THEN/ELSE statements to make complex programs in Scratch. Examples will be posted when projects are complete.

We also took some time to try adding parentheses to our Boolean statements and examine the effects. For example:

(4 + 7) x 3 = 33
4 + (7 x 3) = 25

(ultimate AND hiking) OR softball
ultimate AND (hiking OR softball)

Some students discovered that if there is an “OR” in a statement, then there are 2 conditions that meet criteria. That means that we will have 2 instances (or “x”s) in our Venn diagrams when we use an OR statement.

Boolify.org actually helps you build a Boolean search, although our 6th grade students don’t need the extra assistance any more!