Lesson Plan: Flowchart Development

OBJECTIVE

To teach the students the fundamentals of flowchart development.

INTRODUCTION/ASSESSMENT

What is a flowchart?
 Ask students for ideas and their opinions/examples
 Discuss purpose of a flowchart and give definition
o A flow chart is a graphical representation showing the flow of control
among the steps in a program, people in an organization, or pages of a
presentation, processes in general. It is a step-by-step illustration of what
occurs given a specific situation.
 Explain attributes of a flow chart:
o Start/End Block: Start block includes a brief description of the process
which the flowchart is carrying out (represented by ovals)
o Input/Output: An event that occurs (represented by parallelograms)
o Decision: Should be a question that has only two possible answers (has
only one input and two outputs). (Represented by diamonds)
o Process: Some operation carried out. Has exactly one input and one
output (i.e. can only lead to one other DECISION or PROCESS element).
(Represented by rectangles)
o Sequence: A series of processes carried out one after the other.
o If/Else: Provides choices, using Decision blocks, if I make this choice,
this will happen otherwise, that will happen.

Developing a Flowchart Step:

 Write down processes

 Consider decisions
 Consider inputs & outputs

Class Exercises:

 Flowchart examples
o Consider waking up in the morning, what are the steps that you take
before getting out of bed?
 Have students give their examples of steps necessary to get out of
bed in an ordered list.
 Make sure that they incorporate decisions, not only processes
 Start

Alarm Rings

Hit Snooze?
Yes

No

Get Up

Turn off
Alarm

Stop
 Give each group a process and have them create a flowchart of
their own and present to the class
 Class activities:
o Self-checkout at the supermarket
o Making a sandwich
o Doing a load of laundry
o Drawing a flowchart
o Taking a Picture
o Cleaning a bedroom

Materials:

 Not Applicable

Deliverables (assignment)
 Illustrate the use of a soda machine:

Have the students think about buying a drink from a soda machine. Have them start with
a version of the task that involves no choices. Get them to list all the steps for a linear
purchase sequence. For example, these might be: Go up to the soda machine; Put in
money; Push correct button; Take drink out of machine.

Next draw this as a flowchart. This might look like:

 Start

Go to Machine

Put in Money

Push Button

Take out
Drink

Stop