Bootstrap uses computer game programming to teach the critical skills of algebra and geometry. Targeted at 6th and 7th graders, Bootstrap teachers students to design and then completely program their own video game, with no assumptions about prior
programming knowledge. Students learn about functions and variables in order to make a rocket fly, use boolean logic and coordinates to trap a butterfly in a box, and write partial functions to handle key events. They combine these concepts together, along with knowledge about domain, range, patterns and graphing, to program a complete, playable videogame. In ten weeks of after-school programming, students successfully build games, demonstrate them to the public, and answer questions about the design of their programs.
Sample Video Games: