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AI Explorers 3-5 / Week 05 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 05 · Rules or Learning?

Wednesday

Explorer Lab: Rules team, examples team
// Two ways to build a helper
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Explorer Lab: Rules Team, Examples Team

Raven draws funny space critters on cards. Some are Zips. Some are Zooms.

"Rocket, here is the rule," she says. "Zips have points. Zooms are round."

Then she shows new critters called Blips and Blops. "No rule this time. Just examples."

"What do you notice about the Blips?" she asks. Nova blinks. "Look for what they all share," she hints.

Your mission

You will sort critter cards two ways.

In Part A, a grown-up tells you a rule.

In Part B, you only see examples. You find the pattern yourself.

  • 18 index cards or paper squares
  • A pencil and crayons
  • A grown-up helper to draw the critters
Safety first
Use only paper, pencils and crayons.
Carry pencils with the point down.
Clean up your cards when you finish.
For a grown-up
Part A: draw 6 critters. Some have pointy edges (Zips). Some are round (Zooms).
Part B: draw 6 example critters and label them. Blips have stripes. Blops have dots.
Mix shapes and colors so stripes or dots are the only true clue.
Then draw 6 new unlabeled Blips and Blops. Do not tell your child the pattern.
  1. Part A: hear the rule. Zips have points. Zooms are round.
  2. Sort the 6 Zip and Zoom cards using the rule.
  3. Check with the grown-up. Write how many were right.
  4. Part B: look at the 6 labeled Blip and Blop examples.
  5. Find the pattern. What do all the Blips share?
  6. Sort the 6 new cards. Check and write how many were right.
PartHow you sortedCards right (out of 6)How sure did you feel?
A: Zips and ZoomsFollowed a rule
B: Blips and BlopsLearned from examples
MAKE A PREDICTION
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Before you start, predict. Which part will feel easier?

Compare the two parts

In Part A, someone gave you the rule. You just followed it.

In Part B, you had to find the pattern in the examples. That is like machine learning.

More examples usually make a pattern easier to spot.

THINK ABOUT YOUR LAB
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
In Part B, how did you know what a Blip was?
Which part is most like machine learning?
Would 2 examples or 20 examples make Part B easier?
Rocket got 5 out of 6 right in Part A. How many wrong?
Raven got 4 out of 6 right in Part B. How many wrong?
What pattern did the Blips share? Type one word.
WHY THIS EXERCISEFinding a shared pattern in examples is how machine learning works.

Excellent experimenting! Tomorrow we compare rules and learning for the same job.

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