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Instructor Guide — Teaching with Time Warp II

A guide for teachers, tutors, and workshop leaders using Time Warp II and the TempleCode language in educational settings.

Table of Contents

  1. Why Time Warp II?
  2. Setting Up a Classroom
  3. Curriculum Integration
  4. Lesson Plans
  5. Example Progression
  6. Assessment Strategies
  7. Common Student Difficulties
  8. Accessibility Features
  9. Tips & Best Practices

Why Time Warp II?

Pedagogical Advantages

Time Warp II is designed for teaching programming fundamentals. The TempleCode language combines three historically important educational languages:

Heritage Year Educational Strength
BASIC 1964 Variables, logic, loops — core programming concepts
PILOT 1968 Interactive dialogue — students see input/output immediately
Logo 1967 Turtle graphics — visual, tangible results from code

What Makes It Effective

  • Instant feedback — every line produces visible output or drawing
  • No setup complexity — single executable, no compiler, no project configuration
  • Visual results — turtle graphics engage visual learners
  • Readable syntax — English keywords (PRINT, FORWARD, IF/THEN)
  • Three on-ramps — students can start with whichever style resonates (text output, Q&A interaction, or drawing)
  • Built-in examples — 21 ready-to-run programs in Program → Load Example

Setting Up a Classroom

Installation

  1. Ensure Python 3.10 or later is installed on each machine
  2. Copy the Time_Warp_II folder to each workstation (or a shared network drive)
  3. Run the setup script once:
cd Time_Warp_II
./run.sh          # Linux/macOS
run.bat           # Windows

This automatically installs dependencies (pygame-ce, pygments, Pillow) into a virtual environment.

Recommended Setup

  • Font size: Large (14pt) or Extra Large (16pt) for projection/screen sharing
  • Theme: High Contrast or Light for well-lit classrooms; Dark for dimmed rooms
  • Speed controls: Set execution delay to 50–100ms so students can follow program flow

All settings persist per-user in ~/.templecode_settings.json.

Network/Lab Considerations

  • No internet connection required after initial setup
  • The IDE is fully offline — no cloud accounts or telemetry
  • Each student gets independent settings (stored in their home directory)
  • File saves use standard OS file dialogs

Curriculum Integration

Age Groups & Levels

Level Age Range Focus Areas Recommended Heritage
Beginner 8–11 Drawing, colours, simple patterns Logo turtle graphics
Elementary 11–13 Variables, input/output, basic logic BASIC + Logo
Intermediate 13–15 Loops, conditionals, functions, data All three heritages
Advanced 15–18 Algorithms, procedures, project work Full TempleCode

Alignment with CS Standards

TempleCode naturally covers these computing curriculum areas:

  • Sequencing — programs run top to bottom
  • Selection — IF/THEN/ELSE, PILOT Y:/N: conditionals
  • Iteration — FOR/NEXT, WHILE/WEND, REPEAT []
  • Variables — LET, MAKE, A:
  • Input/Output — PRINT/INPUT, T:/A:, turtle drawing
  • Procedures — GOSUB/RETURN, Logo TO...END
  • Decomposition — breaking problems into subroutines
  • Debugging — built-in debug mode and error history

Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: Hello World (30 minutes)

Objective: Write and run a first program; understand the IDE layout.

Activities:

  1. Demo (5 min): Open the IDE, point out the three panels (editor, output, canvas). Load and run the "Hello World" example.

  2. Guided practice (10 min):

    PRINT "Hello, World!"
PRINT "My name is "; "Alice"
PRINT 2 + 3

    Students type, press F5, observe output.

  3. Exploration (10 min):

    • Change the message text
    • Try PRINT with numbers and arithmetic
    • Try PILOT style: T:Hello from PILOT!

  4. Wrap-up (5 min): Save the file, discuss what happened.

Assessment: Can the student write a PRINT statement and run it?

Lesson 2: Turtle Graphics (45 minutes)

Objective: Draw shapes using Logo turtle commands.

Activities:

  1. Demo (5 min): Run the "Turtle Graphics Spiral" example. Explain FORWARD, RIGHT, LEFT.

  2. Guided practice (15 min):

    REM Draw a square
FORWARD 100
RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100
RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100
RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100

  3. Challenge (15 min):

    • Draw a triangle (hint: RIGHT 120)
    • Draw a hexagon (hint: RIGHT 60)
    • Experiment with SETCOLOR "red" and SETPENSIZE 3

  4. Extension (10 min): Introduce REPEAT:

    REPEAT 4 [FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90]

    Ask: "How would you draw a circle?" → REPEAT 360 [FORWARD 1 RIGHT 1]

Assessment: Can the student draw a named shape using turtle commands?

Lesson 3: Variables & Input (45 minutes)

Objective: Use variables to store and manipulate data; take user input.

Activities:

  1. Guided practice (15 min):

    LET name = "Student"
INPUT "What is your name? "; name
PRINT "Hello, "; name; "!"
INPUT "How old are you? "; age
PRINT "Next year you will be "; age + 1

  2. PILOT alternative (10 min):

    T:What is your favourite colour?
A:
T:Interesting! You said *$answer*

  3. Challenge (15 min): Build a "Mad Libs" style story:

    INPUT "Enter an animal: "; animal
INPUT "Enter a colour: "; colour
INPUT "Enter a number: "; num
PRINT "Once upon a time, a "; colour; " "; animal
PRINT "jumped over "; num; " fences!"

  4. Wrap-up (5 min): Discuss what variables are and why they're useful.

Lesson 4: Conditionals (45 minutes)

Objective: Make programs that make decisions.

Activities:

  1. Demo (5 min): Load the "Number Guessing Game" example.

  2. Guided practice (15 min):

    INPUT "Enter your age: "; age
IF age >= 18 THEN
    PRINT "You can vote!"
ELSE
    PRINT "You can vote in "; 18 - age; " years."
ENDIF

  3. PILOT pattern matching (10 min):

    T:Do you like pizza? (yes or no)
A:
M:yes,yeah,yep
Y:T:Me too! Pizza is great!
N:T:Really? Most people love pizza!

  4. Challenge (15 min): Build a simple quiz with scoring:

    LET score = 0
INPUT "Capital of France? "; ans
IF ans = "Paris" THEN
    PRINT "Correct!"
    LET score = score + 1
ELSE
    PRINT "Sorry, it's Paris."
ENDIF
PRINT "Score: "; score; " out of 1"

Lesson 5: Loops (45 minutes)

Objective: Repeat actions using loops.

Activities:

  1. FOR loops (15 min):

    FOR i = 1 TO 10
    PRINT i; " x 7 = "; i * 7
NEXT i

  2. WHILE loops (10 min):

    LET guess = 0
LET secret = 7
WHILE guess <> secret
    INPUT "Guess the number (1-10): "; guess
WEND
PRINT "You got it!"

  3. REPEAT with turtle (10 min):

    REPEAT 36 [
    FORWARD 50
    RIGHT 170
]

  4. Challenge (10 min): Combine loops with conditionals — FizzBuzz.

Lesson 6: Procedures & Functions (45 minutes)

Objective: Organise code into reusable blocks.

Activities:

  1. Logo procedures (20 min):

    TO SQUARE :size
    REPEAT 4 [FORWARD :size RIGHT 90]
END

SQUARE 50
RIGHT 45
SQUARE 100

  2. BASIC subroutines (15 min):

    GOSUB draw_border
PRINT "Hello!"
GOSUB draw_border
END

*draw_border
PRINT "===================="
RETURN

  3. Challenge (10 min): Create a procedure that draws a house (square + triangle roof).

Lesson 7: Capstone Project (90 minutes)

Objective: Combine all skills in a self-directed project.

Suggested projects:

  • Interactive quiz with scoring (PILOT + BASIC)
  • Turtle art gallery (Logo procedures)
  • Text adventure game (BASIC conditionals + GOSUB)
  • Animated drawing with speed controls (Logo + DELAY)
  • Calculator program (BASIC + INPUT)

Students choose a project, plan, code, test, and present.

Example Progression

A recommended order for introducing the built-in examples:

Week Example Concepts Introduced
1 Hello World PRINT, running programs
1 Turtle Graphics Spiral FORWARD, RIGHT, REPEAT
2 Shapes Gallery Multiple shapes, SETCOLOR
2 Quiz (PILOT style) T:, A:, M:, Y:, N:
3 FizzBuzz FOR loop, IF/THEN, MOD
3 Temperature Converter INPUT, arithmetic, LET
4 Number Guessing Game WHILE loop, RND, conditionals
4 Times Tables Trainer Nested logic, scoring
5 Flower Garden Logo procedures (TO...END)
5 Science Quiz Multi-question PILOT quiz
6 Snowflake Fractal Recursive procedures
6 Adventure Story Complex branching, GOSUB
7 Kaleidoscope Advanced turtle art
7 Mandelbrot (Turtle Art) Mathematics + drawing

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment

  • Predict-Run-Investigate: Show code on screen, ask students to predict output before running
  • Fix the Bug: Provide programs with intentional errors; students debug
  • Extend It: Give a working program, ask students to add a feature
  • Code Reading: Students explain what a program does line by line

Summative Assessment

  • Portfolio: Collect 5–8 programs demonstrating progression
  • Project: Capstone program demonstrating multiple concepts
  • Practical Exam: Solve a coding task in a set time
  • Peer Review: Students review and improve each other's code

Rubric Criteria

Criterion Beginner Proficient Advanced
Output Uses PRINT correctly Uses PRINT with variables Formatted, multi-line output
Variables Creates variables Uses in expressions Multiple types, string ops
Control flow Simple IF Nested IF, loops Loops with conditions, SELECT
Turtle graphics Basic shapes Colours, sizes, patterns Procedures, complex art
Code quality Runs without errors Uses REM comments Well-structured, reusable

Common Student Difficulties

Problem Likely Cause Solution
"Nothing happens" Forgot to press F5 Remind: Run button or F5
Syntax error on IF Missing THEN or ENDIF Show the IF/THEN/ENDIF pattern
Turtle doesn't draw PEN is up Check for PENUP without PENDOWN
Variable is empty Typo in variable name Variables are case-insensitive but check spelling
PILOT doesn't match M: patterns are case-sensitive Explain M: matching rules
Loop runs forever WHILE condition never becomes false Use debug mode + speed slider
"Untitled ●" in status bar File not saved Teach Ctrl+S habit
Numbers treated as strings INPUT returns strings Use VAL() to convert
Canvas is blank Canvas was cleared/resized Use CLEARSCREEN at program start

Using Debug Mode

Teach students to use Debug → Enable Debug Mode when programs behave unexpectedly. The verbose output shows each line as it executes, making it easier to find logic errors.

The execution speed slider (0–500ms) is also invaluable — set it to 100ms and watch the program flow step by step.

Accessibility Features

Time Warp II includes several features that support diverse learners:

  • High Contrast theme — pure black background with bright text for low-vision users
  • 7 font sizes — from 8pt up to 22pt (also adjustable via Ctrl+Scroll)
  • 19 monospace font families — choose the most readable font for each student
  • Split editor — view two parts of code simultaneously
  • Keyboard-driven — all features accessible via keyboard shortcuts
  • Command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) — search for any command by name
  • Auto Dark/Light — follows OS accessibility settings
  • Colour-coded output — errors, warnings, and success are visually distinct

Tips & Best Practices

For the Classroom

  1. Start with Logo — visual output is immediately engaging
  2. Use the speed sliders — slow execution helps students follow program flow
  3. Project on screen — use Large or Extra Large font size
  4. Load examples together — use Program → Load Example as class demos
  5. Save frequently — teach Ctrl+S as a habit from day one
  6. Use the canvas export — students can save their turtle art as PNG/SVG

For Workshop Leaders

  1. Pre-install on all machines before the session
  2. Prepare a USB drive with the Time_Warp_II folder for offline install
  3. Start with "Hello World" → "Square" → "Quiz" as a three-step intro
  4. Give handouts with the keyboard shortcuts table
  5. End with free exploration — let participants try different examples

Differentiation

  • Struggling students: Start with the Hello World and Turtle Spiral examples; focus on modifying existing programs
  • Confident students: Jump to the Capstone projects; explore procedures and fractals
  • Advanced students: Challenge them to create their own example programs; look at the Technical Reference for architecture understanding

Resources

Time Warp II — Instructor Guide Copyright © 2025–2026 Honey Badger Universe