Activity

Divide and Conquer—Santa’s Dirty Socks

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

The story "Santa's Dirty Socks" provides learners an example of a search algorithm that uses a divide and conquer system similar to a binary search algorithm. The included questions expand upon the concepts that follow the story.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Research different types of search algorithms
  • Have the class come up with a method that would help if there were an odd number of boxes
Classroom Considerations
  • If using the storybook version, make sure it is in color
Pros
  • Storybook and video provide two methods to pose the situation
  • Includes questions that can be answered by different levels of mathematical knowledge
Cons
  • The video shows using the algorithm in searching for a book in a library, which is not how to go about finding a book in a library