SGCA Year 6 Workbook — Debugging Dunes: Debugging & Testing

🏜️ Year 6 · Debugging Dunes

Secret Galactic
Code Academy

Student Workbook

🏜️ Debugging Dunes — Debugging & Testing

Year Group: Year 6 · Ages 10–11

Theme: Error Types · Debug Process · try/except · Testing

Missions: 10 Workbook Missions · 16 Game Missions

Language: Python 3

Student Name

Class

School

Teacher

🔍

Zone 1: Error Canyon

The Three Error Types · The Debug Process

Mission 1: Welcome to Debugging Dunes EXPLORE

Year 6Chapter 1⏱ 20 min ⭐ 80 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Welcome to Debugging Dunes, Admiral! Here every bug is a lesson and every fix makes you stronger! Debugging is a SUPERPOWER!

📝 Activity 1.1 — What is Debugging?

In your own words, explain what debugging means:

Name 3 famous bugs in computing history (research if needed):

📝 Activity 1.2 — My Debugging Goals

By the end of Debugging Dunes, I want to be able to:

Mission 2: The Three Error Types CONCEPT

Year 6Chapter 1⏱ 25 min ⭐ 110 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Three types of errors: Syntax — Python won't run it. Logic — wrong answer. Runtime — crashes! Know them all — fix them all!

🔴 Syntax Error

Python won't run the code at all. Like a grammar mistake in English.

Examples: missing colon, = instead of ==, unclosed quote

🟠 Logic Error

Code runs but gives wrong answer. Hardest to find!

Examples: wrong operator, wrong condition, case sensitivity

🟣 Runtime Error

Code crashes during execution. Python gives an error message.

Examples: division by zero, index out of range, NameError

📝 Activity 2.1 — Classify the Errors

Write S (Syntax), L (Logic), or R (Runtime) for each:

Code	Type (S/L/R)	Why?
`if score > 80` (missing colon)
`score = "100"` then `score + 50`
`print(undefined_variable)`
`if score = 80:`
`list[10]` when list has 5 items
`while True: print("hello")`
`10 / 0`
`"Nova" == "nova"` returns False (wrong)

📝 Activity 2.2 — Read the Error Messages

What does each error message tell you? Write the fix:

SyntaxError: expected ':' after 'if' statement

Problem:

Fix:

NameError: name 'scroe' is not defined

Problem:

Fix:

IndexError: list index out of range

Problem:

Fix:

Mission 3: The Debug Process CONCEPT

Year 6Chapter 1⏱ 25 min ⭐ 120 XP

🚀

Nova says:

The 5-step debug process: READ → LOCATE → UNDERSTAND → FIX → TEST. Follow it every time — it works!

Step 1: READ — Read the error message carefully. What type? What line?

Step 2: LOCATE — Find the exact line in the code where the error occurs.

Step 3: UNDERSTAND — Why is this an error? What should happen vs what does happen?

Step 4: FIX — Make ONE change to fix the error. Don't change multiple things at once!

Step 5: TEST — Run the code again. Does it work? Are there more errors?

📝 Activity 3.1 — Apply the Debug Process

# BUGGY CODE
def calculate_average(numbers):
    total = 0
    for num in numbers:
        total = total + num
    return total  # BUG HERE

scores = [85, 92, 78, 95, 88]
avg = calculate_average(scores)
print("Average:", avg)

Step	Your Answer
1. READ — What is the output?
2. LOCATE — Which line has the bug?
3. UNDERSTAND — Why is it wrong?
4. FIX — Write the corrected line:
5. TEST — What should the output be?

🐛

Zone 2: Bug Valley

Syntax Error Hunt · Logic Error Detective

Mission 4: Syntax Error Hunt DEBUG

Year 6Chapter 2⏱ 25 min ⭐ 140 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Syntax errors are the easiest to find — Python tells you exactly where they are! Look for: missing colons, wrong operators, unclosed quotes, missing brackets!

📝 Activity 4.1 — Find and Fix the Syntax Errors

Each program has 3 syntax errors. Circle them and write the fixes:

# Program 1 — 3 syntax errors
def greet(name)
    print("Hello" name)
    print("Welcome to SGCA!)

greet("Nova")

Bug 1:

Bug 2:

Bug 3:

Fixed program:

📝 Activity 4.2 — Syntax Error Checklist

Check each item when hunting syntax errors:

Check	What to look for	Example fix
Colons	After if, for, def, else, elif, while	`if x > 0:`
Operators	= vs == (assignment vs comparison)	`if x == 5:`
Quotes	Opening and closing quotes match	`"hello"`
Brackets	Every ( has a matching )	`print(x)`
Indentation	Consistent spaces (4 spaces)	4 spaces per level

Mission 5: Logic Error Detective DEBUG

Year 6Chapter 2⏱ 25 min ⭐ 150 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Logic errors are the sneakiest bugs! The code runs but gives wrong answers. Trace through the code step by step — be a detective!

📝 Activity 5.1 — Find the Logic Errors

Each function has a logic error. Find it and write the fix:

# Bug 1: Grade checker
def get_grade(score):
    if score >= 90:
        return "A"
    elif score >= 80:
        return "B"
    elif score >= 70:
        return "C"
    else:
        return "A"  # BUG!

Bug:

Fix:

# Bug 2: Average calculator
def calculate_average(numbers):
    total = 0
    for num in numbers:
        total += num
    average = total  # BUG!
    return average

Bug:

Fix:

# Bug 3: Is adult checker
def is_adult(age):
    if found = True:  # BUG!
        return True
    return False

Bug:

Fix:

📝 Activity 5.2 — Logic Error Types

Logic Error Type	Example	How to spot it
Wrong operator	`if x < 0` instead of `if x > 0`
Wrong value	`return "A"` in else branch
Case sensitivity	`"Nova" == "nova"` is False
Off-by-one	`range(1, 10)` misses 10
Wrong formula	`total` instead of `total/len`

🧪

Zone 3: Test Lab

try/except · Writing Tests · Edge Cases

Mission 6: Runtime Error Handler CODING

Year 6Chapter 3⏱ 25 min ⭐ 150 XP

🚀

Nova says:

try/except catches runtime errors before they crash your program! Always print a helpful message in the except block!

📝 Activity 6.1 — try/except Structure

try:
    result = 100 / 0
    print(result)
except ZeroDivisionError:
    print("Cannot divide by zero!")

What does this print?

Without try/except, what would happen?

📝 Activity 6.2 — Add try/except

Add try/except to handle the runtime error in each program:

# Program 1: Division by zero
total = 150
count = int(input("How many students? "))
average = total / count
print("Average:", average)

Add try/except:

# Program 2: List index out of range
scores = [85, 92, 78]
index = int(input("Which score? (0-2): "))
print("Score:", scores[index])

Add try/except:

📝 Activity 6.3 — Common Runtime Errors

Error Type	Cause	except clause
ZeroDivisionError	Dividing by zero	`except ZeroDivisionError:`
ValueError	Wrong type (e.g., int("abc"))
IndexError	List index out of range
NameError	Variable not defined
TypeError	Wrong type operation

Mission 7: Writing Tests LOGIC

Year 6Chapter 3⏱ 25 min ⭐ 140 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Tests prove your code works! Write them for every function you create. A good test has: input, expected output, and actual output!

📝 Activity 7.1 — Write Test Cases

def is_even(number):
    return number % 2 == 0

Write 5 test cases for is_even():

Input	Expected Result	Test Code
4	True	`print(is_even(4) == True)`
7
0
-2
1

📝 Activity 7.2 — Grade Calculator Tests

def get_grade(score):
    if score >= 90: return "A"
    elif score >= 80: return "B"
    elif score >= 70: return "C"
    elif score >= 60: return "D"
    else: return "F"

Write test cases for each grade boundary:

Score	Expected Grade	Test Code
95	A	`print(get_grade(95) == "A")`
85
75
65
55
90

Mission 8: Edge Cases and Boundary Testing LOGIC

Year 6Chapter 3⏱ 25 min ⭐ 140 XP

🚀

Nova says:

Edge cases are where bugs hide! Test the unusual inputs — empty list, zero, negative numbers, very large numbers. Test the EXACT boundary values!

📝 Activity 8.1 — Identify Edge Cases

For each function, list 3 edge cases to test:

Function	Edge Case 1	Edge Case 2	Edge Case 3
calculate_average(numbers)
find_max(numbers)
is_palindrome(word)

📝 Activity 8.2 — Boundary Testing

For get_grade(score) where A = 90+, test the boundaries:

# Test boundary values
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be A (exactly at A boundary)
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be B (just below A boundary)
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be B (exactly at B boundary)
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be C (just below B boundary)
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be F (minimum possible)
print(get_grade(    ))  # Should be A (maximum possible)

⭐ Star Challenge — Complete Test Suite

Write a complete test suite for calculate_average() including normal cases, edge cases, and boundary values:

🔧

Zone 4: Debug Workshop

Complete Debug Sessions · Master Program

Mission 9: Complete Debug Session CODING

Year 6Chapter 4⏱ 30 min ⭐ 160 XP

🚀

Nova says:

A complete debug session: find ALL bugs, fix them one at a time, write tests to verify. This is professional-level debugging!

📝 Activity 9.1 — Debug the Stats Calculator

This program has 5 bugs (mix of syntax, logic, and runtime). Find and fix them all:

# BUGGY CODE — find all 5 bugs
def calculate_stats(scores)
    if len(scores) = 0:
        return None

    total = 0
    for score in scores:
        total = total + score

    average = total
    highest = scores[0]
    for score in scores:
        if score > highest:
            highest = score

    lowest = scores[0]
    for score in scores:
        if score < lowest:
            lowest = score

    return average, highest, lowest

Bug 1 (line __):

Bug 2 (line __):

Bug 3 (line __):

Bug 4 (line __):

Bug 5 (line __):

📝 Activity 9.2 — Write Tests for Fixed Code

Write test cases to verify your fixed calculate_stats():

Input	Expected avg	Expected high	Expected low
[100]
[0, 100]
[50, 50, 50]
[85, 92, 78, 95, 88]

🏆

Final Quest: Debug the Dunes!

Use ALL your debugging skills to fix the systems!

Mission 10: FINAL QUEST — Debug the Dunes! FINAL

Year 6Chapter 5⏱ 60 min ⭐ 500 XP

🚀

Nova says:

DEBUGGING DUNES needs you! Use ALL your debugging skills — syntax, logic, runtime, testing — to fix the systems and save the Dunes!

🏆 Part 1: Fix 5 Syntax Errors

# BUGGY CODE — 5 syntax errors
def check_score(score)
    if score >= 80:
        return "Pass"
    else
        return "Fail

for i in range(10)
    print(i)

Bug 1:

Bug 2:

Bug 3:

Bug 4:

Bug 5:

🏆 Part 2: Fix 5 Logic Errors

Each function has a logic error. Write the fix:

def is_adult(age): return age < 18  # Bug 1
def factorial(n):
    result = 0  # Bug 2
    for i in range(1, n+1): result *= i
    return result
def list_length(my_list): return len(my_list) + 1  # Bug 3
def find_max(nums):
    max_val = nums[0]
    for num in nums:
        if num < max_val: max_val = num  # Bug 4
    return max_val
def double_list(nums):
    result = []
    for num in nums: result.append(num)  # Bug 5
    return result

Fix 1:

Fix 2:

Fix 3:

Fix 4:

Fix 5:

🏆 Part 3: Handle 3 Runtime Errors

Add try/except to each function:

def safe_divide(a, b):
    return a / b  # Add ZeroDivisionError handler

def safe_get(my_list, index):
    return my_list[index]  # Add IndexError handler

def safe_int(value):
    return int(value)  # Add ValueError handler

🏆 Part 4: Write a Complete Test Suite

Write tests for calculate_stats([85, 92, 78, 95, 88]):

🏆 Part 5: Debug the Master Program

This program has 4 bugs. Find and fix them all:

def station_diagnostic(zones)
    results = []
    for zone in zones:
        if zone["status"] = "active":
            power = zone["power"]
            if power < 50
                results.append(f"Zone {zone['id']}: LOW POWER ({power}%)")
            else:
                results.append(f"Zone {zone['id']}: OK ({power}%)")
    return results

Bug 1:

Bug 2:

Bug 3:

Bug 4:

🏆

DEBUGGING DUNES CONQUERED!

You've mastered error types, the debug process, try/except, and testing!

Creativity Cluster awaits, Admiral! 🎨

🏅 Year 6 Master

🏜️ Debugging Dunes Champion

🐛 Bug Hunter Elite

assert

A statement that checks if a condition is True; raises AssertionError if False.

Bug

An error in a program that causes it to behave incorrectly.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors in code.

Edge case

An unusual or extreme input that might cause unexpected behaviour.

except

Catches a specific error type in a try/except block.

Logic error

Code runs but produces wrong results. Hardest to find.

Runtime error

Code crashes during execution (e.g., ZeroDivisionError, IndexError).

Syntax error

Code violates Python's grammar rules; Python won't run it.

Test case

A specific input with an expected output used to verify code works.

Trace

Following code step by step to understand what it does.

try

Attempts code that might raise an error.

ZeroDivisionError

Runtime error when dividing by zero.

Zone 1: Error Canyon

Zone 2: Bug Valley

Zone 3: Test Lab

Zone 4: Debug Workshop

Final Quest: Debug the Dunes!

📖 Glossary — Year 6 Key Terms