Put the steps of an algorithm in the right order.
Algorithm Step Sequencer
Put the steps of an everyday algorithm back in the right order.
🔒 Privacy: this tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files and text never leave your device — nothing is uploaded to any server.
The steps appear shuffled. Click them in the correct order, then check your answer.
How it works
- Pick an everyday algorithm: make a sandwich, brush your teeth or sort three numbers.
- Press “Start” and the steps appear shuffled.
- Click the steps in the order they should happen.
- Press “Check Order” to see which steps are right and the correct order for any you missed.
Frequently asked questions
What is an algorithm?
A list of steps in the right order that solves a problem or finishes a job — like a recipe, but for a computer.
Why does the order of the steps matter?
Because each step needs the one before it. You cannot spread butter on bread you have not taken out yet.
Can I change my order before I check it?
Yes. Press “Start Over” to clear your picks and click the steps again in a new order.
What is the Algorithm Step Sequencer?
The Algorithm Step Sequencer asks you to put the steps of an everyday algorithm back in the right order. Pick one of three algorithms — make a sandwich, brush your teeth or sort three numbers — press Start, and the steps appear shuffled. Click them in the order they should happen, then press Check Order to see which steps are right and the correct order for any you missed.
It is made for pupils meeting algorithms for the first time, usually in upper primary and lower secondary computing. An algorithm is a list of steps in the right order that solves a problem or finishes a job — like a recipe, but for a computer. The tool uses everyday jobs on purpose, so pupils can feel why order matters before any code appears: you cannot spread butter on bread you have not taken out yet, and a computer program fails in the same way when its steps are out of order.
What you can use it for
Here are some ways to use the sequencer in a computing lesson.
- Introducing algorithms: start with the sandwich, the easiest of the three, and ask the class to act out the steps in the order they chose, so a wrong order becomes obvious and funny rather than abstract.
- Teaching why order matters: after a wrong attempt, read the correct order from the Check Order result and talk through which step depended on the one before it, such as picking up the toothbrush before putting toothpaste on it.
- A step towards sorting: use the sort-three-numbers algorithm once pupils are confident with the everyday ones, as it is the closest of the three to what a computer program actually does.
- Pair discussion: let two pupils agree on the order together before they click, since explaining why one step must come first is the thinking the tool is really teaching.
Good to know
- Each step needs the one before it, so ask yourself “what must already be done?” before you click a step, rather than picking the step that simply sounds like it comes next.
- Press Check Order to see which steps are right and the correct order for any you missed, and read the full correct order rather than just your score.
- If you want to change your order before you check it, press Start Over to clear your picks and click the steps again in a new order.
- Try the three algorithms in order — sandwich, then brushing your teeth, then sorting three numbers — as they get steadily closer to the kind of thinking a program needs.
What should I do after I can order all three algorithms?
Turn the skill into a plan for a real program. Pick a small project, write its steps down in order on paper, and only then start building it. The Flowchart Maker is the natural next step: it lets you draw those steps as a chart with Start, Process, Decision and End boxes, which is how programmers plan before they code. Then try the Scratch Coding Challenge Generator for a project to build, and the Coding Logic Puzzle Generator for more puzzles about steps and program output.