Teach Computer Science & Coding to Kids - CS First

Mixing Reading with Coding in Early Childhood As a librarian, my goal is to expose students to all forms of literacy. Coding, to me, is just another form. Teaching coding allows me to integrate multiple disciplines together. Coding is a process just like the research process. Introducing Tinkercad Lesson Plans Today, we’re excited to announce a new section of the Tinkercad website dedicated to providing free, standards-aligned lesson plans that have been shaped and vetted by educators just like you. Instruction has always been a cornerstone of Tinkercad. From the moment a student signs on, our self-paced, interactive guides make it easy for them to get started in 3D design. But after a student learns the basics, what comes next? Teachers tell us that they often struggle with how to leverage their students’ newfound Tinkercad skills into larger lessons that meet academic standards. By adding a curated selection of free lesson plans to our growing collection of learning tools, we hope our community of educators will feel more supported and empowered, especially with today's challenges of distance education.

Ready to Learn Coding? Here are resources. Plus: Teaching with Scratch There are several ways to start learning about code, and each offers something a little different. Not all coding sites are created equal, and not every site or initiative works for every teacher or learner. A playful, introductory experience might not satisfy a teacher looking for a civic-minded coding experience, while an in-depth tutorial on programming games might not be the best starting place for a kid interested in web design. For novices, there are many ways to enter the coding ecosystem.

The Guided Mission NGSSMS-ETS1-4Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. CSTA2-AP-11 6-8Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values.2-AP-14 6-8Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier to reuse.2-AP-19 6-8Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug. Common CoreCCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.4Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and use them to solve problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship between the circumference and area of a circle.

Makerspaces: On Scanning the Road & Gently Easing the Brakes As school librarians, we are driven by our mission and our vision, by our national standards, by the needs and interests of our communities, and to some degree, by our own talents, passions and dispositions. We are all about inspiring learners to think, create, share and grow. We are all about becoming empowered leaders who transform teaching and learning. But, there is NOT just one right way to do library. And there is not one right way to inspire creative culture. And, while there are so many wonderful ways to inspire authentic, hands-on learning by doing, some of us feel a very strong pressure to radically transform already effective programs and spaces for a prescribed and limited vision of making.

Learn Dance Party Grades 2+ | Blocks Minecraft Hour of Code A Minecraft Tale of Two Villages Grades 2+ | Blocks, Python Make a Flappy game ScratchX What is ScratchX? ScratchX is a platform that enables people to test experimental functionality built by developers for the visual programming language Scratch. What's the difference between Scratch and ScratchX? Assessing Maker Education Projects Institutionalized education has given assessment a bad reputation; often leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many teachers, students, and laypeople. This is primarily due to the testing movement, the push towards using student assessment in the form of tests as a measure of student, teacher, principal, and school accountability. Educators should be clear about why they include assessment in their instruction; be strategic and intentional in its use.

Edu Lesson Plans Lesson plans to get you started Coding Download PDF Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum Algorithmic Thinking Students demonstrate algorithmic thinking whenever they create or use a well-defined series of steps to achieve a desired outcome. In our sixth-grade math class, for example, students identify and plot a set of ordered pairs on a coordinate plane to re-create a piece of art they’ve made. Students practice the algorithm for Punnett squares by refashioning themselves as cartoon babies, meticulously crossing their genotypes to create endless generations of children. In orchestra, students learn about the history of algorithmic music composition, from Mozart’s dice music to Emily Howell, a computer program created by David Cope, to modern, all-robot bands. While humans can get a bit more creative in following an algorithm than a computer can, it’s important for students to be able to both communicate and interpret clear instructions for a predictable, reliable output.

Introducing Design Thinking to Elementary Learners Design thinking is an approach to learning that includes considering real-world problems, research, analysis, conceiving original ideas, lots of experimentation, and sometimes building things by hand. The projects teach students how to make a stable product, use tools, think about the needs of another, solve challenges, overcome setbacks and stay motivated on a long-term problem. The projects also teach students to build on the ideas of others, vet sources, generate questions, deeply analyze topics, and think creatively and analytically. Many of those same qualities are goals of the Common Core State Standards. (What Does ‘Design Thinking’ Look Like in School?)

Design Thinking Process and UDL Planning Tool Bringing Makerspaces into Classrooms to meet STEM and STEAM Post by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. @jackiegerstein, and Barbara Bray @bbray27 is also cross-posted at The future of many school libraries is anchored to makerspaces Not long ago the New Milford High School library in New Jersey was pretty traditional. It had tall stacks of books and old wooden tables that didn’t move easily. It was underutilized. Students weren’t drawn to it and, to a large extent, neither were teachers. Today, it’s a different story. Students stop by the library during their lunch period and come before and after school.

Make a Robot ABCya is the leader in free educational computer games and mobile apps for kids. The innovation of a grade school teacher, ABCya is an award-winning destination for elementary students that offers hundreds of fun, engaging learning activities. Millions of kids, parents, and teachers visit ABCya.com each month, playing over 1 billion games last year. Apple, The New York Times, USA Today, Parents Magazine and Scholastic, to name just a few, have featured ABCya’s popular educational games. ABCya’s award-winning Preschool computer games and apps are conceived and realized under the direction of a certified technology education teacher, and have been trusted by parents and teachers for ten years.