At the root of all computer science is something called an algorithm. The word “algorithm” may sound like something complicated, but really it’s just a list of instructions that someone can follow to achieve a result.

This lesson will help students realize that in order to give clear instructions, they need a common language. Students will practice controlling one another using a simple combination of hand gestures.

In this lesson, students will relate the concept of algorithms back to everyday real-life activities by planting an actual seed. The goal here is to start building the skills to translate real-world situations to online scenarios and vice versa.

By « programming » one another to draw pictures, students will begin to understand what programming is really about. The class will begin by having students instruct each other to color squares in on graph paper in an effort to reproduce an existing picture.

In this lesson, students will relate the concept of algorithms back to everyday real-life activities by making paper airplanes. The goal here is to start building the skills to translate real-world situations to online scenarios and vice versa.

In this lesson, students will relate the concept of algorithms back to everyday real-life activities by playing the Dice Race game. The goal here is to start building the skills to translate real-world situations to online scenarios and vice versa.

This lesson shows us something important about algorithms. If you keep an algorithm simple there are lots of ways to use it. If you want to make sure everyone ends up with the same thing, then your algorithm needs more detail.

Binary is extremely important to the computer world. The majority of computers today store all sorts of information in binary form. This lesson helps to demonstrate how it is possible to take something that we know and translate it into a series of ons and offs.

Though many people think of binary as strictly zeros and ones, our previous courses taught students that information can be represented in a variety of binary options. This lesson takes that concept one step further as it illustrates how a computer can store even more complex information (such as images and colors) in binary, as well.

For this activity, no instructions are provided. Instead, students will use examples of what imaginary players have done to figure out how to play the game. This lesson gives students the opportunity to practice the four arts of computational thinking (decomposition, pattern matching, abstraction, and algorithms) in one cohesive activity.

With nothing but paper and markers, students will learn the four steps of computational thinking. After a brief introduction, students should be split into groups where they will have to create directions for other students to draw a specific monster (from a catalog of pre-selected monsters).

We don’t always know ahead of time what things will be like when we run our computer programs. Different users have different needs, and sometimes you will want to do something based off of one user’s need that you don’t want to do with someone else.

In computer science, we face some big, daunting problems. Challenges like finding large prime numbers or sequencing DNA are almost impossible to do alone. Adding the power of others makes these tasks managable. This lesson will show your students how helpful teamwork can really be.

Abstraction is one of the most important skills for a computer scientist to understand. It simplifies problems and prevents unnecessary repetition. A good coder uses abstraction just about every time she creates a program. This activity will have your students analyze stories for differences so that they can abstract them away.

This activity will begin with a short review of Graph Paper Programming, then will quickly move to a race against the clock, as students break into teams and work together to create a program, one instruction at a time.

Events are a great way to add variety to a pre-written algorithm. Sometimes you want your program to be able to respond to the user exactly when the user wants it to. That is what events are for.

In this lesson, students will make a suncatcher out of string, beads, and a special charm. The students will follow a series of repetitive steps, then be asked to identify certain sets of “skills” that are duplicated several times. Once those skills are defined, they will be called from a main program and the whole beautiful process of creation will be recorded on a single sheet of paper.

One of the most magnificent structures in the computer science world is the function. Functions (sometimes called procedures) are mini programs that you can use over and over inside of your bigger program. This lesson will help students intuitively understand why combining chunks of code into functions is such a helpful practice.

One of the most magnificent structures in the computer science world is the function. Functions (sometimes called procedures) are mini programs that you can use over and over inside of your bigger program. This lesson will help students intuitively understand why combining chunks of code into functions is such a helpful practice.

In this lesson, students will pretend to flow through the Internet, all the while learning about Internet connections, URLs, IP Addresses, and the DNS.

Loops are a handy way of describing actions that repeat a certain numbers of times. In this lesson, students will practice converting sets of actions into a single loop.

We know that loops allow us to do things over and over again, but now we’re going to learn how to use loops with extra structure built right in.

New and unsolved problems are often pretty hard. If we want to have any chance of making something creative, useful, and clever, then we need to be willing to attack hard problems. This lesson teaches that failure is not the end of a journey, but a hint for how to succeed.

In collaboration with Common Sense Media This lesson helps students learn that many websites ask for information that is private and discusses how to responsibly handle such requests.

In collaboration with Common Sense Media, this lesson helps students learn about the similarities of staying safe in the real world and when visiting websites. Students will also learn that the information they put online leaves a digital footprint or “trail.”

In collaboration with Common Sense Media, this lesson helps students learn to think critically about the user information that some websites request or require. Students learn the difference between private information and personal information, distinguishing what is safe and unsafe to share online.

Variables allow for a lot of freedom in computer science. This lesson helps to explain what variables are and how we can use them in many different ways. Use this activity before (or in conjunction with) the lesson on abstraction to really hit the idea home.