Computer Science Deep Dive
FIND Computer science RESOURCES BELOW
CodeCombat is an educational video game for learning software programming concepts and languages. This game is recommended for students ages 9–16.
CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.
Google’s CS First program has an arsenal of activities for kids that are divided into hour-long projects (giving a nod to Hour of Code) and multi-day projects. All projects contain multiple activities and video tutorials so that kids have support long the way. Most are available in Spanish and a few are unplugged activities as well. No account is needed and extra resources are provided for teachers (including contingency plans for when technology isn’t being so techy.).
PBS Sci Girls offers Code Quest in which students work to code a robot in a scenario where they collect data from the ocean. Students can learn to code by progressing through these short mini-lessons to learn coding concepts and build their skills. No support materials are available3, but this module is user-friendly enough to not require them.
Once students have some experience in coding, they can experiment with Scratch from MIT. Scratch is slightly more advanced than the others mentioned and would be a “next step” for students who have already had some preliminary experience elsewhere. That said, Scratch offers activity tutorials that guide students through learning how to animate characters, tell stories and create games. And for those with a flaky internet connection, you can download the app (also free.)