Coding Club is a 12 week program for students in kindergarten through second grade. During the semester, students explore and use different coding platforms such as Scratch Jr., Code.org or Tynker. The first three weeks are dedicated to learning the coding basics while the middle weeks are spent creating playable games and building programmable robots. Lastly, students get the opportunity to dive deeper into a topic of their choice in the passion project.
Aside from gaining knowledge in coding concepts, students build confidence and friendships. Computational thinking (a problem solving technique), communication and critical thinking skills are also enhanced.
Week 1- Intro to Code
- What is Coding Video- Scratch Garden
- Code: Giving instructions to a computer or a robot in a language it understands.
- What is Coding- Song Lyrics and Activity PDF
- Code.org Course A Lesson 6 Puzzle 2 BB8
- K-2 Week 1 Handout PDF
Week 2- Intro to Code
- Sequence Video
- Sequence: The order something happens in
- Sequencing Song Lyrics and Activity PDF
- Scratch Jr. Home Page
- Scratch Jr. Dance Party Example- BootUp PD
- K-2 Week 2 Handout PFD
Week 3- Intro to Code
- Algorithm Video
- Algorithm: Step by step directions in order to complete a task
- Drawing Forest Animals with Algorithms (free printable)
- Candy Quest- Hour of Code Tynker
- Login information was attached to the back of the is week’s handout. Please message Miss Mikayla if you would like your child’s login information.
- Candy Quest Hour of Code Answer Key PDF
- K-2 Week 3 Handout PDF
Week 4- Robotics
- Decomposition Video
- Decomposition: Taking a big problem and breaking it down into smaller problems
- Decomposition Song Lyrics and Activity PDF
- Sphero Website (we use the Sphero Bolt in class)
- K-2 Week 4 Handout PDF
Week 5- Robotics
- Debugging Video
- Debugging: The process of finding and correcting bugs (mistakes) in code
- Debugging Song Lyrics and Activity PDF
- K-2 Week 5 Handout PDF
Week 6- Robotics
- Pattern Video
- Pattern Recognition: Looking for similarities between different problems
- Code N Go Mouse (Mouse and Activity Set)
- K-2 Week 6 Handout PDF
Week 7- Robotics
- Loops Video
- Loops: A repeating sequence of code
- Types of loops: Forever loops, counting loops and conditional loops. Forever loops repeat the code until the computer programmer tells it to stop. Counting loops repeat the code for a certain number of times while conditional loops repeat until something happens (keep walking until the character touches the candy).
- Loops Song Lyrics and Activity PDF
- Loops: A repeating sequence of code
- K-2 Week 7 Handout PDF
Week 8- Game Design
- Abstraction Video
- Abstraction: The process of removing the details to make a solution work for multiple problems. For example, if there was a code written to make a wizard go to a star and we wanted to make a monkey go to bananas, we would ignore the details of what the wizard is wearing, the color of the star and any sound effects.
- Scratch Jr. Run a Race Activity Guide/Picture Walkthrough
- Run A Race on Scratch Jr (Video tutorial and example)
- K-2 Week 8 Handout PDF
Week 9- Game Design
- Conditionals Video
- Conditionals: Lines of code that make a decision -usually phrased in an IF/THEN statement. A programmed robot will keep driving but IF it sees the color red, THEN it will stop. We use conditionals in our daily lives all the time! IF it is raining, THEN bring an umbrella, IF it is anything ELSE outside THEN bring sunglasses.
- Video of Miss Mikayla’s Try to Catch Me Game on Scratch Jr.
- K-2 Week 9 Handout PDF
Week 10- Game Design
- Computational Video
- Computational Thinking: A problem solving skill involving four parts- Decomposition, Abstraction, Algorithms and Pattern Recognition.
- Decomposition: Breaking a big problem down into smaller problems.
- Abstraction: Removing or ignoring the details that are not important.
- Algorithm: Step by step directions in order to complete a task or a goal.
- Pattern Recognition: Finding similarities between different problems.
- Computational Thinking: A problem solving skill involving four parts- Decomposition, Abstraction, Algorithms and Pattern Recognition.
- Hide and Seek Game on Scratch Jr. Video Tutorial
- K-2 Week 10 Handout PDF
Week 11- Passion Project
Week 12- Passion Project
- Confidence Spot Song Video
- Confidence: Believe in yourself
- K-2 Week 12 Handout PDF
Other Resources
Our YouTube Channel – We’ve created several free videos to walkthrough some of the puzzles from above and activities in Scratch Jr. from below.
Scratch Jr – Free app for iOS, Android, and ChromeOS – Allows your students to use the ideas learned above in their own creative programming environment. They can add characters and backgrounds to program their own games and animations. Here are some examples of free activities in Scratch Jr: www.scratchjr.org/teach/activities
Tynker – Free app for iOS, Android, and ChromeOS (also a website tynker.com). Limited number of free puzzles similar to the links listed above.
LightBot Code Hour – Free app for iOS and Android. Three-dimensional puzzles similar to the links above.
Additional Coding Resources
Enrollment Now Open
Choose from online and in-person coding courses for young learners, K-6, designed to develop critical thinkers and problem solvers with transferrable skills across all subjects.