Week at a Glance for Computer Specialty at JQES

2025 - 26 Computer Specialty Weekly Plan

Computer Specialty Teacher:  Andrea Blake

Questions?    Email ablake@bostonpublicschools.org

• Exit Ticket to show what you learned

• Computer Science Vocabulary you need to know 

• JQES 2024-25 Scratch Studio (Last Year): sample student projects

Week 1

9/4 - 9/5

Welcome Back to School!   Let's talk, get to know each other, review expectations, explore tools in BPS Clever. 

Week 2 

9/8 - 9/12

Orientation and icebreaker:  

• Watch: CS is Everywhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpZW6SPnX8M 

• Why do we learn computer science in elementary school? 

- We’re here to learn about computer science, and it’s not just about using computers – it’s about being creative, solving problems, and making things happen!  Learning these skills now opens up a whole world of possibilities for your future. Even if you don’t become a computer scientist, you’ll find that knowing how to think like a programmer helps in all kinds of jobs. If you want to be a doctor, computer science can help with medical technology. If you want to be an artist, you can use it for digital design. Engineers, musicians, architects, and even athletes use computer science in ways that make their work better and more exciting

• Expectations in computer class: F.I.R.E values, take care of your device, behavior, deadlines for projects, submit weekly exit ticket +keep a journal of your own learning every week.  The journal will serve you as a reference and a self reflection tool, and a way to show your teacher what you learned.

K1  BrainPop Jr episode: Kindergarten (get to know each other and expectations), Digital Citizenship: My Online Neighborhood. 

K2  Digital Citizenship: Meet the digital citizens, Lesson 1:  Arms - Balance your media use time.  Chromebook: how to sign in with your badge, our routine, practice opening an app and clicking on things using the touch screen and the track pad (abcya connect the dots).  How to put the chromebook away.

1st grade: Welcome, FIRE values and expectations, Our routine: go to code.org (if you have access to it), then go to abcya.com if you have extra time.  Try Submarine spelling.

2nd to 5th grade: Typing.com. Create a Google Document: My Computer Specialty Journal.  Write your first entry in your journal:  Day 1: About Me.  Take a selfie, write 3 sentences about you. Here is a SAMPLE About Me. Finish your Day 1 entry with a section on Computer Skills I Learned (or Practiced) Today.  Write down what you learned today.

Day 1 - Google Document Learning Objectives:  By the end of this lesson I will know how to:

1. Find the google drive

2. Create a folder named Computer Specialty

3. Create a Google document named My Computer Specialty Journal

4. Use the Normal Text / Title / Heading… dropdown

5. Rename the label “Untitled Document” so I can 

find my document next time

6. Use the camera to insert a photo of myself in my document

4th & 5th grade Extension: If you have extra time, create a name tag in Adobe Express, take a screenshot and add that to your About Me.  

Week 3

9/15 - 9/19

K1  iPads. Sharing. ABC Kids, trace capital letters

K2  code.org (course A). 

1st grade: Code.org (course B). How to work in pairs: Driver & Navigator roles.

2nd grade: Typing.com. 

3rd, 4th & 5th grade:  Create a Nametag in Adobe Express.  Take a screenshot and upload it into your computer specialty journal for Day 2.  Finish your Day 2 entry with a section on Computer Skills I Learned (or Practiced) Today.  Write down what you learned today.

Day 2 - Learning Objectives:  By the end of this lesson I will know how to:

1. Create a Nametag in Adobe Express

2. Use the Generative AI text effects in Adobe, to decorate my name

3. Take a screenshot of my nametag 

4. Find my google document named My Computer Specialty Journal on the google drive

5. Add a Day 2 entry and upload the screenshot of my nametag.

Week 4

9/22 - 9/26

K1  Digital Citizenship: Meet the digital citizens, Lesson 1:  Arms - Balance your media use time. 

K2  code.org (course A)

1st grade: Code.org (course B)

2nd grade: Typing.com. 

3rd, 4th & 5th grade:  Scratch coding  - Lesson 0:  The point is to verify that you can share a project, submit the link in the Exit Ticket and the teacher can view your project.

1. Sign in to your Scratch account. 

2. Create a new project. 

3. Make the cat say Hello. 

2. Click the Share button (if you don't have the Share button, or it doesn't work, let me know, and i will give you another account that I created for you and it works. Don't try to send the confirmation email to fix the sharing problem yourself, and don't try to create another account, because BPSTech blocked the confirmation email in BPS student emails, so you won't be able to. Sorry.)

3. Fill out the Exit Ticket on the top of the JQES computer specialty website.

Next: Write an entry in your Computer Specialty Journal: Day 3 - Scratch coding. We started Scratch coding. Describe your level of Scratch knowledge:  1. Never tried to make a Scratch project before, 2. I know a little, 3. I know a lot, I created many projects already,  4. I am an expert.

Extra Credit: If you have extra time, fix this Buggy Project:

1. Click Race to the Finish

2. Sign In on Scratch, then Click the Remix Button. This will make a copy for you.

Week 5

9/29 - 10/3

K1  Digital Citizenship: 

K2  code.org (course A)

1st grade: Code.org (course B)

2nd grade: Typing.com. 

3rd, 4th & 5th grade:  Scratch coding - Lesson 1:  a discussion

1. Sign in to your Scratch account. 

2. Create a new project

3. Get two characters from the Sprite library

4. Use the Flag, Say for (x seconds) and Wait blocks to have the characters take turns talking about something. Each character should speak at least twice.

5. Make sure you Share your project and submit it in the exit ticket 5 minutes before computer class is over.

6. How to get a 4 on this project?  Extension: if you still have time, add more facts, supporting images, maybe an animation to make it more interesting. Stay on topic.