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

February 23 - 27

Happening Now: Winter Holidays: Lunar New Year Lunar New Year Challenge

Make a Chinese Dragon: video instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jokeJW6A3O0 paper cutout template: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qe3p22IhOwbTtLwDvFncfr6xFVFZ4dls/view
Extension: Use Cubetto or a BeeBot to motorize and code your dragon to move around or dance

K1 Intro and Expectations.

K2 & 1st grade: Code.org

2nd to 5th grade: Introductions: Icebreaker, taking care of devices, expectations, Typing.com, Google Drive, Google docs, slides, forms and sheets. Journaling: Write in your journal at the end of computer specialty class every time about what you learned about or practiced today.

Let's get started. 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 Journal. Finish your Day 1 entry with a Reflection about what Computer Skills You Learned (or Practiced) Today.

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

Find the google drive
Create a folder named Computer Specialty
Create a Google document named My Computer Specialty Journal
Use the Normal Text / Title / Heading… dropdown
Rename the label “Untitled Document” so I can

find my document next time

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

Extension: If you have extra time, practice typing on Typing.com

Scratch Coders INTERMEDIATE COURSE: Scratch Lesson 6 - Guess the Number

Journaling: Write in your Computer Specialty Journal

Geometry Dash Wrap up. Write an entry in your journal about how many episodes of the video tutorials by GriffPatch you managed to watch. Did you manage to create a Geometry Dash game based on the videos? Even if you just created the cube-like player sprite and managed to code it to jump it's fine.

If you managed to create a geometry dash game, please Share and submit your work in the Exit ticket under Scratch Extra Work for Extra Credit. Also let me know in the comments field how far you got

March 2 - 6

Happening Now: March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's Birthday. Holidays: Ramadan

K1 Intro and Expectations. How to be safe on the internet. Always ask your parent first. Safe places to visit. Extension: Number Bingo, Alphabet order Movement Break: Go Noodle Cosmic Power Up with Mario and Yoshi

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Scratch Coding Group:

Journaling: Start a Computer Class Notes google document. You will write a reflection of what you learned or practiced every time we have class. We will start Scratch coding later.

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. Use Tinkercad Code to join the class: GGE C88 YYC

March 9 - 13

Happening Now: the Telephone's 150th birthday: Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call to his helper Mr. Watson on March 10th, 1876

K1 Shapes. Shapes and Colors Number Bingo, Alphabet order Movement Break. Cleanup time: Green Eggs and Ham readaloud

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Google Skills Group: Write a Recipe in a google document. Vocabulary: Algorithm, sequence. Google docs: recipe. Practiced bulleted and numbered lists.

Scratch Coding Group:

Journaling: Start a Computer Class Notes google document. You will write a reflection of what you learned or practiced every time we have class.

The first entry is a warm up exercise. Write an About Me, and include a selfie.

Extension: if you have extra time, create a name tag in Adobe Express. Take a screenshot of your nametag and add it to your About Me entry.

We will start Scratch coding next week

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. use Tinkercad Code GGE C88 YYC to join my class. Start with the 6 tutorials to master these skills: place it, move it, rotate it, group (and cut a whole) in objects, copy objects, stack objects.

Lego Robotics: Spike.legoeducation.com. Getting started. What's in the box, how to take care of the kits.

1. Go to Spike.legoeducation.com and click Spike Prime.

2. Click Start to learn how to use Spike Prime. Complete the 6 tutorials: The Light Matrix, The Motor, The Color Sensor, etc.

3. Next: Click Units, then Invention Squad, then lesson 2 Build a Hopper.

Remember: Write in your journal what you learned today.

March 16 - 20

Happening Now: Saint Patrick's Day, Women's History Month

K1 St Patrick's Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OO-bw9m6U4 iPad: Letter Trace app, abcya Seasonal Shuffle (month and holidays). Cleanup Time: Month of the Year song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d3jkbP1xc8

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B. Extra time: play Seasonal Shuffle

Google Skills Group: Journaling, Day3 entry: Create a name tag in Adobe Express. Take a screenshot of your nametag and add it to your Computer Specialty Journal.

Scratch Coding Group:

Journaling (just like the Google Skills Group for now), Day3 entry: Create a name tag in Adobe Express. Take a screenshot of your nametag and add it to your Computer Specialty Journal.

Scratch Challenge: If you have extra time, Make a scratch project for St Patrick's Day. Examples: Draw a clover, or make a Shamrock Hunt game (like the one on abcya.com), or a Lucky Clover clicker game or catch game (if you click or catch a special 4-leaf clover, get 4 points, if you click a regular 3-leaf clover, get 1 point).

If you have never made anything on Scratch before, first watch this New To Scratch tutorial by GriffPatch, but please do NOT sign up for a new account (because you will be blocked from sharing by BPSTech). Next go to Scratch.mit.edu, log in to the account I created for you, click Create to start a new project, click Tutorials and choose the getting started tutorial, or just start using a few coding blocks to try what happens: you can make the cat move by using the blue Move block, or have the cat say hello with the purple Say block. Have fun!

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. Design a shamrock for Saint Patrick's Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chWELXIEDbg

Challenge: Clicky Keychain try the tutorial for clicky keychain from the tinkercad Gallery by HLModtech bit.ly/hlkc with this template at bit.ly/clickykc or https://www.tinkercad.com/things/c6fVGk8SRia-clicky-keychain-template

Lego Robotics: Getting started. What's in the box, how to take care of the kits. Build and race hoppers.

1. Go to Spike.legoeducation.com and click Spike Prime.

2. Click Units, then Invention Squad, then lesson 2 Build a Hopper.

3. Test that your hopper can hop to the finish line

4. How can you improve your hopper? Fill out the printed worksheet and discuss with your team (at your table).

5. Write in your journal what you learned today.

Vocabulary:

robot: a robot is a machine that can be programmed to follow instructions to do jobs on its own, sometimes using sensors to respond to its environment.
prototype: is a first model or test version of something you build to try out ideas and test your design.

Learning Goal: Design multiple prototypes to find the most effective way to move a robot without using wheels

March 23 - 27

K1 Little Houses

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Google Skills Group: Jounaling, Day3 entry: Create a name tag in Adobe Express. Take a screenshot of your nametag and add it to your Computer Specialty Journal.

Scratch Coding Group:

Scratch coding Lesson 0: Make the cat say hello, Share your project and Submit it in the Exit Ticket. The main purpose of this is to verify that you can:

1. log in to your scratch account, and check that the orange Share button works (if it says you need to verify your email first, alert Ms. Blake immediately, because BPS will block the email, so only I can fix it for you),

2. you are able to submit the project in the Exit Ticket so Ms. Blake can see it and keep track of all the projects in a data spreadsheet.

Journaling, Day 4 entry: Write down in your journal that we started doing Scratch coding, and you verified that your account works. Also write down what level you think you are in Scatch coding: beginner, intermediate or expert. Extra credit: Explain your answer. For example, you could say this is your first time using Scratch, or you learned some Scratch before in computer class or in summer school, or you made a lot of projects, or a very difficult and large project, and describe how it works, or include a link to your project.

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. Make a house and learn tinkercad in 10 minutes: Learn Tinkercad in 10 Minutes!

Lego Robotics Group: Improve Your Hopper

1. Go to Spike.legoeducation.com and click Spike Prime.

2. Click Units, then Invention Squad, then lesson 2 Build a Hopper. Jump to the "coding" part (you already built the hopper).

3. Improve your team's hopper based on your prototypes discussion with your teammates. You can modify the build (e.g. add longer arms) or modify the code (e.g. speed up the motor)

4. Test your redesigned hopper: Did your improvements work as expected? What other changes do you need to make if any before the final race next week?

Vocabulary:

prototype: is a first model or test version of something you build to try out ideas and test your design.
Iterative Development:
A process where you build something, test it, and then improve it again and again.
Build → Test → Improve → Repeat

Learning Goal: Design multiple prototypes to find the most effective way to move a robot without using wheels

Stop Motion Animation Group:

How To Use The Free Stop Motion App | Stop Motion Studio Tutorial (8:02)

Make a claymation based on Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJMoOsaHLbE

March 30 - April 3

Happening Now: Easter: No school on Good Friday

K1 BrainPop Jr. Cold and Flu, iPad Shapes and Colors Bingo, Connect the Dots Alphabet, Decorate an Easter Egg, Submarine Spelling, Easter Egg Hunt movement break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_v-p5npDug

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Google Skills Group: Journaling

Scratch Coding Group: Scratch coding Lesson 1: Make a fun April's Fool project. Here are some ideas: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nEnEkbbfJhutdIEl-XF9jfNUQ8fmXPYoGcXxdXsAO1A/edit?usp=sharing

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie.

Lego Robotics Group: Final Hopper Race

Learning Goal: Design multiple prototypes to find the most effective way to move a robot without using wheels

Stop Motion Animation Group:

How To Use The Free Stop Motion App | Stop Motion Studio Tutorial (8:02)

Make a claymation based on Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJMoOsaHLbE

April 6 - 10

Happening Now: Earth Month, and Autism Acceptance Month

K1 Rhyming Words, rhyming games Rhyme Time with Grover, SuperWHY Red's Rhyme Racer, movement break Jack Hartman Rhyme and Freeze (3:29), Cleanup time: sing along Down by the Bay (4:19)

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Scratch Jr Coding Group: Lesson 1 Drive Across the City

Scratch Coding Group: Scratch coding Lesson 1: Make a fun April's Fool project. Use this choiceboard or design your own.

3D Design Group: 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. Design a pendant in TinkerCad, then ask our librarian if she could 3D print it for you. Watch this how-to video for some ideas: Easy to design pendants for beginners

How to Send your 3D design to Ms Boulogne to 3D print it:

Name your project like this: Karis Yu room 300 Pendant (use your own name and room number)
Export
.STL
Go to your email, click Compose to start a new email to hboulogne@bostonpublicschools.org (Heidi Boulogne, our librarian)
Click the paperclip sign to attach the .STL file to your email
Write a polite email to ask Ms. Boulogne to please print your design
Send

Lego Robotics Group: Build soft claw and hard claw grabbers, then test which one works better for picking up different things. Student worksheet.

Stop Motion Animation Group: Make a claymation based on Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJMoOsaHLbE

April 13 - 17

K1 BrainPop Jr Patterns. Pattern games. Cleanup Time: Go Noodle Let's make a pattern

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B.

Google Skills Group: How to write a friendly letter.

Scratch Jr Coding Group: Lesson 2 Race

Scratch Coding Group: Scratch coding Lesson 1: Make a fun April's Fool project. Use this choiceboard or design your own.

Lego Robotics Group: Build soft claw and hard claw grabbers, then test which one works better for picking up different things. Student worksheet.

April 26 - May 1st

K1 BrainPop Jr Empathy. ABCYA cupstack typing.

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B. extra time: cup stack typing

Google Skills Group: BrainPop Jr. Empathy. Next week is teacher appreciation week. Kindness letter writing prompt

Scratch Coding Group: Scratch coding Lesson 2: Broadcast and Receive.

3D Design Group: 5-304 Keefe, 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie. Use Tinkercad Code to join the class: GGE C88 YYC

Design a pendant in TinkerCad, then ask our librarian if she could 3D print it for you. Watch this how-to video for some ideas: Easy to design pendants for beginners or how to make an avatar using blanky

May 1 - 5

Happening Now: Teacher Appreciation Week. Write a kind letter to one of your favorite teachers.

K1 BrainPop Jr Gratitude. Monster Mansion Number Match. Clenup Time: BookFlix: Butterflies fiction and non-fiction pair.

Code.org Group: K2 Course A, 1st grade Course B. extra time: Alphabetize game, Monster Mansion Number Match

Google Skills Group: BrainPop Jr. Gratitude. Write a kind letter to one of your favorite teachers. Kindness letter writing prompt

Scratch Jr Coding Group: Lesson 3 Make the Sun Set, and the Moon Rise

Scratch Coding Group: Scratch coding Lesson 2: Broadcast and Receive.

3D Design Group: 5-304 Keefe, 4-320 Ho, 5-308 Gillespie.

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