A Lesson Plan by Catherine Fuerte
Hello third graders! We just received a special message from a very important person. Watch it below.
Wasn't it cool to see former President Obama talking to us about learning computer science? He believes that anyone, including you and me, can learn to do amazing things with computers. He's like a cheerleader, cheering us on to learn to make stuff with computers!
Now, let's think about why President Obama, and many other people, think computer science is so important. Remember the last time you used your phone, computer, or tablet? Maybe you played a game, talked to your friends, or did some homework on it. These gadgets can do some pretty cool stuff, almost like they're magic. But have you ever thought about what makes them work like magic? It's not really magic; it's something called computer programming, or coding for short. Today, we're going on a fun adventure to find out how computers can do all these amazing things.
At the end of your adventure, you will be able to:
Explain what computer programming or coding, algorithms, loops, and conditionals are
Create simple programs in Scratch using sequences and conditionals
Use your thinking skills to solve problems both on the computer and on paper, with coding methods
Essential Questions:
How can we give instructions to computers so we can make awesome computer programs on our phones, computers, and tablets?
How do algorithms help us every day? And in what ways can we use them to figure out puzzles or problems?