Computational thinking is a problem-solving process that requires people to think in new ways to enable effective use of computing to solve problems and create solutions.
For elementary students, the focus on computational thinking are those underlying habits of mind that encourage students to leverage technology to solve problems. For these ages, many of the habits of mind encouraged in problem-based science and mathematics classes already go a long way to lay a foundation for computational thinking. Many activities of this type lend themselves to integration of computational thinking concepts, skills, and practices—and can do so both with and without including technology.
This online handbook describes the model curriculum lessons and units available on this site that provide examples of how to promote computational thinking in elementary students. Included are descriptions of various tasks that do this, and best practices for promoting computational thinking in science and mathematics lessons. Teachers will be able to review how these units promote CT (and can try them out in their classrooms), and both teachers and STEM coordinators can use them as examples for how to integrate CT into other classroom activities.