Now that tens of thousands of educators have tried the Hour of Code, many classrooms are ready for more creative, less one-size-fits all activities that teach the basics of computer science. To help teachers find inspiration, we collected and curated one-hour teacher-led lesson and activity plans designed for different subject areas for Hour of Code veterans.
Elementary School
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Students will animate the letters of their name, initials, or favorite word using Scratch!
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Students will gain experience with coding as they make a hide-and-seek game.
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Participants will create and code an animated dance scene.
Ages 5-18. Sequence, Algorithms, Programming, unplugged. Students use paper and pencils to create programs to teach their "Robotic Friends" how to stack plastic cups into a specific design.
Ages 8-12. Sequence, Algorithms, Condtionals, unplugged. Use playing cards (or dice, or sheets of paper...anything with the ability to randomize) to create a program on paper for the class to follow. This program will utilize the randomization, along with "if" and "else" statements, to add uncertainty to your game's outcome.
Ages 8-18. Sequence, Algorithms, Programming, unplugged. Make fun take-home items that "store" students' initials using only two colors.
Bomberbot Hour of Code Activities
Ages 8-12. Sequence, Algorithms, Programming, unplugged or web-based. Students will learn a series of programming concepts and apply them to programming a robot.
Ages 5-18. Programming, Science (Ecology), Science (Space), web-based. Code and animate a Solar System simulation, an interactive ecological pyramid, a working analog clock, and more.
Ages 10-15. Science (Biology), unplugged. This activity builds off of the classic game of Rock/Paper/Scissors, known to most students, and relates it to a phenomenon seen in biology.
Ages 5-9. Seqence, Algorithms, Programming, unplugged. Students will learn basic programing language and use math concepts to move a “robot” forward, spin, and jump.
Ages 7-13. Sequence, Art, Storytelling, web-based. Students will use Scratch to program a story about being lost at sea.
Ages 5-13. Programming, Math (General, Geometry), web-based.
Ages 5-9. Programming, Science (General, Biology, Chemistry, Physics), web-based.
Ages 5-9, Programming. Language Arts, Visual Arts, Music, web-based.
Middle School
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Students will animate the letters of their name, initials, or favorite word using Scratch!
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Students will gain experience with coding as they make a hide-and-seek game.
Ages 8 to 16. Programming, Creativity, Web-based. Participants will create and code an animated dance scene.
Ages 5-18. Programming, Science (Ecology), Science (Space), web-based. Code and animate a Solar System simulation, an interactive ecological pyramid, a working analog clock, and more.
Bomberbot Hour of Code Activities
Ages 8-12. Sequence, Algorithms, Programming, unplugged or web-based. Students will learn a series of programming concepts and apply them to programming a robot.
Input and Output, Math Activity
Ages 12-16. Math (Algebra), Math (Functions), unplugged. Connect JavaScript functions to both math and real world problems.
Ages 12-16. Science (Climate), Science (Environment), unplugged. Students draw a picture, and take turns giving the class steps to recreate their drawing.
Ages 7-13. Sequence, Art, Storytelling, web-based. Students will use Scratch to program a story about being lost at sea.
Ages 12-15. Programming, Arduino Ever wonder how toys make noises and blink lights when you push buttons? Microcontrollers and circuits are used in all sorts of everyday objects. From remote controlled cars to robots and drones.
Ages 12-15. Ciphers, Math (Cryptography), Scratch, web-based. Turing has done many things for computer science (often called the father of computer science) but today we will focus on one very important one that helped with the invention of computers.
Ages 12-15. History, Storytelling, Scratch, Google Docs, unplugged Your class will be be creating a 'history of computers' web page/Scratch project/video that we can share with the world. To make this web page, you and your partner will do research and write about one important event or person in computer history
Grace Hopper Debugging Activity
Ages 12-18. History, Language Arts, Storytelling, unplugged Students will research Grace Hopper and learn the story of the first "bug".
For more information: http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/is/STEAM/coding.html