Classroom Books to Introduce Reinforce & Engage With CS Concepts
Are we limited to using the books that have been written or will be written to specifically introduce computer science concepts? Of course, not! Teachers often have books already in their classroom or school libraries that can be used when teaching computer science to introduce, reinforce, and help students to engage with these concepts.
In K-2, almost any story book can be used with Bee-Bots, Blue-Bots, or other robots to retell the story in sequence. There are some amazing free (and paid) resources that can be used to do this including:
In 3-5, students can use non-fiction texts with robots like Wonder Workshop's Dot, Dash, and Cue, to present a timeline of events and provide information on the topic to the viewer.
Students can use Scratch to create projects that explore, explain, and extend the books - both fiction and non-fiction - that they read in the classroom. Check out some ideas here and here!
Gingerbread Baby
Below are two lists of books that might be found in class or school libraries that can be used to introduce, reinforce, or engage students with computer science concepts. Keep in mind that picture books are not just for K-2 students.
At the 2018 Computing at Schools Conference, Sarah Twigg presented on Using Children's Literature to teach Computer Science Principles and Concepts and shared the resource below created by Miss Sarah J Twigg, Dr Lynne Blair, and Dr Emily Winter.
Are we missing something in the above lists?
Do you have books that are typically found in classroom or school libraries that you use to introduce, reinforce, or engage with CS Concepts in grades K-5 (ages 5-11) that are not in the above lists? Please complete this form to add them to the list. If you have lesson plans related to the book(s) you are adding, please include links to them when you complete the form.