#7 - Code.org
When I first heard about the Hour of Code a few years ago I thought "How cool - the high schoolers must love that!". I didn't even consider that my second graders would be able to participate in it - after all they are in second grade and I know very little about coding. After researching the Hour of Code a bit more I came across code.org and realized that my second graders can absolutely participate in the hour of code! I was so excited! My class has been participating in the Hour of Code for the last three years and every year my students LOVE it! I continue coding throughout the year using code.org and some fun classroom robots as well!
Code.org is a free resource and a great place to start for basic coding for elementary students. You can find all the activities in the code studio at: studio.code.org.
You have options:
- Option 1: Begin your students in a code.org "course". This requires you to create accounts for your students. They will use usernames and passwords to log in. The course guides them through coding with videos and fun and engaging activities. I can check in and see my students progress in the courses. I begin my second graders on course 2 and many of them graduate to course 3 by the end of the school year. Not only does Code.org teach elementary students to basics of coding but it also helped my students develop problem solving skills and perseverance which are two very important habits of mind. The courses get progressively more difficult and the students really have to problem solve and persevere to get through it!
- Option 2: Allow the students to explore different activities in the Hour of Code section. These activities allow students to jump right in and are very engaging. My class really enjoyed the Minecraft and Frozen activities.
Code.org is FULL of information, tutorials, videos and anything else you may need to get your class coding! I found it to be an excellent introduction to basic coding. It then helped my students easily transition into coding our classroom robots (but I'll save that for a later post).
For more information and to get started visit:
Happy Coding!
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