Explore decision-making logic in programming computer games. The 10th installment of a 21-part unit teaches scholars how to apply conditional statements and Boolean expressions. They use these concepts to create a "Guess My Number" game...

See what it feels like to be a robot. Scholars use programming vocabulary to program a human robot and test out their codes by acting them out. The code should result in stacking six cups into a pyramid.

This detailed lesson plan from New York Times' The Learning Network centers around Carroll Academy and its girl's basketball team. Learners compare their school to Carroll Academy, read anywhere from 1 to 5 engaging articles about the...

Young computer scientists get to see what it's like to be a software engineer as they use free online software to design a computer game. They play and evaluate games groups created to round out the activity.

LEGO see if you can recreate my design. Individuals build an arrangement from LEGO blocks and write directions for someone else to follow in order to recreate the arrangement. Pairs then swap directions and try to...

Get to know the computer program, Microsoft Word, by completing 24 tasks, including typing a line of text, experimenting with format options, inserting page numbers, headers, footers, and more.  

Explore the relationships between programming, advertising, and the ensuing rating wars. Help develop the media smarts of your pupils through this examination of advertisers for popular shows. Although the included Sweep Chart features...

The lesson is real—even if the computer code isn't. Scholars learn about pseudocode, which simulates computer code using everyday language. They write pseudocode for simple actions, then have classmates guess the action from the written...

Tests are no fun, but test cases are extremely helpful. Pupils work in groups to write a Java program that completes a given task. They come up with test cases to give to another group, then trade test cases to determine if their program...

Emerging engineers read about Arduino software and how it can be used. Then they follow a nine-step tutorial to connect an Arduino board to a computer and put it to work! The objective is to code a program that will cause an LED to...

If you use the resource, then pupils will understand conditional block instructions. In the first lab of a six-part unit, pupils learn how to use conditional statements (if/then) in block instructions for computer programming. They apply...

Who knew turning a light on and off could be so complicated? In the instructional activity, pupils use Arduino boards to learn about computer codes and programs. They program an Arduino to make a light turn on and off at certain time...

Isn't building with blocks an activity for toddlers? The third lab of a five-part unit teaches young computer scientists how to create their own block instructions for programming. They use these blocks to create geometric figures, spell...

There is no I in team. Seven team problems provide classmates the opportunity to work with a partner on a task. Projects span the course and require pupils to apply their knowledge. Tasks range from writing the algorithm in English to...

No one knows what the future will bring, but it's likely to be warmer than before. Pupils first learn about the NASA GISS ModelE2, a global climate model, and about representative concentration pathways that estimate the global output of...

Turtles might be slow, but class will zoom by when your pupils build a program in which reptiles draw a grid. Using App Lab and JavaScript, class members build a program to find the most efficient way to draw an image of a...

What does a future as a computer scientist look like? Pupils learn about loops in computer coding by writing a story about the future. They include the repeat until and wait blocks in the Scratch program to incorporate these loops.

Devote an hour to computer coding ... it's time well spent! The activity has young computer scientists write code to solve puzzles in the Minecraft game. They learn how to apply block codes and repeat loops.

Discover how to program objects to move on a screen. In the second lab of a five-part unit, each learner uses block instructions to program a sprite to follow their mouse (cursor). They investigate how to use these same block...

Turn your classroom into a music studio as groups work together to determine why music sounds different when performed live versus a recording. After listening to some different music, each group picks a poem, creates a recording, and...

Combat crime with computers. The lesson teaches young computer scientists about decision trees and how to use them. They consider telecommunications subscriptions and how decision trees can help detect fraud.

THINKGREEN has a computer printer cartridge collection program. After reading the story of how Assumption Secondary School in Burlington, Ontario started participating in the THINKGREEN recycling program, pupils work in groups of...

Pairs work through two scenarios that require them to generate an algorithm. The first activity requires pairs to define a common language to use; the second comes with the language. The pairs then must determine how to code the...

Introduce your class to the API, a reference guide that lists and explains the functionality of programming language. Using JavaScript, individuals draw complex designs that require additional commands and parameters defined in the...