Are you ready for Computer Science Week 2023?

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You may have heard of The Hour of Code, a global movement by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org. The idea was to give students an introduction to coding through fun activities and videos. We hope you will participate this year for National Computer Science week, December 4-10.

Below you will find a resources and applications that we have in AACPS to facilitate an amazing coding experience.

Hour of Code

Activities for PreK through high school. No coding experience necessary.  Filter topics by content to find something that works for your classroom. Topics include Art, Music, AI, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and more! Explore the Hour of Code library directly from Classlink. 

Minecraft Hour Of Code

Resources for teachers and students on doing an hour of code with Microsoft’s new computer science tutorial specifically built for 2023. Microsoft recommends their tutorial for anyone age 7 and up. 

  • New Minecraft Hour of Code at aka.ms/hourofcode

  • Register to join Drop Everything & Code, a fun community event hosted by Minecraft Education on December 6. Have your students do the Hour of Code lesson alongside a guest presenter and other classrooms tuned in around the world. Four times throughout the day to accommodate various schedules.

  • Register for the Careers in Coding event on December 7, an engaging event in honor of Computer Science Education Week, featuring robotics technologist Kamak Ebadi from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. His story promises to ignite the STEM dreams of every student and aspiring space enthusiasts. He will also discuss the power of coding in shaping future careers and share about NASA's Artemis missions.   

For more information on Minecraft Education, visit Teacher Intro to Digital Tools> Application Support> Minecraft Education.

Coding with Sphero indi

All AACPS elementary schools have a class pack of Sphero indi robots available in the media center. Check out the student kits and challenge Prek- to grade 5 students to complete the  included challenge cards, or explore other options in the Sphero teacher guide or AACPS’ indi guide. 

Coding with Sphero Bolt

All AACPS middle schools have a power pack of Sphero Bolt robots available in the media center. Have students complete beginning coding activities found on Sphero.com or from the AACPS Creative Coding website> Sphero Bolt. For more information on using Bolt with students, visit Teacher Intro to Digital Tools> Application Support> Sphero Bolt. 

Hour of Code lessons from Google’s CS First

Text based, video based, and unplugged introductory coding lessons (Note: students are not allowed to sign in). 

City Map Coding Project

For younger students, use the City Map Coding template from Wixie to code the car around a city map they create. 

Nearpod: Coding Lessons for Teaching k-12 Students

Article exploring multiple coding lessons that can be done with students through Nearpod. 

Discovery Education: Channel Computer Science 

Videos, activities, and other resources found in Discovery Education that focus on STEM and Computer Science. Use the grade bands in the upper left to toggle to the appropriate resource level. Find additional materials on this csEdWeek Studio Board.

BrainPOP Hour of Code: Creative Coding

Block- and text-based coding projects designed to easily introduce and seamlessly integrate coding into lessons in subjects across the curriculum. Note: Not all AACPS schools have BrainPop. Teachers should see their media specialist to check if they have access. 

Unplugged Activities 

The activities below do not require students to have a device.

Hour of Code Unplugged

CS Fundamentals Unplugged

Unplugged Coding: Activities, Tips, Games and More

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