Middle schools are where the required coding curriculum officially begins for all students. The bullet points below identify the required coding and computational thinking content areas from the ADST Curriculum. Note the videos and examples linked beside each point as possible entry points to gain more understanding.
- simple algorithms that reflect computational thinking (video)
- visual representations of problems and data (video)
- evolution of programming languages (video)
- visual programming (example)
Required in Grade 8
- software programs as specific and sequential instructions with algorithms that can be reliably repeated by others (example)
- debugging algorithms and programs by breaking problems down into a series of sub-problems (example)
- binary number system (1s and 0s) to represent data (example)
- programming languages, including visual programming in relation to text-based programming and programming modular components (MicroBit example)
Middle School Goal: Develop an understanding of block based coding environments and transfer this knowledge to introductory text based coding.
Note: The selection of suggested instructional tools were chosen to facilitate the growth trajectory of moving a student through understanding block-based coding to the creation of simple HTML & CSS web pages.
Middle School Coding Resources
The following resources were purchased for each middle school:
Coding Games in Scratch x 16 (Class set)
Micro:Bit Club Pack x 3 (2 class sets)
Alligator Clips x 60
Suggested Instructional Pathways
CS Unplugged – Offline, non-technology based lessons and resources to teach computational thinking skills.
Scratch Cheat Sheets – Quick reference guide for using Scratch
HTML & CSS – The structural code that most web pages are built on. Students should have a basic understanding of the “nuts & bolts” of designing a simple web page.
Code.Org – Accelerated Intro to Computer Science Course: This full 20 hour course covers all the key areas required to develop a thorough understanding of computational thinking and block-based coding.