Coding Instruction at SLS
Coding Instruction at St. Louis School
Grades K, 1, and 2
In Grades K-2 students learn how to create basic algorithms to solve problems using drag and drop coding programs and robots. Students complete cross-curricular collaborative STEM lessons using their coding skills in social studies (maps), math (measurement, time, and money), and language arts (story retelling and sequencing).
Tools:
Grade 3
By Grade 3 and beyond, students learn that our interconnected technological world is built on computer software. How do things work? Everything needs software/code to make things happen. Students begin gaining a basic understanding of the underlying software that drives our modern world.
Code.org (Course 2 - Lessons 1 - 10)
Introduction to the three basic programming structures - sequence, selection, loops and how these come together to form the most basic instructions and algorithms for all types of software.
Introduction to algorithms and syntax
Debugging
Ozobot - Color coding robots
Introduction to Scratch drag and drop block programming - Scratch is a free web-based drag and drop programming language developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dash robot programming using Blockly App (drag and drop language)
Winter Olympics project
Grade 4
Code.org (Course 2 - Lessons 3 - 13)
Review of the three basic programming structures - sequence, selection, and loops and how these come together to form the most basic instructions and algorithms for all types of software.
Review of algorithms and syntax
Debugging
Conditionals
Programming with the Scratch drag and drop block programming
Dash Robot programming using Blockly App (drag and drop language)
Iditarod Sled Dog Race project (Design and build sleds following the engineering design process then code the robots to pull the sleds and race)
Grade 5
Code.org (Course 3 - Lessons 2 - 14)
Review of the three basic programming structures - sequence, selection, and loops and how these come together to form the most basic instructions and algorithms for all types of software.
Review of algorithms and syntax
Functions
Debugging
Conditionals
Nested Loops
Programming with the Scratch drag and drop block programming
Dash Robot programming using Blockly App (drag and drop language)
Grade 6, 7 and 8
Code.org (Express Course 2021 - Lessons 2 - 12)
Review of the three basic programming structures - sequence, selection, and loops and how these come together to form the most basic instructions and algorithms for all types of software.
Review of algorithms and syntax
Functions
Debugging
Conditionals
Nested Loops
Prediction
Creating Art with Code
Programming with the Scratch drag and drop block programming
Dash Robot programming using Blockly App (drag and drop language)
Introduction to CUE Robot programming - Transition from block programming to text-based programming. The CUE robots are new and were purchased through a grant from AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association).
Example of students' Scratch projects:
Grade 3 basic student project work.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/612566578
Grade 5 - Retro Asteroid “like” game
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/642257927
Grade 8 - Retro Pong Game
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/688248733
Our Cyber STEM after-school program (Grades 4 - 8) includes an introduction to the Python programming language.