Make coding for kids accessible and fun. Embark on a coding journey with TechnoWhiz. The course is specially designed for kids aged 6-8. In this exciting introduction to programming, students dive into Scratch Jr. They learn the fundamentals of coding through playful activities. Unleash the imagination. Animate silly scenes, feed pet monsters, explore magical lands, and even race to the finish line. Invite curious young minds to become whiz kids!
Fun-Filled Introduction to Programming
Discover the basics of coding through step-by-step Scratch Jr lessons. Activities are tailored for primary and elementary students in Grades 1-3. By snapping together graphical programming blocks, students build simple scripts and loops. They develop essential computational thinking skills along the way. From creating animations to designing games, the possibilities are endless.
Scratch Jr Coding for Beginners
TechnoWhiz comes complete with a digital Teacher Guide, ensuring that educators can easily navigate coding lessons. The course includes offline coding exercises, assessment tools, videos, and Scratch Jr flashcards.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
Integrate coding into various subjects with a cross-curricular unit. Encourage visual storytelling by designing exciting scenes with characters, setting, and plot. Apply mapping skills by giving directions to move objects from one point to another. Strengthen mathematical reasoning through Scratch Jr coding lessons that foster problem-solving skills in a motivating context.
Free Access to ScratchJr
Take advantage of ScratchJr, a user-friendly computer program available for free on iPads, Android tablets, and Chromebooks. This accessibility ensures that coding adventures can take place anywhere, making learning engaging and flexible for students.
Additional information
Ages
6, 7, 8
Grades
grade 1, grade 2, grade 3
Program
Scratch Jr
Tech Integration
computer science, language arts, math, social studies, visual arts
The TechnoWhiz course has 16 assignments divided into six sessions.
Session 1: Become a Whiz Kid
Students become programming whiz kids. Their first assignment is to sequence a series of tasks to learn about the job of a programmer. Next, they open Scratch Jr to investigate the function of many of the tools. By adding Motion blocks to the programming area, they learn how to code a character's movement. Next, they connect blocks together to form a script that sequences actions. Finally, students cause the script to loop. At the end of the session, they combine their coding skills to create a silly scene. It comes to life by combining a colorful background with moving characters.
Session 2: Count and Code
The programming whiz kids take the Counting Challenge. They learn to direct how many steps a character moves to reach a goal. To start, they solve puzzles to help the cat eat the cake, the dog get the ball, and the horse reach the barn. Next, they explore how to edit the Motion coding blocks to set the number of steps. Once they have mastered this skill, students build scripts to help characters get home. Can they do it?
Session 3: Create a Pet Monster Game
The programming whiz kids design a game. They build code that has a player feed a pet monster. To start, they create an opening sequence to attract attention. It has the character talk, grow, shrink, and blink. The action is controlled using the Wait and Repeat blocks. Afterwards, students apply their knowledge to add food to the stage that when clicked moves to the pet monster and then disappears. What does the pet monster like to eat?
Session 4: Design a Magical Land
The programming whiz kids design an interactive magical land. The game invites players to explore the place to discover surprises. By clicking on objects, they will cause flowers to grow, a sun to spin, or dragons to hop. The speed of the action is controlled to make it happen slow or fast. What amazing things are hidden in the scene?
Session 5: Race to the Finish
The programming whiz kids build a racing game. Players watch the action and then must select the winner. If they pick correctly, the racer will do a celebration dance. Who will reach the finish line first?
Session 6: Game Time
The programming whiz kids invite others to play their racing game. Players rate what they liked the most about the activity. Afterwards, the young game designers answer questions about coding the Scratch Jr project.
Optional Scratch Coding Lessons
X Marks the Spot: Control movement to design a treasure hunt.
Move Around Town Game: Practice controlling directions on a grid with an offline activity.
Be a Gamer: Play a game to provide feedback.
In the Jungle: Design a game in which the player makes the jungle come to life.
Invent a Far Away Planet: Create the Planet of Twin. One twin moves fast, the other slow.
Hop to the Top: Code a hopping match that has the player identify the champ.
Paint a Background: Apply paint tools to edit or create a backdrop
I am a Programmer: Reflect upon the coding experience.
Scratch Coding for Beginners | Coding for Kids
Ignite an interest in computer science. The hands-on activities have students discover how to code using ScratchJr. They gain an understanding of essential programming concepts by building simple scripts and loops. Engage primary and elementary students by designing animations, collages, and games.
Recognize steps in a program are sequenced and they happen in order
Determine the coding blocks and values required to complete a task
Sequence the steps in a task using coding blocks
Build scripts that direct the movement, look, and timing of events
Edit a script by adding, editing, or deleting blocks
Set the appearance and movement of a character
Trigger a script to run using multiple methods
Control when or how fast an action happens
Loop a script or repeat an action
Identify the location of a character on the stage using x and y coordinates
Every course includes a schedule. It lists the time recommended for each assignment. Typically, it takes between 30-60 minutes to complete an assignment depending on the grade level. Based on this time frame, a typical course takes between 360-600 minutes to complete. This is about 6-8 weeks if your students have computer class twice a week. However, if your students have computer class every day, a course can be completed in about 2-3 weeks.
How do I decide which assignments to teach?
You may not have the time to teach an entire TechnoKids course. The good news is that TechnoKids offers flexibility. Many courses can be shortened by omitting assignments or lengthened by including skill reviews and extension activities. You can easily adapt the course to suit your schedule. Refer to the Ideas for Implementation section in the teacher guide for suggestions.
Does the course integrate into other subjects?
TechnoKids courses are inter-disciplinary. This means the lesson plans blend computing skills with general content areas such as language arts, geography, or business studies. If you do not have a dedicated digital literacy class, refer to the Technology Integration Suggestions section in each teacher guide for ideas on how you can include the course in other subject areas.
Is the course a subscription?
Yes. When you purchase a course, you have access to the instructional materials for 12 months. After that time, should you want to continue, you will need to renew the subscription.
Is the course online?
Yes. You must sign into TechnoHub to access the course content from your bookshelf. The teacher guide and student workbook for a course are available online only. However, resources such as assessment tools, handouts, course slides, templates, and samples are downloadable.
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