What is the Hour of Code
Begun in 2013, the Hour of Code is an annual, week-long event that seeks to ensure that all students around the world are exposed to at least an hour of computer coding. As they say, the goal is to "demystify" coding, and show all students that not only are they capable of programming, but that programming can allow them do to remarkable things.
As teachers, there are a few things you should know:
Please remember, if our goal is to prepare our students for their futures, we should be mindful of the increasing role of technology in all fields of employment. If we want our children to leave our district as fully prepared to make decisions about their future careers as possible, then the least we can do is make sure they have had even a cursory introduction to the world of coding.
Below are a few resources you might find useful in preparing for the Hour of Code. Don't forget, though, as said above, you could keep it simple and just let your students use the appropriate student page on this site as a launching point. The tutorials linked there are all designed specifically for the Hour of Code, and are all age-appropriate.
As teachers, there are a few things you should know:
- Coding isn't just something for a particular department, subject, or grade level. Coding, and especially the time of thinking skills required to program, have relevance to all grades and subjects.
- Hour of Code provides full-fledged lessons, with plans. If you want to participate, but don't know where to start, you can essentially follow their script.
- Your Hour of Code can be more free-form, though, allowing your students to choose their own individual coding activities, and letting them work at their own pace. You could let them use the Elementary or Secondary Hour of Code pages on this site as their jumping off point.
- You personally do not need any coding background, and certainly do not need to be an expert programming to have your students participate.
- On the site (see below) they do offer the ability for you to formally register your Hour of Code, but that is not necessary. You can use all the same resources, materials, and tutorials with your students without doing any of that.
Please remember, if our goal is to prepare our students for their futures, we should be mindful of the increasing role of technology in all fields of employment. If we want our children to leave our district as fully prepared to make decisions about their future careers as possible, then the least we can do is make sure they have had even a cursory introduction to the world of coding.
Below are a few resources you might find useful in preparing for the Hour of Code. Don't forget, though, as said above, you could keep it simple and just let your students use the appropriate student page on this site as a launching point. The tutorials linked there are all designed specifically for the Hour of Code, and are all age-appropriate.
code.org
This is the official site of the non-profit organization that started the Hour of Code. They provide many resources for teachers who want to participate in the event with their students. I've pulled out a few to highlight below that might help you get started if you're unsure of where to begin.
- The Hour of Code page - Tells about the history and purpose of the event. Students might be interested to see the interactive map showing schools that have signed up to participate worldwide.
- Teacher Page - This page serves not only as a repository for over a dozen stand-alone apps and activities students can experiment with during Hour of Code, it also is the starting point for full-fledged computer science and coding course, free of cost, available at all levels.
- Tutorials - If you want to give your students choice in what they do, check out the tutorials. Depending on the level, they may involve anything from basic block-coding with Java to designing their own apps, and include content like Frozen, Minecraft, Star Wars, and Angry Birds. You could select choices for your students ahead of time by using the filters to find activities that best fit them. The page also provides links to partner sites that also offer Hour of Code lessons, some of which are shown below.
Other Sites
As the event gains momentum every year, the list of partner sites grows. What you see below is not comprehensive, but just a few that might help you get started with making some choices for your own Hour of Code.
All Ages
All Ages
- Thinkersmith's Unplugged Hour of Code - This lesson proves that you can teach coding to students even if they don't have a device available. You can use basically any (free) object, some paper, and a writing utensil to get students learning the basics of computer coding. You can modify the specifics to make it suitable for any age level.
- fuzzFamily Frenzy - This is another "unplugged" activity, meaning all your students need is paper and something to write with. They will be using the basics of coding to program their partner to complete an obstacle course. Although the linked lesson is for 4th grade, last year there were teachers who modified it for younger and older classes very successfully.
- Grok Learning - Aimed at grades 3-12, this site offers lessons with block and text coding to use Python to do things like draw international flags, create snowflakes, and build a chatbot. There are also a variety of teacher resources on the site.
- Kodable - As with The Foos below, this site can be used with minimal help, by pre-readers. A couple of nice things about it are that it works especially well on an iPad, and students can stop in the middle and get a code that will let them pick up in the same spot later on.
- Run Marco! - Offered by allcancode.com, and available on PC/Mac, iOS, and Android, this interactive game has students learning code as they guide the title character through an original story.
- Tynker - This site contains tutorials that teach coding through games, and is designed for the elementary levels.
- The Foos - Another site that teachings coding through games, the selling point for this one is that it has a "no words" mode for pre-readers. If you want to use this one, I'd suggest checking out the curriculum guide beforehand.
- Code Monkey - Students work through progressively more sophisticated lessons to program a monkey to "catch bananas & save the world." Students can work independently, or teachers can set up a class ahead of time.
- Khan Academy's Hour of Code - This lets students work at their own pace through a series of lessons that teach the basics of writing Java code.
- Quorum - This site works through the basics of coding and computer science with biology as the backdrop. Each lesson is introduced and narrated, light-heartedly, by Mary, a newly-hired biologist needing to learn how to work with computers.
- Rock/Paper/Scissors - Is another "unplugged" activity that uses a slightly more complex version of the game we're all familiar with to teach the students the basics modeling and simulations, especially as they relate to the field of biology.
- Vidcode - Founded by women, the site is designed to get teen girls interested in coding through coding to edit videos and add effects. Their Hour of Code tutorial takes students through the basics of doing just that.