ScratchJr is an app that is available through Apple (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id895485086?ign-mpt=uo%3D4) or Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.scratchjr.android).

With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) learn important new skills as they program their own interactive stories and games.

By snapping together graphical programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. In the process, children learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn.

Do you like video games? They're awesome! They let you explore strange worlds, become cool characters with mind blowing powers and take on quests you can only dream of. But wouldn't it be amazing to design your own quests, and create your own worlds?

The Game Academy teaches children how to code games using the amazing Scratch software. This helps remove some of the significant learning curve involved in using Scratch.

Create a web story or interactive story. You could use this to create a choose your own adventure book - you have branching options!

"You don't need to write any code to create a simple story with Twine, but you can extend your stories with variables, conditional logic, images, CSS, and JavaScript when you're ready.

Twine publishes directly to HTML, so you can post your work nearly anywhere. Anything you create with it is completely free to use any way you like, including for commercial purposes."

This webinar can help you get started (start at about 10 minutes in). Copy and paste this url into your browser - https://zoom.us/rec/play/7JAlJL2h_zM3H9eWtwSDC6R-W9ToeKis0SUa_vUEyx28BXRQYwLwMOZBZOOrxYNiFo0SI36nYddl4WRz

Supporting handouts (pass DLSUM2020) https://rise.articulate.com/share/xpvOFHYuevKVJBJ6cQXNjd0RvGDgDE4K#/

"Reflect on wildlife and nature by going on a coding adventure! Students will follow a step-by-step Python tutorial in the Text Code Editor where they will create a project that draws different animals. They are provided code to get started, but are encouraged to add or change the code to make it their own. By the end of this lesson, students will have combined creativity with problem-solving skills while reinforcing coding concepts and Python syntax."

Length - 40 mins
Languages - Python; Block version available in the bottom right corner (easier)
Experience - Advanced - Block version is easier.

This is a three part lesson plan focusing on the language of location which is a great way to introduce coding basic concepts and no technology needed!

Discover how to use the micro:bit in 5 easy steps! You can program the micro:bit on both desktop (Macs, PCs, Chromebooks, Linux, including Raspberry Pi) and mobile.