Computer Science Education Week is held each December around the birthday of Grace Hopper, a computing pioneer born December 9, 1906. An algorithm is a list of steps in order, which is just what a how-to is, so telling steps in order is a good way into coding, even before children can read.
Five pages on handwriting lines. Page 1: design a robot, then write what it can do and how it helps. Page 2: write an algorithm for brushing your teeth or making a sandwich. Page 3: a story in three parts about a robot that does exactly what it is told. Page 4: should every student learn to code? Page 5: an acrostic poem for CODING.
After page 2, swap algorithms with a partner and follow each other’s steps exactly, word for word, the way a computer would. When a step is missing or unclear, that is a bug: talk about how to fix it, then debug the writing. Read page 3’s stories aloud and let the class spot the bug in each one.
Ask your child to read you their algorithm while you follow it exactly. Laugh at what goes wrong, then fix the steps together.
Writing prompts for Computer Science Education Week, from designing a robot to writing an algorithm a partner can follow. Students draw and write, put steps in order, tell a story about a robot that does exactly what it is told, give an opinion and write a poem.
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