Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Kindergarten - 1st Grade Computational Thinking Units
UNIT 1: Needs of Plants and Animals - Beebots
Unit Overview:
In this unit, students will develop the ability to design simple programs (sequences of instructions) and implement them with a simple kid-friendly robot called a Beebot. Studentsâ goal is to use a Beebot robot to model how bees and flowering plants depend upon one another to meet their needs.
UNIT 2: Stories of Survival - Beebots
Unit Overview:
Students will be presented with a story about Spruce the Sea Turtle and a corresponding Beebot program path that shows how Spruce meets his needs in his environment. Then using their knowledge of science, computer science, and elements of storytelling, students will research other animals and write a story and program a path that shows and tells about a new organisms life in its environment.
UNIT 3: Shadow Box Theater - Beebots
Unit Overview:
In this unit, students utilize BeeBots to represent the characters in a shadow box theater story. Students will build their characters on the top of each BeeBot and code the BeeBot to represent the movement of the character(s) in their story. By the end of the unit, students will have engaged in several engineering design cycles in which they learn, plan, make, and test different solutions to a problem.
UNIT 4: Spinning Earth with Scratch Jr.
Pairs well with:
Amplify Science Needs of Plants & Animals Unit
OpenSciEd K.4 Plants, Animals, & Their Environments
Computational Thinking/CS Standards:
1A-AP-08, 1A-AP-09, 1A-AP-10, 1A-AP-11, 1A-AP-14
Next Generation Science Standards:
K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1
Common Core ELA Standards:
W.K.2, W.K.3, W.K.8
Computational Thinking/CS Standards:
1A-AP-10, 1A-AP-12, 1A-AP-14
Next Generation Science Standards:
1-LS1-1, K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1
Common Core ELA Standards:
RI.1.1, W.1.3, W.1.5, W.1.8
Unit Overview:
Previously, students will have learned that the primary source of light on Earth is the Sun. This unit builds on this understanding by teaching students how to use Scratch Jr. and block based coding in order to represent the patterns that they see in the sky throughout the day and year. They will apply computational thinking to create their own sky pattern models.
Pairs well with:
Amplify Science Animal & Plant Defenses Unit
OpenSciEd 1.4 Animal & Plant Traits Unit
Computational Thinking/CS Standards:
1A-AP-10, 1A-AP-11, 1A-AP-12, 1A-AP-14
Next Generation Science Standards:
1-PS4-1, 1-PS4-3
Common Core ELA Standards:
RI.1.1, W.1.8, W.1.3
Pairs well with:
Amplify Science Light & Sound Unit
OpenSciEd 1.1 Waves: Light Unit, 1.2 Waves: Sound Unit
Computational Thinking/CS Standards:
1A-AP-08, 1A-AP-10, 1A-AP-11, 1A-AP-12
Next Generation Science Standards:
1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 1-LS1-1
Common Core ELA Standards:
RI.1.10, W.1.8
Pairs well with:
Amplify Science The Spinning Earth Unit
OpenSciEd 1.3 Space: Sky Patterns Unit
UNIT 5: Computational Thinking Unplugged - Computers All Around
Computational Thinking/CS Standards:
1A-CS-02, 1A-DA-05, 1A-DA-06, 1A-DA-07,, 1A-AP-08, , 1A-AP-09, 1A-AP-10, 1A-AP-11, 1A-AP-12
Next Generation Science Standards:
K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS-1-2
Common Core ELA Standards:
W.3.3.C, RI.3.1
Unit Overview:
This computational thinking unit is designed to introduce Kâ2 students to the fundamental concepts of what a computer is and how it functions. The unit begins with an exploration of the hardware and software components of a computer, emphasizing that computers come in various forms and can perform tasks by taking input, processing and storing the input, and producing an output. Through hands-on activities and discussions, students will gain an understanding that many devices they encounter in their daily lives, from tablets to smart toys, can be considered computers.