OVERVIEW
Middle schools are where the required coding curriculum officially begins for all students. The bullet points below identify the required coding and computational thinking content areas from the ADST Curriculum. Note the videos and examples linked beside each point as possible entry points to gain more understanding.
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REQUIRED IN GRADES 6 & 7
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simple algorithms that reflect computational thinking (video)
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visual representations of problems and data (video)
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evolution of programming languages (video)
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visual programming (example)
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REQUIRED IN GRADE 8​
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software programs as specific and sequential instructions with algorithms that can be reliably repeated by others (example)
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debugging algorithms and programs by breaking problems down into a series of sub-problems (example)
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binary number system (1s and 0s) to represent data (example)
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programming languages, including visual programming in relation to text-based programming and programming modular components (Micro:Bit example)
RESOURCES
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Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities. Their vision is that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science, just like biology, chemistry or algebra. Code.org provides the curriculum for K-12 computer science and also organizes the annual Hour of Code campaign which has engaged 10% of all students in the world.
code.org
CodeBC aims to connect British Columbia teachers to a wealth of grade-level appropriate, cross-curriculum coding and computational thinking resources. You can search through resources by grade, subject matter relevance, and even expertise level.
Kids Code Jeunesse wants to make sure every Canadian child is given the opportunity to learn computer programming. To do so, they help teachers and educators bring code into the classroom curriculum, into after-school programs, and into programs or Code Clubs at libraries and community centres. Check out their great resources!
Google CS First believes anyone can code, and anyone can teach others to code. No computer science experience is needed. Instructional videos guide students through each activity, allowing teachers to work with students individually. Google CS First also uses the most popular block based coding platform Scratch.
Code Club Canada provides projects that are easy to follow step-by-step guides, which help children learn Scratch, HTML & CSS and Python by making games, animations, and websites. There’s no need for the teacher to be a computing expert. The projects gradually introduce coding concepts to allow children to build their knowledge incrementally.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Coding Quest is Canada’s largest classroom-based coding program challenging students in Grades 4 to 6 to build their own computer game in the classroom.
Through this free experiential learning program, teachers are trained to apply coding to a range of subject areas in the classroom, helping students to strengthen core global competencies and computational thinking, including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. An in-service training, curriculum-linked resources, step-by-step lesson plans and ongoing support are provided for teachers.
Talk.CodeBC offer educators across the province the opportunity to commicate on coding related issues and share resources. An account is needed to join the conversation.