Free Resources for Hour of Code™
The following is a guest post from Kiki Prottsman.
How Will You Celebrate CSEd Week?
It’s almost here! Computer Science Education Week happens the second week of December each year, and this year is going to be more exciting than ever.
CSEd Week is a seven-day period where educators bring a piece of computer science or coding into other areas of student life.
This might include using block-based coding to create an illustrated book report or digging into JavaScript to create a digital model of a sundial.
However you celebrate, it offers the opportunity to further enrich education as students begin to understand that they’re capable of making magic with 21st-century skills.
Try An Activity for Free
Microsoft MakeCode has created a simple but thrilling block-based coding adventure for CSEd Week 2021. Our self-guided tutorial, Save the Forest, is a free, web-based skill map that allows students to learn the MakeCode Arcade platform as they work with sprites and projectiles, building an air tanker that puts out wildfires.
As students code, they’ll learn about loops and variables while being presented with the stark truths surrounding the dangers plaguing our forests.
They’ll even have the opportunity to model fire danger in real-time as they change elements like the dryness of the grass or the speed of the wind. When they’re done, students will end up with a fast-paced game that they can share with family and friends!
Keep Going
Classrooms that enjoy their experience have the opportunity to keep going with even more project-based creativity. Partnering with the U.S. Department of State, MakeCode is bringing students the free Global MakeCode Arcade Game Jam.
This challenge encourages students to go beyond one project and create their own game based on a theme (to be announced on November 29th, 2021). Students of any level can design and build their own games and submit them by December 17th, 2021 for a chance to be featured on social media.
The best part? Microsoft is also collaborating with Code Ninjas sites across the nation to provide extra spaces and facilitation for students who don’t have access to the activities in class.
Interested?
If you’re interested in trying the Save the Forest activity or Global MakeCode Arcade Game Jam with your classroom, we have lots of resources to help you get started. Visit aka.ms/CSEW2021 to sign up for a free educator webinar — or present the lessons to your class with guidance from our Save the Forest or Game Jam lesson plans.
Happy CSEd Week!
Ready to start planning for your students?
Check out these posts for more inspiration:
3 Ways to Continue Teaching Computer Science Beyond Hour of Code™
Why We Need to Be Teaching Kids Coding and How to Get Started
We’ve made getting ready for Hour of Code™ easy!
Don’t forget to grab your planning checklist.
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Kiki Prottsman
Kiki is a computer science educator, as well as the author of several books, including Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student, My First Coding Book, How to Be a Coder, and Disney’s Coding with Anna and Elsa. In her spare time, Kiki runs an educational YouTube channel called KIKIvsIT, which helped her win silver for one of Stevie’s coveted 2017 Female Innovator of the Year Awards.