Hour of Code Week 2022

Hour of Code week is a week I look forward to every year. This year was extra exciting because Code.org published new Hour of Code videos! The one linked here is the one I showed the 2nd - 4th graders, since they've seen HoC videos before. (I found an older one that was more explicitly code-connected for 1st grade.) They are always in awe of seeing celebrities and athletes that are coding!

Here's our lineup this year:

• 1st graders got to play CodeSpark's The Foos, which is one of my favorites. I love the simple and engaging format for the kids, and the graphics and storyline are unsurpassed! The kids always giggle at the "tushy dance" when the beat a level. It does a great job teaching perseverance in a kid-friendly way.
• 2nd graders got their Code.org accounts and were super excited to code like "the big kids" get to code. They worked their way through Level B and were so proud of themselves! I love how this level uses directional words - north, south, east, and west - along with the arrows in the blockly code.
• 3rd graders coded a 3D T-Rex game from the Hour of Code site. It was so much fun watching them code each step of the game, and the grins that covered their faces with each success lit up the room. If they finished coding the game, they moved on to Code.org to pick up where they left off in Course C, a perfect step up from course B.
• 4th graders got their Scratch accounts and started Scratching their way toward video game design, which is their final tech project at the end of the year. To kick off our Scratch adventure, we coded our initials, making them bounce, spin, and dance.