New Computer Science Curriculum Built for Middle School Students
Computer science pathways designed to bridge the gap between elementary and high school curriculum — helping districts build a cohesive K-12 program.
Computer Science Explorations Pathway
The new Computer Science Explorations Pathway consists of introductory courses for early to late middle school students. The pathway gives students a variety of topics and programming languages to discover before going deeper with Python. Students have the opportunity to understand how computer science is used in web design, game design, art, software development and more as they build coding skills in HTML/CSS, JavaScript and Python.
Each course in this pathway is approximately 50 hours in length and can be customized to fit a semester or year-long timeframe.
- 6th Grade: Computer Science Explorations 1
- 7th Grade: Computer Science Explorations 2
- 8th Grade: Python Basics with Tracy 1
Alternative 8th Grade Courses: Python is our recommended course for a foundational understanding of programming concepts, however, other courses like the newest Web Design and Game Design can be substituted to fit the needs of your district’s program.
Python Pathway
The new Python Pathway will encourage middle school students to explore introductory computing topics like digital citizenship, and the impacts of the Internet while learning the basics of JavaScript and Python. Following the initial exploration, students focus on Python programming to learn fundamental skills and concepts, through solving puzzles and creative coding challenges.
Each course in this pathway is approximately 50 hours in length and can be customized to fit a semester or year-long timeframe.
- 6th Grade: Computer Science Explorations 1
- 7th Grade: Python Basics with Tracy 1
- 8th Grade: Python Basics with Tracy 2
Explore other new middle school courses
Additionally, here are more new CodeHS courses designed for middle school. These courses are free to use and can be added to either pathway or taught on their own.
Web Design (Kahlo)
In the new Web Design (Kahlo) course, students will learn how to build their own web pages using the languages of HTML and CSS. They will extend their knowledge to create multi-page websites and use interactive features of HTML and CSS.
- Level: Middle School
- Length: 70 Hours
Mix and Match Middle School Course
The Mix and Match Middle School course is an easily customizable option for our middle school content. Each module contains 10 hours of content and introduces students to a specific computer science topic. Teachers can easily choose which modules to teach and the order to teach them!
- Level: Middle School
- Length: 10–100 Hours
Introduction to Game Design with p5play
The new Introduction to Game Design with p5play course is a one-semester course that introduces students to game design and programming. Students consider various game characteristics, analyze short game experiences, and then learn to use the p5play JavaScript library to design, develop, and publish games. Throughout the course, students learn about major programming topics like variables, functions, conditionals, and mouse/keyboard events while building fun and interactive games they can play and share with others.
- Level: Middle School
- Length: Semester
All CodeHS 6–12 grade curriculum is free to use! Visit the CodeHS Course Catalog to explore all the new middle school courses available.
Are you a district administrator? Contact us today for a free consultation on how to align middle school to your existing computer science pathway.
