Virginia Computer Science: 2nd Grade
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 37
- Grade 2nd
This course is designed to provide computer science and technology instruction for Virginia 2nd Grade students. Students learn programming and technology concepts, including: computing systems, networks and the Internet, data analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing.
See the full syllabus for all topics and activities, or explore the course to try it out.
UNITS - 8 (37 lessons)
Reviews core programming skills including navigating the interface, events, and repeat/forever loops and message events.
Introduces computer basics, responsible technology use, and computational thinking applied to school-day routines.
Builds skills using the grid feature, debugging, and algorithms to connect paths, while exploring data patterns and a fashion-retail careers connection.
Uses message events to model a repeating cycle and to help characters travel between pages in a program.
Deepens loop and debugging skills while creating an original fiction story animation and revising a dance program based on peer feedback.
Applies the design process to build capstone games including a racing game, a moving-targets game, and a maze game, incorporating peer feedback.
Covers research and data collection, the impact of computing, digital citizenship, password safety, data storage, networks, and an introduction to machine learning.
Transitions students from CodeHopJr to the CodeHop block editor and introduces conditionals through card games in preparation for next year.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
2nd grade students use the grid, message events, and loops to build programs, practice debugging, giving feedback, and the design process, and complete multi-day projects including a racing game, a moving targets game, and a maze game. They also learn how computer parts work together, use data to make predictions, explore a fashion-retail career, practice digital citizenship and password safety, research questions they choose, explore networks and file storage, and see how machine learning recognizes drawings.
Optional lessons at the end of the course move students from CodeHopJr to the CodeHop Blocks editor used in 3rd grade and beyond, and introduce conditionals through team card games.
The course includes 36 lessons, each about 45 minutes long, providing a full year of instruction when taught once a week. Every lesson is built in a ready-to-teach format, with step-by-step videos that walk students through the lesson. Lessons are designed to be teacher-led using an "I do, we do, you do" format, and a self-paced option is also available. Optional review lessons at the start of the course are not counted in the 36 lessons.
No. There are no prerequisites, and the course is designed to support all learners regardless of prior computer science experience. Optional review lessons at the start of the course help students who are new to CodeHop review events, loops, and message events before moving into 2nd grade content.
Virginia Computer Science: 2nd Grade is aligned to the Virginia Computer Science Standards of Learning. Lessons required to fully meet the standards are labeled in the course syllabus with the standards they address, and all Digital Literacy lessons are required because they cover essential non-programming computer science concepts.
