Kindergarten Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 37
- Grade K
This course is designed to provide digital literacy and computer science instruction for Massachusetts kindergarten students.
UNITS - 12 (37 lessons)
Students build sequencing and pattern-recognition skills through screen-free activities that introduce computational thinking before they start programming.
Students learn to log in and navigate the CodeHop platform while building the mouse and keyboard skills they'll use throughout the course.
Students explore the programming interface and use characters, backgrounds, and motion blocks to build an interactive, story-driven program.
Students combine sequences and events to create multi-step programs, using painting tools and grow/shrink blocks to design original scenes.
Students create multi-page programs and use a go-to-page block to navigate between pages.
Students experiment with sound, speed, and design-process blocks through hands-on transportation and animation projects.
Students create a program using loops and explain how loops repeat code efficiently.
Students explore what computers are made of, how they work, and how devices connect over networks, while practicing basic keyboarding.
Students learn to identify private information, follow safe and responsible technology practices, and recognize kind versus unkind online behavior.
Students collect, organize, and research data, and learn how computers store information as files.
Students identify computing devices in daily life and explore how technology connects to different careers.
Students learn what artificial intelligence is, how it learns from data, and how to build a simple decision tree.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
This course introduces kindergarten students to foundational programming concepts using a block-based programming language. Students build computational thinking and problem-solving skills while creating interactive projects, animations, and games, and also cover digital literacy topics like online safety, data analysis, computing systems, and an introduction to artificial intelligence.
The course is aligned to the Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) standards for grades K-2, covering strands including Computational Thinking (CT), Computing Systems (CS), Digital Tools and Collaboration (DTC), and Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts (CAS). Lessons that meet specific standards are labeled accordingly in the syllabus.
No, there are no prerequisites. The course is designed to support all learners in kindergarten, regardless of prior computer science experience.
The course includes 36 lessons, each approximately 30 minutes long, for a total of 36 hours. It provides a full year of instruction when taught once per week, with some lessons required to meet state computer science standards.
Students use CodeHopJr, a block-based, teacher-led programming environment with a consistent lesson structure (Introduction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Extension, and Reflection). Students write and run programs that are saved in their own accounts.
