1st Grade Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 44
- Grade 1st
This course is designed to provide digital literacy and computer science instruction for Massachusetts 1st grade students.
UNITS - 13 (44 lessons)
Students review the Kindergarten Scout Adventures story and CodeHopJr basics, with extra mouse practice for those who need a refresher before starting 1st grade content.
Students revisit computational thinking with an evening-routine activity and build on their mouse skills before diving into new programming concepts.
Students build on their sequencing skills by using events, debugging, and the design process to create a variety of original projects.
Students create programs using repeat loops and continue building their debugging skills.
Students use message events to make characters communicate and interact within a program.
Students build more complex multi-page games and projects, expanding on the page-based programs they created in Kindergarten.
Students use the grid and end block to program movement-based projects like mazes and races.
Students apply a full year of programming skills to design and build a personal "About Me" program.
Students explore how computers work and how they connect to networks and the Internet.
Students learn safe password practices, responsible technology use, positive online behavior, and how to give credit for others' work.
Students collect, store, research, and analyze data to identify patterns and make predictions.
Students explore how computing devices and computer science careers help solve problems in their communities.
Students learn what AI can do and how decision trees and patterns help computers make decisions.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
This course introduces 1st grade students to foundational programming concepts using a block-based programming language, building on Kindergarten skills with events, loops, message events, and multi-page programs. Students also cover digital literacy topics like password safety, responsible technology use, data analysis, computing systems, and an introduction to artificial intelligence, culminating in a personal 'About Me' programming project.
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 1st grade, regardless of prior computer science experience, and includes an optional review unit for students who need extra practice with Kindergarten content.
The course includes 36 lessons, each approximately 45 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.
