Nebraska Technology: 5th Grade
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 30
- Grade 5th
This course is designed to provide computer science and technology instruction for Nebraska 5th 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 - 9 (30 lessons)
This optional review module revisits foundational computer science vocabulary, the coordinate plane, and drawing tools through open-ended animation projects.
Students create a personal screen-time plan to practice safe and responsible technology use, identify computing system components and troubleshoot problems, and apply computational thinking to design a neighborhood.
Students compare and refine multiple algorithms to determine the most efficient approach and practice decomposing and debugging a pizza-making program.
Students use the pen tool and repeat loop blocks to create looping turtle graphics and multi-scene animation projects.
Students use conditionals, pseudocode planning, variables, and comparison operators to build maze and quest programs and game mechanics, while also practicing giving appropriate attribution when remixing programs.
Students use clones, classes, objects, and randomizers to build interactive games, and write functions with inputs to create personalized "About Me" and paint-by-numbers programs.
Students apply the design thinking process to design an app that solves a real user's need.
Students build digital literacy around recognizing and responding to cyberbullying, researching responsibly, visualizing inquiry data as a line graph, collaborating globally, evaluating the ethics of AI products, and understanding file storage and network protocols.
Students compare productivity software applications and apply document, spreadsheet, and presentation tools to organize and present research.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
It's a one-year computer science course for 5th grade that introduces foundational programming concepts through a block-based programming language. Students develop computational thinking and problem-solving skills while creating interactive projects, animations, and games, with an emphasis on creativity and collaboration.
The course totals 36 contact hours, with each lesson running about 45 minutes. Teaching one lesson per week covers a full school year. It is teacher-led, using ready-to-use lesson plans that follow a consistent Introduction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Extension, and Reflection structure.
Students use a block-based programming interface where they write and run programs saved in their own accounts.
Students explore loops through turtle graphics, and use conditionals, variables, and lists in mazes, quests, and games. They're introduced to functions, clones, and even classes and objects, giving them an early look at object-oriented programming concepts. Digital literacy lessons cover online collaboration, giving credit for digital content, and how networks and protocols move data, and the year concludes with a productivity software inquiry project.
Students build functions that take input to personalize projects and control repeated actions, use clones to manage repeated sprite actions in an interactive game, and get an early introduction to classes and objects by building a game with randomized object characteristics.
