Tennessee Computer Science: 3rd Grade
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 32
- Grade 3rd
This course is aligned to TN standards and is designed to provide computer science instruction for Tennessee third grade students. It is meant to be taught approximately once per week. This course also includes interdisciplinary lessons in math, science, ELA, and social studies to support cross-curricular integration.
See the full syllabus for all topics and activities, or explore the course to try it out.
UNITS - 8 (32 lessons)
Students refresh foundational skills with a story-driven adventure and programming concept review before learning advanced topics.
Students explore computing systems, develop strong digital identity practices, create secure usernames and passwords, and apply computational thinking to design challenges.
Students create programs using parallel sequences and broadcast messages to trigger character actions and interactions.
Students learn that loops repeat instructions and conditionals make decisions; they use if/then logic to control program behavior.
Students create and change variable values, use comparison operators, and manage data with lists in interactive activities.
Students design and create platform games with interactive mechanics and apply their programming skills to improve game functionality.
Students explore the work of computer science pioneers, conduct keyword-based research, find and evaluate online sources, and create data visualizations.
Students apply coding to multiplication, fractions, weather/climate, animal adaptations, nutrition, forces and motion, creative writing with parts of speech, poetry, storytelling, and community adaptation.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
3rd graders learn conditionals (if/then logic), variables, lists, loops, and broadcast messages. These tools unlock more complex, decision-driven programs.
Students create platform games, design interactive programs, build data visualizations, apply computational thinking to real problems, and create programs that make decisions based on user input.
Design thinking is embedded through lessons where students identify problems, plan solutions, create prototypes, and revise their work to make tools more accessible and user-friendly.
The course includes 36 lessons, each approximately 45 minutes, taught once per week throughout the school year for a total of 36 instructional hours.
Yes. Students develop strong passwords, understand digital identity and positive digital footprints, and learn to evaluate information and sources online responsibly.
Throughout the year, students use conditionals for multiplication, loops for fractions, and programs to model science concepts like weather, animal adaptations, forces, and ecosystems.
