New York Computer Science and Digital Fluency: Kindergarten
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 38
- Grade K
This course is designed to provide computer science instruction for New York Kindergarten students. Students learn programming and principles of computer science including: computing systems, research, algorithms and programming, and computer safety.
See the full syllabus for all topics and activities, or explore the course to try it out.
UNITS - 9 (38 lessons)
Students use screen-free activities, including dance sequences, card games, and acting out events, to build sequencing and event skills, and get an early introduction to variables as a way to store and manipulate data.
Students learn to log into and navigate the CodeHop platform, build mouse and keyboard skills, learn basic computer hardware and software vocabulary, practice responsible technology use, and apply computational thinking to daily routines.
Through the story-driven Scout Adventures series, students explore the programming interface, adding and modifying characters, backgrounds, and pages while sequencing motion blocks and events to animate a story.
Students combine drawing tools, event blocks, multi-step sequences, and show/hide and grow/shrink blocks to build interactive scenes, while also learning to collect and analyze simple data.
Students learn to build programs with multiple pages and use the "go to page" block to navigate between them.
Students use speed, sound, and "say" blocks to animate characters, create a personal "All About Me" program, and practice debugging event and motion sequences.
Students learn to use repeat and forever loops to repeat actions efficiently, applying loops to animate characters and create effects like fireworks.
Students combine events, sequences, and loops learned throughout the course to design an original wildlife scene project.
Students build digital citizenship skills by learning to protect private information, explore how technology impacts daily life, conduct basic research, and understand how computers store data and connect through networks.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
Kindergarten students learn to use a mouse and keyboard, explore computer basics and responsible technology use, and create their first block-based programs alongside Scout the squirrel. Throughout the year they use sequences, events, pages, and loops to build drawings, animations, and an All About Me program, ending with a wildlife scene project. Students also learn to keep information safe, explore data and how computers store files, practice simple research, and learn how computing affects daily life and how networks connect people.
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. An optional unplugged unit at the start of the course introduces sequences, events, and variables through movement, card games, and collaborative activities.
No. There are no prerequisites, and the course is designed to support all learners regardless of prior computer science experience. The course begins with lessons on logging in, using a mouse and keyboard, and computer basics before students start programming.
New York Computer Science and Digital Fluency: Kindergarten is aligned to the New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards. 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.
