Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science: 3rd Grade
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 31
- Grade 3rd
This course is designed to provide computer science instruction for Alabama 3rd grade 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 - 12 (31 lessons)
Students log in to CodeHop, learn the parts of a computing system, and use computational thinking to design an obstacle course.
Students follow Scout on a four-part programming expedition to create animated stories.
Students create parallel sequences and use broadcast messages to make sprites communicate.
Students use loops to simplify programs and debug programs with events and loops.
Students use if/then and if/then/else blocks to make decisions in programs.
Students create variables, use comparison operators, build an I-Spy game with lists, and display survey results in a bar graph.
Students create functions and use them to choreograph a dance to music.
Students use design thinking to make a digital tool more accessible.
Students build keyboarding skills, explore how computing affects society, and learn about digital footprints.
Students learn about cyber threats, solve ciphers, and model how data travels across a network.
Students research online, give credit to sources, and communicate information from multiple sources.
Students explore why people build new technology, write clear AI prompts, and train a model AI chatbot.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
3rd grade students build programs in CodeHop Blocks using parallel sequences, broadcasts, loops, conditionals, variables, lists, and functions, with projects like an I-Spy game and a functions dance, ending with a design thinking project on accessibility. They also learn about cybersecurity and cryptography, digital footprints, and how data travels across networks, research and credit online sources, and explore AI by writing clear prompts and training a model chatbot.
The course includes 36 lessons, each about 45 minutes long, providing a full year of instruction. 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. Many digital literacy lessons include unplugged activities with printable handouts. An ongoing keyboarding program helps students build typing skills throughout the year. Concepts spiral across grade levels, so students build on what they learned even if not every lesson is completed in a single year.
No. There are no prerequisites, and the course is designed to support all learners regardless of prior computer science experience. The Getting Started and Programming Exploration lessons introduce CodeHop step by step before students move into more advanced concepts.
Programming units teach block-based coding through games and projects, while digital literacy units cover computing and society, systems and security, research and data, and artificial intelligence. An ongoing keyboarding program helps students build typing skills throughout the year.
Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science: 3rd Grade is aligned to the Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards. Lessons required to fully meet the standards are identified in the course syllabus, and additional lessons support review, practice, and enrichment.
