Coding Is Cool: The Basics of Programming and an Introduction to Scratch

When many people think of coding and programming, they think of long strings of text and numbers that are difficult to understand and that somehow magically make computers and software work. While it's true that there are some challenging programming languages out there, there are many ways to introduce your child to the world of programming and the basics of how these languages work without diving straight into the complicated stuff.  

In this 4-week course, we will learn the basics of what programming and coding are, as well as how and why they work. We'll learn about best practices for writing code, what bugs are, and how to find/fix them. I will also introduce students to the Scratch workspace and show them some basic functions they can use to create projects. With Scratch, you drag and drop blocks into place that cause items on the screen to perform actions, make sounds, and more. Not only do you have endless possibilities to be creative and make your own animations and games, but it's fun and easy because you don't have to worry about any mistakes or bugs in your code.  

There will be a fair amount of lecture time, but students will have a chance to (and are encouraged to) ask any questions they may have along the way. Once we start using the Scratch workspace, there will also be some time for students to use these tools and share their creations if they choose. The best way to learn Scratch is to use the tools yourself, after all! You don't need an account just to use the Scratch website, but if they want to save their projects, students will need to create an account. At the end of each class, students will work together to complete an interactive activity that helps to re-enforce what we learned in class that day. 

Course Breakdown:

Week 1 - In week 1, I will go over what coding and programming are and what they are used for. 

Week 2 - In week 2, we'll learn about some of the different programming and coding languages, and when you might need to use each one. We'll also go over some basic coding terminology that students might encounter, and what each term means. 

Week 3 - We'll go over what bugs are, how they can affect your code, and how to find/fix them. We'll also jump into the Scratch workspace at the end of class, and learn some basics about how to add objects (called "sprites" in Scratch) and a background to the workspace.

Week 4 - In this final week, we'll work together on a basic Scratch animation with movement and sound, and connect what we've learned in previous weeks to the elements found in the Scratch workspace.