A manual for a computer science teacher

2nd grade, 3rd quarter (8 lessons)

The purpose of the lessons : To teach children the basics of programming through the creation of interactive projects, to introduce them to e-mail and to continue developing their skills in working with text and graphics.

Lesson plan

Lesson 1: Introduction to Programming – Creating Simple Projects

Topic : Basics of creating interactive projects using Scratch Junior

Objectives:

To introduce children to the basics of visual programming.
Teach how to create simple interactive projects, such as animations or games.

Materials:

Computers or tablets with Scratch Junior installed.

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain what an interactive project is (for example, a game or animation that can be interacted with).
- Explain what Scratch Junior is and how it helps create such projects.
Getting to Know the Scratch Junior Interface (10 minutes)
- Show the basic tools of the program: how to add characters, set movements and reactions.
Practical part (20 minutes)
- Children create simple animation: a character moves around the stage and interacts with the environment.
- Discussion of work: what was successful, what difficulties arose.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- To sum it up: interactive projects consist of commands that we give to characters.

Lesson 2: Continuing with interactive projects

Topic : Creating more complex projects in Scratch Junior

Objectives:

Develop programming skills.
Learn how to create projects with multiple characters and interactions.

Materials:

Computers or tablets with Scratch Junior.

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Discuss the projects created in the previous lesson and suggest ideas for expanding them.
Creating Complex Interactions (10 minutes)
- Show how to add new characters and customize their interactions: movement, changing appearance, sounds.
Practical part (20 minutes)
- Children create projects with multiple characters: for example, they can interact with each other, move and make sounds based on certain events.
- Support in case of questions.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- To sum it up: the more characters and interactions there are, the more complex the project is, but the more fun it is to create.

Lesson 3: Email Basics

Topic : How to send and receive emails, basic email etiquette

Objectives:

Teach children how to create and send emails.
Discuss the basic rules of etiquette for electronic correspondence.

Materials:

An example of the mail service interface (you can use the demo version or training materials).

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain what email is and why it is needed.
- Show an example mailbox.
Creating a letter (10 minutes)
- Show how to write and send a letter: fill in the recipient field, subject and text of the letter.
- Explain the rules of good manners when writing: greeting, politeness, brevity.
Practical part (20 minutes)
- Ask children to create and send a letter to the teacher or another student in the class.
- Discuss examples of good letters.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- To sum it up: email is a way of communication that requires respect for the other person.

Lesson 4: Email Security

Topic : How to protect your email from threats

Objectives:

Teach children the basics of email safety.
Discuss how to protect personal information and avoid malicious emails.

Materials:

Presentation or video with examples of fraudulent emails and safety instructions.

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain that there may be dangerous emails and links on the Internet.
Safety Basics (10 minutes)
- Tell them that they shouldn’t open emails from strangers or click on suspicious links.
- Show examples of fraudulent emails.
Practical part – discussion (20 minutes)
- Discussion: how to protect your email, what actions to take if you receive a suspicious email.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- Bottom line: You should always be careful when using email.

Lesson 5: Continuing to work with texts

Topic : Editing and formatting texts

Objectives:

To review and deepen skills in working with texts.
Teach the basics of formatting (highlighting, changing font, alignment).

Materials:

Computers with a text editor (e.g. Word or similar).

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Discuss why text formatting is necessary and how it helps make text easier to read.
Practical demonstration (10 minutes)
- Show how to highlight text, change font, size, align paragraphs.
Practical part (20 minutes)
- Ask children to create text and format it according to given criteria (for example, make the heading bold, center the text).
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- To summarize: formatting makes text neat and easy to read.

Lesson 6: Continuing with graphics

Topic : Creating complex images and editing them

Objectives:

Develop image creation skills.
Teach children to edit finished drawings and add details.

Materials:

A drawing program (for example, Paint or similar).

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Review basic drawing tools and discuss how to add detail and enhance an image.
Practical demonstration (10 minutes)
- Show how to edit finished images, add elements and change color schemes.
Practical part (20 minutes)
- Ask children to draw a more complex image (such as a landscape or a scene with several objects) and edit it.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- To sum it up, image editing helps you improve your results and add details.

Lesson 7: Integrating programming, text and graphics skills

Topic : Creating projects using texts, images and algorithms

Objectives:

Reinforce all learned skills through the integration of programming, working with text and graphics.
Teach how to create full-fledged projects.

Materials:

Scratch Junior, text editor, drawing program.

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain that children will be creating a project that combines text, images, and programming.
Practical part – creating a project (30 minutes)
- Ask children to create a project: for example, a scene with characters that uses text (characters’ lines) and images (background or objects), and program their interaction.
- Support children in the process of creating projects.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- Discuss the results obtained and the difficulties encountered.

Lesson 8: Final Project and its Presentation

Topic : Presentation of projects and summing up

Objectives:

Give children the opportunity to present their projects.
To summarize the material studied during the quarter.

Materials:

Computers with programs for demonstrating projects.

Lesson plan:

Introduction (5 minutes)
- Discuss the importance of projects for demonstrating your knowledge and skills.
Presentation of projects (25 minutes)
- Ask children to present their projects to the class: tell how they worked with texts, images and programming.
Discussion and evaluation (10 minutes)
- Discuss the success of each project and give children the opportunity to evaluate each other.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- Summarize: congratulate the children on their successful work and summarize the skills they have acquired.