Manual for a computer science teacher: 4th grade, 2nd quarter
The goal of the course : To deepen children’s knowledge of programming using visual environments, working with tables and Internet resources, and to develop cyber literacy skills.
Lesson plan
Lesson 1: Programming in Scratch – Introduction to Branching
Topic : Programming with Branching (Conditional Statements)
Objectives:
- To introduce children to the concept of branching in programming.
- To teach how to use conditional statements to create interactive programs.
Materials:
- Computers with Scratch installed.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explains what branching and conditional statements are.
- Practical demonstration (10 minutes): Demonstration of a simple project using conditional constructions (e.g. game “Guess the number”).
- Practical task (25 minutes): Students create a program in which a character reacts to different conditions.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the created projects.
Lesson 2: Programming in Scratch – Using Loops
Topic : Programming with loops
Objectives:
- Teach children to use loops in programming.
- Develop the ability to create repetitive actions in projects.
Materials:
- Computers with Scratch.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explains what loops are and what they are used for.
- Examples (10 minutes): Demonstration of a program with a loop (for example, a character repeats the same action several times).
- Hands-on Activity (25 minutes): Students create a project using loops (e.g. animation with repeating movements).
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of results, importance of loops in programming.
Lesson 3: Programming in Scratch – Adding Interactivity
Topic : Creating interactive projects
Objectives:
- Teach children to add interactive elements to programs (reaction to keystrokes, mouse clicks, etc.).
- Create a simple interactive project.
Materials:
- Computers with Scratch.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explanation of the concept of interactivity.
- Examples (10 minutes): Show a simple project with interactive elements (for example, a game controlled by a keyboard).
- Practical task (25 minutes): Students create an interactive project (for example, a game with character control).
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the importance of interactivity in games and programs.
Lesson 4: Working with tables – entering and sorting data
Topic : Entering data into tables, sorting them
Objectives:
- Teach children to enter and sort data in tables.
- Develop the ability to structure information in tabular form.
Materials:
- Computers with installed spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets).
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Discussion of why tables are needed and how to enter data into them.
- Hands-on demo (10 minutes): Showing how to enter data and sort it in a table.
- Practical task (25 minutes): Students enter data into a table and sort it according to given criteria (for example, a list of grades in ascending order).
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the results of working with tables.
Lesson 5: Working with tables – creating charts
Topic : Building charts based on data
Objectives:
- Teach children to create charts based on data in tables.
- Show how to represent information graphically.
Materials:
- Computers with spreadsheet programs.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explains why charts are useful and how they help visualize data.
- Hands-on demo (10 minutes): Show how to create a chart from a table (e.g. a bar chart of grade results).
- Hands-on activity (25 minutes): Students create their own charts based on the data in the table.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the importance of data visualization and presentation of results.
Lesson 6: Basics of working with Internet resources – searching for information
Topic : Searching for information on the Internet
Objectives:
- Teach children to effectively search for information on the Internet.
- Develop skills in formulating search queries.
Materials:
- Computers with internet access.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explains how internet search works and what keywords to use.
- Practical demonstration (10 minutes): Finding information on a topic (e.g. finding facts about an animal or a historical event).
- Practical task (25 minutes): Students independently search for information on the proposed topic.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of how to correctly formulate queries and find the required data.
Lesson 7: Cyber Literacy Basics – Assessing the Credibility of Sources
Topic : How to evaluate the reliability of sources on the Internet
Objectives:
- Teach children to critically evaluate information on the Internet.
- Develop information filtering skills.
Materials:
- Computers with internet access.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explaining why it is important to verify the credibility of sources.
- Practical demonstration (10 minutes): Show examples of reliable and questionable sources.
- Practical task (25 minutes): Students search for information on the topic and analyze the reliability of sources.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the characteristics of credible sources and the importance of critical thinking.
Lesson 8: Final Project
Topic : Final Project – Creating Tables and Charts Based on Internet Data
Objectives:
- To consolidate the learned skills of searching, working with tables and diagrams.
- Create a final project that combines several topics.
Materials:
- Computers with internet access and spreadsheet programs.
Lesson plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Explanation of the task: search for data on the Internet, create a table and diagram.
- Project Work (30 minutes): Students research data on a chosen topic and create tables and charts.
- Presentation of projects (10 minutes): Students present their work.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): Discussion of the quarter’s results, assessment of progress.