cc Kathy Cassidy
Unplugged Coding is a collection of learning activities that introduce coding and programming through engaging games that only use cards, crayons, markers, etc. For younger students, teachers can skip the detailed concepts of computer coding and give them a better understanding of basic computer science knowledge and inspire them for future exploration. For all learners, unplugged activities can help build computational thinking without the need for digital devices. For more in this blog about coding (both plugged and unplugged) and links to BC curriculum, please visit the ‘Coding in your Classrooms’ post.
Through Unplugged Coding activities, students will be able to develop computational thinking through concepts such as binary numbers and algorithms without using computers or other devices.
Unplugged coding meets Plugged coding: Scratch is a visual programming language. For a brief introduction to Scratch, have a look at Drag and Drop Programming: Scratch. In There are also some unplugged scratch coding cards you can use in the classroom for an analog approach. You can find a teacher’s guide for using Scratch cards in your classroom on 8 ways to use Scratch Coding Cards in Your Classroom.
Interested in integrating Unplugged Coding into your classroom? Interested in moving from unplugged to plugged (via visual programming)? Here are two websites that might be useful in developing your lesson plans:
https://code.org/curriculum/unplugged
https://www.csunplugged.org/en/topics/
http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/stories
You might also try these printable ‘scratch’/visual block coding cards. They can be used to introduce visual programming and build algorithmic and computational thinking skills during morning messages, transition or sponge activities or when introducing a lesson. English from ‘ScratchEd‘ or French from Code BC
Or this kinesthetic activity, The Thirsty Robot, where students act as robots and programmers, give and receive commands, encode and decode programs (can be adapted to multiple levels).
For grades 6-9 learners, this series of resources (student and teacher resources) from the Victoria School District helps to build computational thinking and computer programming through unplugged activities.
