The Hour of Code is a worldwide event held during the week of December 7-13 to help everyone experience the power of coding. Designed for ages 4 to 104, the event is a one-hour introduction to computer science that attempts to demystify code and show that anybody, even someone who doesn’t know anything about programming, can learn the basics.
Teachers and administrators interested in participating must commit to spending at least one hour during Computer Science Week on coding skills with their students. No registration to participate is required. But those educators who do register for the free event are entered to win great prizes.
A free curriculum with complete lesson plans is available for grades K-12 and includes fun activities on popular topics such as Star Wars, Minecraft, and the Frozen characters. And there are even non-technology activities you can do if you don’t have access to computers in your classroom. If you don’t know how to code yourself, that’s also not a problem as the curriculum is designed for the students to work through on their own or in pairs.
Specific how-to’s on conducting an Hour of Code are available here. Get your students involved in problem-solving skills, logic, and creativity. By starting early, your students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.
