In an increasingly digital world, it is critical for young people to be exposed to computer science early in their academic careers. This lesson plan is designed to introduce common programming principles to young learners in an age-appropriate and accessible way. 

The curriculum described in this lesson plan also aligns with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) K-12 Computer Science Standards, specifically those for grades K-2. Using my learning design background, I determined that learning through play would be an effective method for meeting the CSTA standards and achieving the learning objectives.

This lesson plan outlines the culminating activity after a full unit about programming and computer science. The culminating activity builds on previous lessons, specifically those that teach students about “if/else” statements and “while” loops. For this reason, the lesson plan also includes a brief overview of how “if/else” statements and “while” loops were introduced to students through regular kids’ games like Simon Says and Freeze Dance.

In my teaching experience, I have found that play-based learning is particularly successful for helping young learners understand complex concepts. Acknowledging that classroom teachers may not have access to individual computers for each student, I had to get creative in figuring out how to teach computer science without an actual computer. 

This is where the idea of a “living program” came in: even if students could not experiment with actual computer programs, they could still act one out with their bodies. I created an interactive “living program” where students would act as either an “if/else” statement or a “while” loop as they tried to transform a small plastic ball into another color by covering it with stickers and coloring.