Five Star Technology Solutions is proud to be a Google for Education partner! Our integration team works with teachers from across the country, helping them implement CS First in their classrooms. We love meeting teachers and learning about how they incorporate computer science into their lessons! In this post, some of our trainers share their top pieces of advice for teachers who are curious about trying CS First.
8 Tips for Implementing CS First in YOUR Classroom
- Be a model learner and participate in the lessons as a student alongside your class – Sean
- Don’t skip the shoutouts, sharing, and critiques- so many valuable skills in that part of the lesson – Lisa
- Expect problems to arise. This is a great opportunity to teach problem-solving. Students will react the way they see you react. – Cynthia
- You don’t need to be a Computer Science expert to use CS First. Use the lesson plans and provided materials to help you introduce and plan. Not having all the answers is actually great, because you can model a curious, debugging mindset that allows for learning WITH the students! – Katie
- Go unplugged. Develop those computer science thinking skills and encourage their creativity at the same time! – Ryan
- Start with a lesson topic that needs an influx of change. For example, shift a poster-based project into a lesson with CS First. Students can create talking, moving, and interactive projects and the sky is the limit! – Ana
- If you’re brand new to coding, use the new “Welcome to CS First” unit to introduce yourself and your students to Scratch and beginning coding skills! – Sherry
- Make it your own! Google provides all of the computer science instruction, but you can layer in as much content as you like. Don’t be afraid to add in your own lessons and activities (tech-based or not) to enhance the learning experience for your students. – Molly
- Be a model learner and participate in the lessons as a student alongside your class – Sean
A computer science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn.
If your school or district is looking to implement CS First into your classroom, Five Star’s Google Certified Trainers can help!
Click here to learn more about the CS First Workshops led by our Professional Development Specialists.
