I’m just getting started with code.org and am setting up my classes for my school now. I plan to use it in grades 1-4. I am the edtech teacher and will drop into classrooms once in a while to instruct the kids. I don’t have a regular schedule set with some classes. Should I use the express for grades 1-4 or assign B-C-D-E for each?
If I assign B-C-D-E, can kids still go at their own pace or are all of those teacher lead? I think I want to be able to come in and do lessons with the kids but also leave it as a project students can complete on their own without me.
Great questions! There are a few things you might want to consider when deciding on a course or set of courses for your students.
Our Pre-Reader Express and Express courses are designed for situations in which students work at their own pace independently. That said, with all of our courses you have the option to show or hide individual lessons (link here).
The Express Course is designed for grades 2-5 and might feel a bit challenging for 1st grade students. If that might be the case, we encourage you to try out our Pre-Reader Express course or look at Courses A and B individually for that age group.
In terms of whether courses B, C, D, and E are independent or teacher led depends on the individual lessons. Unplugged lessons will be teacher led (and are not included in the Pre-Reader Express or Express courses) though many of the coding lessons overlap between courses B, C, D, and E and Express. I would recommend looking at the specific lessons offered in each course to determine which course(s) best suit your needs.
Hope that answers your questions!
Emma, Curriculum Writer