Good Friday friends! I’m hoping someone out there in Code.org land has had a similar issue and can help point me in the right direction. I have a conundrum. Last year, I taught a gifted class at my school 3/4 graders Course 2. They completed it and loved it and are ready for more. However, the issue I have is that I now have 4th graders in that class who have completed Course 2 and 3rd graders who have never done coding besides the Hour of Code. SO…I’m looking at the new courses and LOVE them, but I’m finding myself perplexed by what level to have them go to. I have to teach these kids (in the computer lab one day a week for an hour) at the same time. I could put them into different “classes” and courses, but time doesn’t allow for instruction on each level. Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I’m inclined to just go ahead and put them all in either Course C or the Express Course. My reservations are that Course C is going to be too easy for my 4th graders, but it would give my 3rd graders a good starting point to learn basic concepts. Remember these are gifted kids, nearly all are above their grade level in most areas so I’m inclined to try them out on the Express Course and let them pair with kids who already know a bit about coding. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
Now on to my next “issue”. I have a 5th grade class who wants to take advantage of my coding class. These students are all brand new to coding, again besides Hour of Code. So I’m also wondering where to place these students so they learn a good foundation of basic concepts without overwhelming them and plunging them too far into the deep end where they get frustrated and give up. I’m inclined to start them on the Express Course as well. I could also choose to just go back to the old curriculum of Course 2 that I’m familiar with, but I am loving these new courses a little too much to do that.
If any of you have had similar situations or have any suggestions, I would be most grateful.