We live in a world surrounded by technology, and we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works. But only a fraction are learning how technology works.

That’s why Emerson joins the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week, the first full week of December every year. This Hour of Code makes the statement that Emerson Elementary is ready to teach these foundational 21st-century skills.

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is a worldwide movement that aims to introduce millions of students to computer science through one-hour coding activities. Through Hour of Code, we aim to demystify coding and show that anyone can learn the basics, inspiring future interest in computer science.

Hour of Code @ Emerson

Volunteers have run the Hour of Code at Emerson since 2013 for 1st-5th grade; and introduced it to Kindergarten in 2022.

These are the lessons we currently run by grade:

• 5th — Tetherball — this walks students line by line through a javascript-like language to build a simple game from scratch. They learn the concepts of variables and functions, using code to draw circles, lines, and text on the screen; and even implementing basic physics! The instruction method is somewhat pedantic, where they must type exactly the code they are being told to, and it can be challenging for students who are not comfortable typing.