Challenge: Constellation Maker

Welcome to the code side. The interactive lesson introduces coding in a game format with familiar characters. Young computer experts learn to develop code to control the interaction of the characters in the game. The activity ends with...

Let there be light—or maybe not. Pupils learn about light pollution with an investigation of constellations. They create constellation boxes and experiment with different levels of light. Observations are then made about the lighting in...

Expand your beginning coder's use of objects in programs by looking at examples where you can change code to define and use objects in arrays and pass objects as parameters to a function. All of this leads to a deeper understanding of...

It's time to unleash your class's inner geek. This introductory video starts one on a path of learning to code. It is the first in a series of videos that help you learn the fundamentals of coding. The series focuses on producing art and...

There is an easier way to share functions among objects. The fifth section of a six-part series on object-oriented design introduces the concept of object inheritance. The coding helps pupils create a base object type that has all the...

While learning to code is an interesting academic pursuit in its own right, it also has other learning benefits. For one, coders learn how to learn. They continually explore, test, and draw conclusions about how certain things work. The...

What are variables, and why do I need them? These are the questions answered in this basic computer programming video. The author stresses the importance of how the equal sign used in math class has a different meaning than the equal...

Leap right into programming in JavaScript with this first video in the series. Start off with drawing a rectangle. Remember computers only know what you tell them. So you need to specify exactly where on the screen you want the...

Now let's expand our coding to include ellipses, rectangles, and lines using this easy-to-follow video. We are also adding some formality to the language we use by defining the following terms: function, parameters, pixels, and the x and...

Practice adding color to your simple JavaScript picture. Three layers of ice cream in a bowl with a cherry on top, gives your beginning coders a tasty challenge.