Overview
Over the course of the school year, third-grade students in SFUSD engage in four units of computer science (~15-20 lessons). Lessons are designed to be implemented in 45-50 minute periods approximately once per week. The SFUSD Creative Computing curriculum introduces computer science as a creative, collaborative, and engaging discipline where students learn about algorithms and programming, computing systems, the Internet, and the impacts of computing on our world - all while developing strong practices and dispositions.
Through computer science, students learn about and apply many crosscutting concepts including problem-solving, collaboration, sequencing, organizing, and computational thinking. Engagement with computer science provides first graders with the tools they need to engage with confidence and agency in our quickly evolving digital world.
Priority Standards
What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer computer science understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level.
In third grade focus on these critical areas:
Data & Analysis
- Use data to highlight and/or propose relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate ideas.
Algorithms & Programming
- Create programs that use variables to store and modify data.
- Create programs that include events, loops, and conditionals.
- Decompose problems into smaller, manageable tasks which may themselves be decomposed.
- Test and debug a program or algorithm to ensure it accomplishes the intended task.
- Perform different roles when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.
Instruction: Signature Elements
Below are signature elements of SFUSD Computer Science instruction that students should experience regularly throughout first grade as they develop as computer scientists.
Norms
At times, students and teachers may approach computer science with some trepidation. They may think that this subject is not for them or that it may be too difficult. We’ve established these norms to help students and teachers feel welcomed and valued as whole people in their CS classroom. By doing this, we are attempting to mitigate pre-existing stereotypes students and teachers may have about Computer Science or themselves as they begin their CS journey.
Routines
Establishing efficient classroom routines at the beginning of the year or at the beginning of computer science class is essential to maximizing instructional minutes and student interaction. Click on "Learn More" to see the routines we recommend for computer science.
Digital Citizenship
Each student becomes someone who acts safely, responsibly, and respectfully online
Collaboration
Pair programming is an essential component of Computer Science. Students will learn and use social skills to help themselves become better computer scientists, critical thinkers, and problem solvers.
Resilience & Determination
By making and correcting errors in their planning/programming, students build on their determination to problem-solve.
Computational Thinking
Computer Science students will develop critical thinking skills that will carry over into other academic areas. These skills are decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, and developing algorithms.
Materials
Below are items you should have to support your students' computer science instruction. If you are missing anything from the list, please first contact your site administrator or designated support. If they are unable to resolve the issue promptly, please contact ESCS@sfusd.edu.
SFUSD Computer Science non-consumable workbooks are centrally printed and provided by the SFUSD Computer Science Department; the booklets are printed in English and Spanish Links to student workbooks: ENGLISH / SPANISH
Manipulatives have been provided to each site and should remain in one central location with a checkout system in place for non-CS teachers. Here is a linked list of manipulatives for each grade from Kindergarten through Grade 5.
Units
Please refer to the planning guide when launching SFUSD’s Creative Computing 3-5 Curriculum.
To accommodate different school schedules, we offer the following accordion-style model for expanding or contracting the number of lessons in each unit so that students can experience the content in all 4 units in a 12-, 16-, or 20-session Computer Science class.
Planning Guide
ESCS lessons should ideally happen once a week for 45-50 minutes.
When launching Elementary Computer Science at your school site, please refer to the flow chart:
Sample Schedule for CS-only Teachers:
3-5 classes should be at least 45 to 50 minutes maximum. Please allow at least 5-10 minutes between classrooms to allow for teacher transitions. Please coordinate with your site administrators to create your site’s CS schedule.
Sample Schedule for Classroom Teachers:
Lessons can be completed within a 45-50 minute block. A best practice we recommend is for the classroom teacher to review the day’s lesson beforehand to make sure they understand the major concepts of the lesson to better help their students when they ask for help. A few lessons may be needed in order for the students to feel comfortable with the lesson’s technology. A recommendation from our department is for teachers to attend ESCS PLCs to get a better grasp of lessons.
Once students feel comfortable with the technology they will be using, the classroom teacher can then embed core content into CS lessons to reinforce previously learned core content.
Reflection Questions
- How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
- What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
- What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?
Want More?
Standards
SFUSD Computer Science:
Contact the Computer Science Team:
This page was last updated on May 17, 2023