CodeCombat Kids: Building an Adventure through Coding
CodeCombat Kids: Building an Adventure through Coding
Step into the digital world with CodeCombat Junior!
This course offers a structured learning progression that introduces basic coding concepts at a comfortable pace. Our flexible online environment adapts to young students, featuring icon-based coding, drag-and-drop blocks, and options for text coding. Tailored to overcome early learning hurdles, the course includes no-reading and no-typing options to serve students of all skill levels. Join us to build a solid foundation in coding through a fun and engaging curriculum!"
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About CodeCombat Kids: Building an Adventure through Coding
CodeCombat Kids: Adventures in Coding is designed to align with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards, ensuring a comprehensive and balanced approach to early digital literacy and coding education. This course invites young learners to dive into the world of coding through engaging, hands-on activities that blend interactive technology with imaginative play.
Our curriculum seamlessly integrates coding principles with English Language Arts (ELA) crossovers, fostering both scientific inquiry and literacy skills. By exploring coding concepts through interactive and gamified learning experiences, students enhance their technical abilities while developing problem-solving and communication skills. Each lesson is thoughtfully structured to include a mix of coding exercises and physical activities, promoting a balance between screen time and active play. -
Focus Areas
CodeCombat Kids is designed to introduce young learners to coding at a pace that aligns with their developmental needs, ensuring they build a solid foundation in computer science. The curriculum is structured to gradually progress through coding concepts, using engaging, game-based activities that keep students motivated and excited about learning.
Paced Learning: The lessons are tailored to match the capabilities of K-5 students, starting with drag-and-drop interfaces and gradually incorporating more complex code structures as students advance. This approach helps students build confidence and understanding before moving on to more challenging material.
Interactive and Flexible: The curriculum offers a mix of icon-based blocks and text-based coding, allowing students to seamlessly transition between visual and text coding. This flexibility helps students grasp coding logic and syntax without feeling overwhelmed, making the learning process both accessible and enjoyable.
Learning Outcomes
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Visual Coding Skills
Students will develop fundamental coding skills using visual, icon-based interfaces, enabling them to learn programming concepts without the need for reading or typing.
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Interactive Problem Solving
Students will enhance their problem-solving abilities by engaging with drag-and-drop coding blocks, which help them understand logical sequencing and basic programming structures in a hands-on way.
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Creative Expression Through Code
Students will have the opportunity to creatively express themselves by designing simple projects and games using coding tools tailored for their early literacy level, fostering an early interest in technology and its applications.
Sample Lessons
These lessons offer a glimpse into the vibrant and dynamic world of CodeCombat Kids: Building an Adventure through Coding, showcasing how students can transform their creativity through data-driven adventures and interactive coding challenges into an enriching and educational journey.
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Dragon's Quest: Navigating Challenges with Commands
In this thrilling adventure, students will guide their characters through a magical land filled with dragons by using basic programming commands. They'll learn to write simple instructions to navigate obstacles and collect treasures, introducing them to foundational coding concepts like sequencing and logic.
Galactic Journey: Exploring Space with Loops
Students will embark on an interstellar mission, using loops to control their spaceship and complete tasks efficiently. This lesson helps them understand the power of loops in coding, making their programs more efficient while exploring the wonders of space and collecting alien artifacts.
Kingdom Defense: Protecting the Realm with Conditionals
In this strategic game, students will program their characters to defend a kingdom from invaders using conditional statements. They'll learn how to create if-else conditions to respond to different threats, enhancing their decision-making and problem-solving skills in a dynamic and immersive environment.
Forest Expedition: Discovering Nature with Functions
This lesson takes students on a journey through an enchanted forest where they'll use functions to help their characters navigate and interact with wildlife. They'll learn to create reusable code blocks, making their programming more organized and modular while discovering the secrets of the forest.
Pirate's Treasure: Managing Resources with Variables
Students will set sail on a pirate adventure, using variables to keep track of their loot and resources. This lesson introduces them to the concept of variables and how they can be used to store and manipulate data, providing a deeper understanding of game mechanics and coding fundamentals.
Course Format
The CodeCombat Kids course is designed to guide young learners through a series of progressively challenging lessons, each building on the concepts learned in the previous one. The curriculum begins with fundamental coding principles and gradually introduces more complex topics, ensuring that students develop a deep understanding of programming through interactive and engaging gameplay.
1. Foundational Skills: The course starts with basic commands and sequencing, allowing students to familiarize themselves with core coding concepts. These initial lessons focus on simple, straightforward tasks to build confidence and foundational skills in a supportive environment.
2. Introduction to Loops and Conditionals: As students progress, they encounter lessons that introduce loops and conditional statements. These concepts help them understand how to create more efficient and responsive code, enhancing their programs' versatility and intelligence.
3. Functions and Modular Programming: Midway through the course, students learn about functions and modularity. They are taught to create reusable code blocks, which improves their ability to organize and manage complex programs. This phase emphasizes writing clean, maintainable code.
4. Variables and Data Management: Further along, students delve into variables and data management. They learn how to store, manipulate, and use data within their programs, which is essential for developing more interactive and dynamic applications.
5. Advanced Problem-Solving: Towards the end of the course, lessons focus on advanced problem-solving techniques and algorithmic thinking. Students apply all the concepts they have learned to tackle challenging problems and create sophisticated programs.
Interactive and Engaging Learning: Throughout the course, CodeCombat Kids uses a game-based learning approach to keep students engaged. Each lesson involves interactive challenges and practical applications, making learning to code both fun and effective.
Assessment and Feedback: Regular assessments and instant feedback are integrated into the lessons, helping students track their progress and identify areas that need improvement. This ensures a personalized learning experience where each student can grow at their own pace.
By progressing through these carefully structured lessons, students gain a comprehensive understanding of coding, from basic commands to advanced programming techniques, preparing them for future success in computer science.
Our Instructors Are Our Top Asset
At BAM!, our vision for innovative K-8 education extends beyond just curriculum; it encompasses the educators who bring that curriculum to life. Selecting & training our educators is a continuous and meticulous process, ensuring they are not just equipped with subject matter expertise but also the skills to inspire and connect with students on a personal level.
- 100% adult educators recruited from prestigious universities ( No CITs at BAM!)
- Highly refined interview and background check process
- Extensive training that goes well beyond curriculum & classroom management
- Ongoing year-round opportunities to teach in our summer camp. After-school, and structured recess programs.