ScratchJr

ScratchJr will work best when kids have lots of guided practice through structured exercises and hands-on support. Although the interface is designed to appeal to younger kids, the program still features a lot of things to click and drag around. So confusion is likely, and getting stuck is easy. But with carefully prepared lessons that walk students step by step through the activities, in an hour or two, they should be able to modify stock programs and even start building their own interactive scenes.

Before using the app, consider doing some off-screen learning around putting steps in order, what each block represents, and how the blocks relate to actual coding languages. If you use shared tablets in your classroom, make sure kids remember which project is theirs since the app doesn't use multiple profiles. The projects are saved locally to the device, but there are sharing options. If you have ELLs who need to access the app in a language other than English, check out the list of supported languages and update the device settings accordingly. And if you notice kids who need a bit more challenge, they can progress to Scratch!