Teaching basics of coding for 4th and 5th graders
Community Review for Hopscotch-Programming for Kids
My Take
I like this tool as it provides another easy way to teach coding. I found that this app might be overwhelming and confusing to students if they did not already have a grasp on writing lines of code. Using other tools such as code.org or tools like BeeBots help students understand the purpose of lines of code before jumping into an app like Hopscotch.
How I Use It
I offered an enrichment group of 4th and 5th grade students in which I introduced students to coding using a variety of tools, including the app, Hopscotch, downloaded for free on our school iPads. After introducing coding using an Hour of Code on code.org, students were introduced to using lines of code using Hopscotch. As a whole class, we practiced creating simple actions for the characters in Hopscotch. From there, I created a challenge for students to work alone or with a partner to create a scene with two characters walking onto the screen and saying hello to another. While some students met this challenge right away, a few others still needed support from myself and others. I loved how this app offered other opportunities to challenge students who had already mastered basic concepts of coding.