Ozaria

Ozaria was developed upon CodeCombat, but geared towards the classroom. It takes a game-based approach to teaching text-based coding in Python or Javascript. The game's framed by a fantasy adventure narrative, told through illustrated cutscenes, which then lead to a puzzle game students must complete to advance the storyline. Ozaria is standards-aligned, meeting CSTA and ISTE standards. It's built with middle schoolers in mind, but extend below and above those grade levels. The curriculum is well-structured and includes a mix of whole class instruction, independent practice, group work, and creative opportunities -- if the curriculum guide and lesson slides are followed. Only one chapter is free, then schools need to contact for pricing. There's a scope and sequence, lesson slides, and professional development courses available. Teachers have access to a dashboard, where they can monitor student progress, manage student projects, and use assessment tools. There are handy accessibility options, including voiceover narration and a screen reader mode, as well as optional support for coding.

To get started, teachers should consult the excellent lesson slides; chapter one is available for free. The slides include pacing suggestions, including when to start and stop gameplay, how to incorporate the cutscenes in instruction, and check-in and extension opportunities. Throughout, there's also a lot of great info about computer science concepts that'll help students understand things like algorithms, loops, and debugging. There's also a healthy focus on SEL, encouraging students to develop resiliency and integrity when working on a project. These slides will give you the best notion of just what's covered in the game, then you can try the first chapter and see if it'll meet your students' needs.