Building Foundational Skills through Computer Science
We know that students who study computer science Outperform peers in reading, writing, math, and science exams in elementary and middle school by 15%; and math in high school by 10% and that this carries into college and career, with computer science students outperforming peers in problem-solving in university by 21%.
Whether your students choose to pursue a career in computer science or another field, the skills they will learn from Hello World are lifelong and we’re excited to support teachers and students on their journey.
Tips for Aligning to your Standards
Hello World curriculum is aligned to standards including CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Our multi-framework alignment means our curriculum doesn't have to compete with math, ELA, or science for instructional time; it reinforces other content areas. All of our lessons are scaffolded and mastery-based. As students work their way through the lessons, they are building on their skills.
For every course, we provide teachers a pacing guide, syllabi, and scope & sequence and for each lesson we provide a lesson plan, teacher slides, student-facing rubric, workbook and example code. We also have Flex Activities, which are screen free, and AI Readiness Modules, which are always available and can be completed in any order at any time. This way, as a teacher, you can cater to the particular needs of your students and the flow of your schedule.
Tips for Using the Gradual Release Model with Hello World Curriculum
Every Hello World course comes with teacher-facing slides and direct instruction materials that walk you through the concepts before your students encounter them. Example code and sample projects are also built into our resources, so you always have something concrete to model and reference and you’re never scrambling to create or find an example.
We recommend using a gradual release "I do, we do, you do" approach. You start by modeling with the provided teacher slides, move into guided practice as a class as students follow along in the workbook pages we provide, and then release students to work independently on projects that are genuinely theirs.
As you’re lesson planning and teaching, if you find that you have questions or need support, you can always reach out to your dedicated Professional Development Specialist.
Tips for Classroom Management when using Hello World
Every teacher has their own style, but here are a few tips we recommend:
Tips for Student Engagement
Hello World curriculum is built with project based learning principles in mind. Every course moves toward student-owned projects like websites, apps, data visualizations and games that students build, present, and are proud of.
We recommend at the end of each project, giving students an opportunity to share their work. You can have students present to the class, set up a gallery walk for students to walk around and see what their classmates created, or take turns using the VR headset.
We also support teachers in planning Demo Days, events where students share what they've built with parents, community members, and local organizations. Demo Days are fun, interactive events that allow students to showcase their work to a larger audience. We can’t wait to see what your students will create.
