Resources

This document offers guidance and inspiration to advance computer science (CS) learning for all students, in accordance with Minnesota’s state strategic plan for the sustained growth of CS education across all K–12 districts and charter schools. A K–12 CS pathway offers students opportunities at the elementary, middle, and high school levels to build foundational knowledge and progressively deepen their CS skills. This document highlights a range of models and approaches for CS education, including staffing, equity considerations, and curriculum and materials.

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This course was funded by and developed in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education to support K-12 teachers with a variety of experience levels in computer science and/or computer science integration, from no experience to experienced. The course will take a minimum of 10 hours to complete and includes lessons, activities, discussions, quizzes, and many educator and classroom resources. The course consists of eight modules aligned to the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards for Computer Science Teachers. The course supports the development of effective K-12 CS educators by developing their skills and pedagogical understanding in order to provide equitable and effective CS instruction to all students. The three primary goals of the course are to develop a deep understanding of computer science content and pedagogy, to cultivate an equitable and inclusive learning environment for all students, and to design and implement engaging and effective CS learning experiences. The course can be completed individually or as part of a team. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitator Guide can help lead a group of educators through the course providing pacing and meeting format suggestions, supplemental resources for deeper learning, and hands-on PLC activities. You can enroll in the course on MDE's Canvas Learning Management System.

This second grade unit explores the concept of an “algorithm” (step-by-step instructions to accomplish a task) through unplugged activities and incorporating writing skills. The unit is aligned to English Language Arts standards from MDE and will span 4-5 class periods of 45 minutes. Students will explore algorithms in various ways through following algorithms to dance and draw, as well as creating algorithms for a robot. Throughout the unit, students are tasked with collecting a simple recipe to share in the form of a class algorithm cookbook at the end of the unit.

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This guide features six informal computer science (CS) activities designed for youth ages 5–20 in community and out-of-school settings. Each activity includes a link to a detailed instructional document covering learning goals and CSTA standards, required materials and timing, and supplemental resources. Developed as part of the NSF project, K12 CS Pathways for Rural and Tribal Communities (Award #2401154), these resources were co-created with partners to integrate Ojibwe language and culture with CS concepts. 

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In this 4-day unit for grades 7-8, students explore how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) help researchers, communities, and Tribal Nations understand the movements and habitats of wolves (ma’iinganag in Ojibwe). Students learn how to show and hide layers using an online GIS platform, investigate data about wolf populations and natural resources, and reflect on the connections between land, animals, and Indigenous knowledge. By the end of the unit, students will use real-world data to make and communicate evidence-based predictions about where wolves can thrive.

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The Coaching for Equity in Computer Science online course is available through the University of Minnesota’s Canvas platform. The eight modules in the course (20-25 hours) will walk you through an instructional coaching cycle, aligned to the CSTA Coaching Toolkit and its resources. 

Through completion of this course you will:

• Develop a personal coaching philosophy grounded in equity and access for all students
• Examine your own biases and power dynamics in coaching relationships
• Build skills to support K–12 CS educators through iterative coaching cycles
• Apply evidence-based resources for inclusive CS learning environments

The course is free and can be completed on your own or in a professional learning community. A facilitation guide with suggestions for online, hybrid, and in-person groups and pacing. To access the course, you will first need to create a UMN Guest Account (instructions). Once your guest account is active, you can self-enroll in the course at  https://canvas.umn.edu/enroll/8XEXGA. 

This 5-lesson unit engages 7th-grade students in a post-apocalyptic survival scenario where they investigate food insecurity and plant growth through hydroponic agriculture and data analysis. Students examine archived data and accounts to understand how food systems fail and how access to nutritious food impacts communities. Across lessons 1-3, students learn how plants grow through photosynthesis and how environmental conditions such as light, nutrients, and water affect plant health in a shared hydroponic system. During lesson 4, students collect, clean, analyze, and visualize real plant growth data using computational tools, identifying patterns and trends across experimental conditions. The unit is aligned to Minnesota state standards in science and mathematics, as well as national Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards for data collection and analysis. In the final lesson, students synthesize their findings into a Mission Report, communicating evidence-based conclusions about how food can be grown sustainably and how data-informed decisions can support survival and food security.

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InclusiveCSTeaching.org

Inclusive computer science pedagogy is a pedagogical approach that acknowledges, celebrates, and incorporates the diverse identities of students in the field of computing. These resources were designed to help teachers in supporting all students to be successful in learning computing in their classrooms.

Our team has curated a repository of K-8 CS lessons that integrate computing into core subject areas such as Science, English, Mathematics. The lessons in this repository integrate CS with non-CS learning objectives. They have been cultivated from sources that are freely available, including CodeVA, Everyday Computing, CS4ALL NYC, and resources developed by Northern Lights Collaborative. Lessons can be filtered by grade band, subject area, and CS concepts. 

View Curriculum Repository 

One way to incorporate computing and computer science learning into any grade is through literature. In particular, at the elementary level, books are an easy entry point to learning computing concepts and practices (such as algorithms, abstraction, persistence, tinkering, and more!) Check out the book list for recommended books and check back in the future for some lesson plans!

Access the CS Book List