BRACKETT ELEMENTARY PTO
Hour of Code

In Brackett Classrooms
February 3-7, 2025
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First Grade
Second Grade
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Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code
Fifth Grade
Hour of Code is a national education initiative – the goal is to give millions of students from across the U.S. their first taste of computer programming.
STEM parent/caregiver volunteers bring Hour of Code into Brackett classrooms each year by introducing our students to computer programming fundamentals through a series of coding games on their classroom iPads or Chromebooks (kindergartners participate via a deviceless hands-on game).
Hour of Code helps prepare Brackett students to handle technology classes at Gibbs/Ottoson and beyond, and hopefully introduces programming to a few students who wouldn’t have tried it otherwise.
Kindergarten

Kindergartners participate in Hour of Code in small groups through a hands-on, screen-free coding activity.
Parent/caregiver volunteers use playing cards to make a simple “maze” on the floor. Each card acts as one space on the pathway — there are toy pieces of fruit at various points along the path. Students move a toy mouse through the maze to collect the fruit and ultimately reach the exit.
The students work in small groups that are each led by one volunteer. Students take turns being the “programmer” and the “computer.”
The “programmer” gives verbal instructions like ‘Move Forward [X] Spaces’ (stating how many card spaces), ‘Move Backward [X] Spaces’, and ‘Turn Right’ or ‘Turn Left’ to guide the computer/mouse throughout the path, without missing any of the fruit.
The “computer” controls the mouse and follows the programmer’s instructions exactly as stated.
The game is then reset with a new maze layout and students take turns playing the other role. Mazes can get more complex as the activity goes on and challenges such as obstacles can be introduced.
This game teaches children about algorithms, which is a group of instructions written by the programmer to tell the computer what to do. They will also learn the concept of debugging, which is how to fix a problem in a program.
First Grade
Primary Activity
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Second Grade
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Third Grade
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Fourth Grade
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Fifth Grade
Primary Activity
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Brackett Elementary PTO
66 Eastern Ave, Arlington, MA 02476