Orientation for the 'Hour of Code'
Volunteering is easy and fun for the 'Hour of Code.' You'll find the students engaged and ready to explore using the computer to play the 'games' that are teaching them the basics of computer science. When planning your arrival at the school, please be sure to give yourself enough time to park, register, and find your classroom (plan for at least 15-20 minutes).
Volunteers must follow all policies and practices of the Somerville Public Schools. For information about dress code, fire drills, conduct and further information about school policies and practices, please refer to the SPS Parent/Guardian Guide.
Volunteers must follow all policies and practices of the Somerville Public Schools. For information about dress code, fire drills, conduct and further information about school policies and practices, please refer to the SPS Parent/Guardian Guide.
Transportation and Parking
Temporary Parking Tags may be secured at the school’s main office if you do not have a Somerville parking permit. Most Somerville streets are Somerville resident permit parking only, and school lots are reserved for teacher and staff parking. The temporary parking tags should be clearly displayed on your car dashboard, and returned to the main office after use.
The Somerville department of Traffic and Parking is aware of this event and will relax parking enforcement for the entire week around the schools. However, street cleaning and other illegal parking violations will still be enforced. If for some reason you accidentally receive a parking ticket, please contact one of the community partners who can resolve this issue for you.
The Somerville department of Traffic and Parking is aware of this event and will relax parking enforcement for the entire week around the schools. However, street cleaning and other illegal parking violations will still be enforced. If for some reason you accidentally receive a parking ticket, please contact one of the community partners who can resolve this issue for you.
Arriving at the School
When you arrive at the school, go to the main office to sign-in. You'll be given a volunteer lanyard or orange sticker that you will need to wear these as long as you are in the school. Please sign-out at the end of your day and return these to the main office when you're done.
Let them know that you are there to volunteer for the 'Hour of Code,' which teacher you'll be helping, and ask for the location of the library. Most schools will not give you an escort, so please listen closely to the directions on how to get to your room.
Let them know that you are there to volunteer for the 'Hour of Code,' which teacher you'll be helping, and ask for the location of the library. Most schools will not give you an escort, so please listen closely to the directions on how to get to your room.
Restrooms
Volunteers will only use adult restrooms. Please pay attention to this, as it's not always obvious how to differentiate between student and adult bathrooms. When in doubt, please ask.
Lunch and Food
If you have a volunteer slot that spans lunch period, you are welcome to leave the school to find lunch in the area. Alternatively, you are welcome to bring your own lunch and eat it in the library or classroom.
Pictures and Social Media
Volunteers will not photograph students unless authorized by the library or math teacher. If you want to take picture or post the experience to social media, please make sure you ask in advance. Some students may have a 'do not photograph' policy, that you'll need to honor.
There are a number of different hashtags we'll use for the event, which are listed below:
There are a number of different hashtags we'll use for the event, which are listed below:
- #HourofCodeMA
What to do During the 'Hour of Code' Session
When you arrive at your assigned room, introduce yourself to the library or math teacher--they'll be expecting you. Ask them if they have specific items where they need some help. Otherwise, be ready to help with the following:
Show an inspirational video
There are a number of great videos that describe the 'Hour of Code' including one from President Obama. Some the teachers like starting with these videos to grab the student's attention. If you have a class that is predominantly girls, this video is excellent.
Get students situated with equipment
All the labs have desktop computers, chromebooks, and tablets available for students. Depending on the library, you might have students working with all of these. Most of the tutorials will work across all devices, although we find the desktop computers to be the ideal experience because of their screen size. Also, most of the tutorials have accompanying videos, so headphones may be available for student use.
Log the students into the computers
All the computers will have a login for the school network. If you're the first one to arrive that day, you may need to help with this login process. Most labs have 20+ computers, so please plan appropriately if that's your time slot. Also, many of the older students will have 'their own' username/password for the computers--you WILL NOT be using those IDs--we have a standard/guest login that will we will be using.
Log the students into the 'Hour of Code' tutorials
All the students will have login credentials for the 'Hour of Code' tutorials. This allows the teachers to track their progress with the tutorials if the students continue to work on them outside of school. Please work with the library teacher on what mechanism they have chosen for their students.
Introduce yourself to the students
The students are very interested in these 'new' faces that are in their classroom to help them. Make a point of introducing yourself, but be careful not take too much time away from the students working on the tutorials.
Help with the tutorials
The library teacher will have some recommended tutorials for students. Tell students to visit the URL and start the tutorial. When your students come across difficulties, then them “ask 3 then ask me.” Ask 3 classmates, and if they don’t have the answer, then ask the teacher/volunteer. Also, ask students who finish early to help classmates who are having trouble with their tutorial.
Certificates of Completion
Let the library teacher know if a student a student completes their tutorial since they will get a certificate of accomplishment. The teachers will 'hand-write' the student's name on these certificates. The student will also likely get some other 'goodies' to celebrate their accomplishment.
Recommended Tutorials
There are many tutorials to choose from, but we suggest the following for the session:
Angry Birds - Great for all ages - Best Starter Tutorial
With this tutorial, kids learn the basic concepts of Computer Science with drag and drop programming. It is a game-like, self-directed tutorial starring video lectures by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies. It is a great first tutorial for elementary students and also appropriate for middle and high school students too (the older kids didn't find it too 'childish' and had fun with it too)
Lightbot - Great for all ages - Good Starter Tutorial
Lightbot is a game that asks players to use programming logic to solve puzzles! Students gain a practical understanding of basic coding concepts by guiding Lightbot to light up all the blue tiles in each level They'll learn how to sequence instructions, write procedures, and utilize loops along the way in this self-guided activity.
This tutorial worked really great for all kids last year. Plus, it's available in multiple languages, which is very helpful with our ESL students
This tutorial worked really great for all kids last year. Plus, it's available in multiple languages, which is very helpful with our ESL students
Run Marco - Great for all ages - New this year
Students play an adventure game based on an original story. They guide Marco - the main character - through each level by giving him step-by-step instructions in the form of the visual programming language used by the Hour of Code. They get introduced to sequencing commands, iteration and conditions without even noticing it. This game is new from last year and very visual so it could be a good one to try if a student is tired of Angry birds or Lightbot.
Tynker - Great for all ages - Good Starter Tutorial
Tynker is actually a series of 8 different games with same general themes. Kids solve fun coding puzzles to learn programming concepts. They personalize the games with animated characters, multiple levels, and props. Each game has a suggested age range, although our experience shows that these are great for all ages.
These tutorial were really popular last year, especially because there were so many to choose from. They are graphically appealing, which really captures the attention of the students.
These tutorial were really popular last year, especially because there were so many to choose from. They are graphically appealing, which really captures the attention of the students.
Minecraft - Good for late elementary / middle school
With the popularity of Minecraft, this is sure to be a favorite. However, it is a bit more complex than Angry Bird or Lightbot, so be aware of that if younger kids want to try it. If they are struggling, we would suggest switching back to some of the easier tutorials.
Star Wars- Good for late elementary / middle school
In this game, students learn to program droids, and create their own Star Wars game in a galaxy far, far away. This tutorial introduces students to eventing and scoring, but doesn't have the same logic concepts in the other tutorials. In a way, it's a very simplified version of Scratch specific to making a Star Wars game.
With the popularity of Star Wars, kids are going to want to try this one. However, the concepts are a bit more advanced. So if younger kids are struggling, we would suggest switching back to some of the easier tutorials.
With the popularity of Star Wars, kids are going to want to try this one. However, the concepts are a bit more advanced. So if younger kids are struggling, we would suggest switching back to some of the easier tutorials.
Scratch - For older students, grades 5 and up
Scratch is a programming environment which allows young programmers to easily create multimedia applications and simple games. It was created right here, at the MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group over ten years ago. With Scratch, students can create their own interactive games, stories, and animations--all with a easy to use block programming approach.
There are three Scratch tutorials: Animate your name, make a hide-and-seek game, or create a dance scene! Older students will be able to do these tutorial, but watch them closely. I found they can easily get distracted with the sound and graphics and not really work on the 'logic' behind the tutorials.
We're huge fans of Scratch--it is one of the most useful tools to teach computational thinking--and a perfect introduction to more complex programming languages. But you have to leverage it 'wisely' in the short timeframe you have for the 'Hour of Code.'
There are three Scratch tutorials: Animate your name, make a hide-and-seek game, or create a dance scene! Older students will be able to do these tutorial, but watch them closely. I found they can easily get distracted with the sound and graphics and not really work on the 'logic' behind the tutorials.
We're huge fans of Scratch--it is one of the most useful tools to teach computational thinking--and a perfect introduction to more complex programming languages. But you have to leverage it 'wisely' in the short timeframe you have for the 'Hour of Code.'
Codecademy - For high school students
Codecademy is an interactive, student-guided introduction to the basics of CS through JavaScript that's used by tens of millions of students around the world. We've prepared a no-hassle Hour of Code experience with accompanying quizzes, slides, and a completed project for students at the end.
We only this tutorial a few times in the high school for students who had some exposure to programming. So if a student wants to try this, ask them if they have had any computer science classes before. If not, we would steer them towards the Scratch tutorial, which is a bit more approachable.
We only this tutorial a few times in the high school for students who had some exposure to programming. So if a student wants to try this, ask them if they have had any computer science classes before. If not, we would steer them towards the Scratch tutorial, which is a bit more approachable.