The Cornerstone School · grades K–5
Coding & Digital Play
Sequences, loops, and bugs worth finding — programming met first as play, with care and kindness built in.
Exact instructions, loops, and bugs — the ideas of programming, acted out before any screen turns on.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~6 hours
Unit I — Exact Instructions
A program is a list of exact steps · Order matters: what breaks when steps swap · Following instructions too literally, on purpose
Unit II — Patterns and Loops
Do it again: spotting repeats · Loops in dances, songs, and mornings · Writing a loop instead of writing it all out
Unit III — Bugs
A bug is a wrong instruction, not a wrong person · Finding the step that went wrong · Fixing it and trying again
Sprites, loops, decisions, and a variable or two — a first real program, built and explained by you.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~16 hours
Unit I — First Programs
The stage, the sprites, the blocks · Making a sprite move and speak · Events: when the flag is clicked
Unit II — Loops and Decisions
Repeat blocks · If and if-else: programs that choose · Sensing: touching, clicking, key presses
Unit III — Variables and Messages
A variable is a box with a name · Keeping count in a game · Broadcasting messages between sprites
Unit IV — A Whole Project
Planning a small game or story · Building it in pieces that each work · Presenting it and explaining how it works
Words on a screen land on a person — kindness, privacy, and a healthy suspicion of things that want a click.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — Kind Online
Words on a screen land on a person · What to do about mean messages · Private information stays private
Unit II — Careful Online
Passwords, and why they are secrets · Ads, pop-ups, and things that want a click · Asking a grown-up: when and why
Unit III — True Online
Not everything written is true · Checking a claim in two places · Photos can fool: edited images
Sensors, motors, and a program between them — driving a small robot through a maze you measured yourself.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~12 hours
Unit I — What a Robot Is
Sensors, brains, motors · Machines that follow programs · Robots already around you
Unit II — Driving and Turning
Programming a robot to travel a path · Turns, degrees, and trial runs · Measuring: how far does one wheel-turn go
Unit III — Sensing the World
Bump, light, and distance sensors · Wait-until: acting on what the robot senses · A maze run: putting it all together
Home row, honest posture, accuracy before speed — typing that keeps up with thinking, learned early.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~10 hours
Unit I — Home Row
Every finger has assigned keys · asdf and jkl; without looking · Posture and hand position
Unit II — Reaching Out
Top row and bottom row · Shift, space, and enter · Accuracy first, speed second
Unit III — Real Typing
Numbers and punctuation · Typing sentences you compose yourself · A gentle words-per-minute goal