AI, CS, & Digital Literacy

Schools across the country are rethinking screen time, particularly in elementary classrooms, and our region is no exception. As ODE develops statewide guidance, many local districts have already begun these conversations.

If you’re wondering what that means for teaching coding and computational thinking, there are plenty of hands-on ways to keep those skills growing. For our youngest learners, opportunities to move, manipulate objects, and share ideas may be an especially good fit!

Imagine students arranging arrows to guide a partner through a paper map. When the directions don’t reach the destination, they find the problem and try a change. That’s algorithm design and debugging—without a device.

These activities also give students more ways to share their thinking. Young learners and multilingual students can demonstrate ideas through pictures, gestures, and objects as their reading and English skills develop.

Already using Code.org?  Its K–5 unplugged resources bring a familiar look and feel to hands-on learning, making the transition away from screens feel natural.

To help you get started, we’ve developed a Code.org Unplugged Sequence, organizing 20 lessons by concept and suggested grade band. It’s available to help you find a starting point for your classroom, too.

Want to see an unplugged lesson in action or talk through how it could work with your students? Reach out to us at the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub. We’d love to demonstrate an activity, share resources, or help you plan your first lesson! P.S. If your school currently having the screen guidance conversation, here's a newly released toolkit from Common Sense to help guide the discussion! https://www.commonsense.org/education/tech-in-schools