Alabama Middle School Computer Science: Coding and Computer Basics Units
Alabama Middle School Computer Science: Coding and Computer Basics Units
Alabama middle schools have had to offer at least one approved computer science course since 2021–22. If that class is yours, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) gives you four ready units: algorithms and computational thinking, programming with Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. It is teaching material for your course, not an approved Alabama course in itself.
Open the coding unitsThe Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle costs $69.99 and holds four Grades 6–9 units for a middle school CS class. Each unit has worksheets on four levels, a detailed reading text, a hands-on deep-dive task, slides for the whole unit and full answer keys with a marking guide. Software and devices are not included; you use whatever your school already has. It is not an approved course and not aligned to Alabama's CS standards.
The resources
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
4 resources in one download: $69.99 instead of $99.96 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle | Algorithms, Python, Binary & How the Internet Works | 4 Units | Grades 6–9
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle | How AI Works, Prompting, Phishing, Encryption & Data Privacy | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Computer Science Activities Bundle | Artificial Intelligence, Python Programming, Cybersecurity & Digital Literacy | Middle School Grades 7–10
Programming with Python – Computer Science Unit (Grades 6–9)
The real problem
Alabama's CS law, seen from the classroom
Alabama's 2019 computer science law set the order of things. Each public high school had to offer at least one approved CS course from 2020–21, each middle school from 2021–22, and elementary schools began teaching the basics of computer science and computational thinking in 2022–23. So a sixth or seventh grader today may arrive with some computational thinking from elementary school, sitting next to a classmate who moved in from a private school or another state and has done none. The standards behind this work are the Alabama Course of Study: Digital Literacy and Computer Science. A 2025 edition follows the 2018 one, so check which edition your district expects this year. In practice, the requirement is the easy part; the daily teaching is harder. A middle school CS class mixes students who have written code at home with students who struggle to save a file. Lessons have to explain the idea first, let beginners succeed and still give fast students something real to build. They also have to run on the devices you actually have, whether that is a full lab or a cart shared with other classes. Python setup, student accounts and approved software are school decisions that no lesson set can make for you.
Why it fits
Why these four units suit an Alabama middle school class
The units start from ideas, not tools, which helps when students arrive with very different backgrounds.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking builds on whatever computational thinking students brought from elementary school.
- Worksheets on Basic, Standard, Plus and Project levels keep a mixed-experience class on one topic.
- Programming with Python starts with print, variables and input, then if statements, loops and a mini-project.
- Binary & Digital Images shows how computers store numbers and pictures, with a hands-on deep-dive task.
- How the Internet Works has a reading text and printed worksheets for days when devices are booked.
- Answer keys with a marking guide help a teacher from another subject grade consistently.
Getting started
A suggested order for a semester or a year
Use this order if your course starts from scratch, and adjust it to your district's CS course outline.
- Start with algorithmsTeach Algorithms and Computational Thinking first. Students learn to break problems into steps before any typing, which narrows the gap between students with and without coding experience.
- Show how data is storedMove to Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images. Use the Basic and Standard worksheets with the whole class and hand the Plus or Project level to students who finish early.
- Sort out Python before the unitAsk your school's technology staff which Python setup students can use, then test it on one student device. The unit itself includes no software, so this step matters.
- Teach Programming with PythonWork through print, variables and input, then if statements and loops. Close with the mini-project and grade it with the marking guide in the answer key.
- Finish with how the internet worksEnd with How the Internet Works. It ties the course together and sets up later topics such as data protection or cybersecurity if you add them in spring.
What to buy
Choosing the right CS purchase
For a first middle school CS course, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99 (parts $99.96) is the clearest start. If your course leans toward AI and online safety, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99, parts $149.94) adds six different units: how AI works, prompting, filter bubbles, data protection, phishing and encryption. Teachers of Grades 7–10 who want one larger set can look at the Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99) with 10 units and 30 lessons, though its topics overlap with both bundles. If you only need Python, Programming with Python is $24.99 alone.
Honest limits
Limits to know before you buy
This bundle is not an approved Alabama CS course and is not aligned to the Alabama Course of Study: Digital Literacy and Computer Science; compare it with the edition your district uses. Four units will not fill a full year by themselves. No software, accounts, laptops or coding platforms are included, so Python setup depends on your school. Sharing with other teachers in your building needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If it does not fit your course, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this count as an approved CS course in Alabama?
No. Alabama's law requires schools to offer an approved CS course, and approval rests with the state and your district, not with a lesson set. These units are not aligned to or endorsed under the Alabama Course of Study: Digital Literacy and Computer Science. Use them as material inside the course your school offers, after checking them against the standards.
I have never taught coding. Can I teach the Python unit?
The unit is described as working for students brand new to coding and for confident ones, and it starts with print, variables and input. Slides, a reading text and full answer keys with a marking guide support you. Run each program yourself the evening before so you have seen the common mistakes before students make them.
What do students need to run Python?
Nothing comes with the bundle: no software, accounts or devices. Students use whatever Python setup your school already provides, so check with your technology staff early. The other three units can be taught mostly from the reading texts, worksheets and slides, which helps on days without devices.
How do the four worksheet levels work?
Each unit has differentiated worksheets on Basic, Standard, Plus and Project levels for the same topic. You can assign levels by readiness, let students choose and move up, or use the Project level as an extension for students who finish early. Everyone discusses the same idea while working at a different depth.
Do the Coding and AI & Cybersecurity bundles overlap?
No. The coding bundle covers algorithms, Python, binary and the internet; the AI & Cybersecurity bundle covers AI, prompting, filter bubbles, data protection, phishing and encryption. Together they make ten units. The Computer Science Activities Bundle covers many of the same topics in its own lessons, so you would rarely need it as well.
When can I start using the files?
Right away. The download link arrives by email after purchase and stays in your customer account under Orders. Print the worksheets or show the slides on your classroom screen. If you have questions about team use or school purchasing, send them to Teach Lessons before you buy.
Get your CS class ready for next week
Open the product page to see the four units and what each one contains.
Open the coding units