Colorado Middle School Computer Science: First Coding Units, Grades 6–9
If you are starting middle school computer science in Colorado this year and have never taught coding, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle gives you four planned units to begin with: algorithms, Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. It costs $69.99. Every unit comes with slides, a reading text, worksheets on four levels and full answer keys.
View the coding unitsThe Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) contains four Grades 6–9 units: Algorithms and Computational Thinking; Programming with Python; Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images; and How the Internet Works. Each has worksheets on four levels, a detailed reading text, a hands-on deep-dive task, slides and full answer keys with a marking guide. It is written for teachers starting a CS class, including those who have never taught coding. It is not written for Colorado'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
New K–8 standards arrive in 2026–27
Colorado adopted revised Colorado Academic Standards: Computer Science on May 9, 2024. The revision added new standards for kindergarten through Grade 8, and 2026–27 is the first implementation year. The standards are voluntary for local education providers, so your school or district decides if and how to use them. At the high school level, HB 16-1198 required secondary CS standards for courses that may count toward a math or science graduation requirement. For a middle school teacher, the practical result is a new class or a new strand that may be arriving now, often handed to someone whose training is in math, science or technology education rather than computer science. Starting from nothing is the hard part. You need a sequence that makes sense to an eleven- or twelve-year-old, explanations you trust, and tasks that work for students who have coded before and students who have never seen a line of code. Coding also depends on whatever devices and Python setup your school already has, which differs from building to building. A good first semester covers the ideas behind computing, then gets students writing small programs without a long setup fight.
Why it fits
Why these four units suit a first CS class
The four units move from ideas to code to how computers and networks handle data.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking builds step-by-step thinking students need before writing any code.
- Programming with Python starts with print, variables and input, then if statements and loops.
- The Python unit ends in a mini-project and works for beginners and confident coders alike.
- Binary & Digital Images shows how a computer stores numbers and pictures as data.
- How the Internet Works explains what happens between typing an address and seeing a page.
- Answer keys with a marking guide let a teacher new to coding grade programs with confidence.
Getting started
A first semester, unit by unit
A suggested order and rough timing. Adjust it to your schedule and to the devices your school provides.
- Weeks 1–4: algorithms, unpluggedTeach Algorithms and Computational Thinking first, mostly on paper. Students practice breaking problems into steps, which makes the jump to Python much easier and gives you time to sort out device access.
- Weeks 5–8: Python basicsMove to Programming with Python. Begin with print, variables and input, then if statements and loops. Use whatever Python setup your school already has; none is included with the units.
- Weeks 9–10: the mini-projectClose the Python unit with its mini-project. Fast students can stretch it using the Project level worksheets, while others complete the Standard level version with support.
- Weeks 11–13: binary and imagesTeach Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images. Students convert numbers and see how a picture becomes data, a good break from typing code after the Python block.
- Weeks 14–16: how the internet worksFinish with How the Internet Works. It links back to binary and gives students a clear picture of what their devices do every time they go online.
What to buy
Start with coding, or add AI and safety
The Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99 is the right first purchase for a coding-centered class; the four units cost $99.96 separately. If your school also wants AI and online safety, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99, parts $149.94) adds six units: how AI works, prompting, recommendation algorithms, data protection, phishing and encryption. The Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99) covers ten topics including Python and AI for Grades 7–10. If you want to test the format first, Programming with Python is sold alone for $24.99.
Honest limits
What the bundle does not include
The units are not written for Colorado and carry no Colorado Academic Standards: Computer Science codes, so check them against the standards your school uses for 2026–27. No software, coding platform, accounts or laptops are included or required by the product; students use whatever devices and Python setup your school already has. You handle installation, device rules and printing. The licence covers your own classes; ask Teach Lessons first about department or school use. If the bundle is not right, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. Cash refunds are not available.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to Colorado's new K–8 computer science standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned to, approved under or written for the Colorado Academic Standards: Computer Science, adopted May 9, 2024, and the store makes no such claim. Since your district decides whether and how to use those voluntary standards, compare the four units with its plan and mark what you still need to add.
Do my students need laptops and Python installed?
For the Python unit, students need some way to run Python, and that comes from your school, not from the product. The algorithms, binary and internet units can be taught largely with paper worksheets and slides. Talk to your technology staff early so the Python weeks start smoothly.
I have never coded. Can I teach this?
The bundle is written for teachers starting a CS class, including those who have never taught coding. Read each unit's reading text ahead of time and work through the Python exercises yourself the week before. The answer keys and marking guide take care of the checking.
Some of my students already code. Will they be bored?
The Python unit is described as suitable for students brand new to coding and for confident ones. Every unit has four worksheet levels, Basic, Standard, Plus and Project, so experienced students can move to the Plus or Project tasks while beginners build up from Basic.
Does it cover AI or cybersecurity?
Not in this bundle. Its four units focus on algorithms, Python, binary and the internet. For AI, prompting, phishing, data protection and encryption, look at the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle, which uses the same unit structure, so the two fit together across a full year if your school wants both.
When do I receive the units?
Right after purchase. The download link arrives by email and also stays in your customer account under Orders. Everything is digital: worksheets, slides, reading texts and answer keys, ready for print or for a digital classroom on the devices your school already uses. Nothing is shipped.
Your first CS semester, planned before day one
See what each of the four units contains on the product page.
View the coding units